Sam Worthington

When I was young, my parents were these titanic, infallible figures. But Mum's illness and Dad's battles with diabetes and heart attacks had a ripple effect on me - reminding me of my own mortality and that these illnesses are genetic.

In the movies, they make you look good and tough, but in real life, it's completely the opposite. I do these ueber roles, I think, because in real life I'm quite shy and reserved. In real life, I'm a dork.

The thrill of a photo-realist painter is if you get really close to the painting, it looks just like a photograph. Whereas in my case, if you get close to my paintings, they totally fall apart - so I'm about as far from a photo-realist as it gets.