Stephen Curry is very funny – something Australia first learned when we met the actor as Dale Kerrigan in The Castle in 1997. But while Curry has a great many comedy hits under his belt, he’s also adept at more dramatic roles. His latest is as JJ Walker in Ten Pound Poms, the Stan series about the tribulations of British citizens who migrated to Australia after the second world war, which returns to screens this month.
While his work in Australian film and TV keeps him busy, between gigs Curry makes time for travel. Here, the screen star tells us about the good and bad of his holidays, as well as sharing his refreshing philosophy on how to manage long-haul flights.
What makes an excellent travel companion?
Someone who can happily look at a snow-capped peak and say: “It’d be ridiculous to try and climb that. Let’s find a pub with a really good view of it.”
My earliest childhood holiday memory is …
Being squished into the very back of the station wagon with the dog, both looking out the rear window at where we’d been, while the other six family members sat in actual seats watching where we were going – which was invariably the Yarrawonga caravan park. None of us were wearing seatbelts.
Describe your most memorable travel meal – good, terrible or out there.
In Petra, Jordan, a friend told me I “simply must try the qalayet bandora”. It was a simple dish of tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, olive oil and salt. It tasted OK – nice and spicy – but I remembered it for five days as I stood over squat latrines making guttural, unholy outbursts. I think at one point I may have even started speaking in tongues.
What’s the most relaxing place you’ve ever visited?
Dahab, Egypt, May 2000. Shisha pipes and cushions as far as the eye could see. Ahhhh.
And the most stressful?
Cairo, Egypt, May 2000. Rip-off merchants and dodgy South African backpackers as far as the eye could see. Ughhh.
What’s one item you always put in your suitcase?
A Frisbee, 165 grams. You never know when you might need a Frisbee. It can double as a plate, a peace offering or an icebreaker. But it also works just fine as a Frisbee.
What’s your strategy for enduring long-haul flights?
Getting over yourself and realising there’s no more first-world a problem than someone banging on about how long and arduous their flight was.
What’s your biggest travel regret?
Going to Pisa and not seeing the Leaning Tower. Our car broke down on the edge of the city and we had to catch a plane that afternoon. We had a choice: catch the flight or miss the tower. (I was travelling with my wife, whom I’d assured I’d checked the water and the oil in the car, but seriously – who checks the water and the oil in a rental?)
A quick game of rock, paper, scissors later, I reluctantly agreed it’s just a tower that clearly wasn’t built to code. And I learned a valuable lesson: never choose scissors in Pisa.
Stephen Curry stars in Ten Pound Poms, returning 10 March on Stan
