Exclusive Interview: Pop-Cullturalist Chats with Great White’s Aaron Jakubenko

Leading man Aaron Jakubenko is blowing audiences away with his jaw-dropping performance in the suspenseful shark-thriller Great White. Directed by Martin Wilson, Great White is an action-packed film that follows five passengers who are stranded in a raft after their seaplane is destroyed in a freak accident. To make matters worse, they’re hundreds of miles away from shore with man-eating sharks lurking beneath the surface!

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Aaron about his starring role in Great White, how the film examines the human condition, and so much more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Aaron: It wasn’t one single thing. When I was growing up, my family loved films. My father loved epics like Gladiator and Braveheart and anything with Paul Newman. Watching Paul Newman and classics like Jurassic Park really inspired me. I remember watching The Patriot and there was a close-up of Mel Gibson after his character’s son died. I remember thinking, “Wow, he’s telling a story. He’s telling this truth that isn’t actually his.” That really got me interested.

PC: When you’re looking at your career as a whole, who or what’s had the biggest influence, either personally or professionally?
Aaron: Personally, I have teachers, friends, and mentors that I really look up to and learn from. I’ve worked with the same voice and acting coach for the past ten years. They’re all wonderful. And of course, my managers.

But I’m also influenced by a lot of actors that I don’t know. I watch their craft—actors like Mark Rylance and Paul Newman. You can’t help but be inspired by their work. It’s storytelling at its peak.

PC: You’ve got a new film out now. Tell us about Great White and your character in the film.
Aaron: Great White is a lot of fun. It’s probably one of the finest films that I’ve ever shot, and it was beautiful working in sunny Queensland for a couple of weeks. The film is a thriller that’s centered around a relationship and that looks at how humans behave when they’re thrown into extreme circumstances. In this case, their plane goes down and they find themselves floating along on a raft and coming into contact with sharks. It’s quite exciting.

My character has hope. He fights for survival. He fights to protect others. He allows himself to try to understand his fear while remaining rational as well. He’s an interesting, well-rounded character.

PC: You’ve done it all in your career. What was it about this particular project, script, and character that attracted you?
Aaron: I actually passed on another project when I did the audition. I was really attracted to the idea of getting back to Australia (I was in America at the time). Also, director Martin Wilson has such a passion for going beyond the limits of the genre. I love the genre, but as an actor, if you’re only playing the genre, you’re in trouble. We’re playing these human characters with struggling relationships and friendships.

That’s what really sold me. It involved these crazy, instinct-driven moments revolving around the shark, but more importantly it was the human interaction and the idea of what I would do in that situation that really gripped me.

PC: You shot the majority of this film in the great outdoors, and you’re no stranger to doing that. How have your previous experiences prepared you for this project? How challenging is it to work in that environment?
Aaron: Before I did this film, I did a show in Queensland called Tidelands that’s also very heavily based on the water. So I had a lot of water training. I was fortunate to work with a guy named Josh Randall, who was brought on by the director. We did two weeks of training. We went from holding our breath for thirty to forty seconds to two minutes. I was fortunate to be able to bring that training onto this project, but my love of the ocean was a big factor that helped as well. You’re shooting in paradise.

PC: How would you say Great White differentiates itself from films in the shark thriller-survival genre?
Aaron: Marty really wanted to focus on human interactions and behavior. You could almost remove the sharks from this film entirely, and you would still have a story about these people stuck on a raft together and how that all plays out. That was always his goal.

That was one of the things that attracted me to it because you’re able to perform these really interesting moments that don’t revolve around the sharks. There’s grief. There’s loss. There’s all sorts of stuff. That’s what I sensed was different. It’s a tricky genre for finding that balance because ultimately everyone does want horror.

PC: There’s incredible chemistry that comes off the screen between you and the rest of the cast. How were you able to build that?
Aaron: That’s the funny thing about being actors. While filming, you’re away from all your family and friends. They say you have these temporary friends for a while, and while the friendships do go on to last a lifetime, you are working in this condensed timeline. Katrina [Bowden] and I had most of our scenes together. We were always training together at this gym around the corner. TK [Tim Kano] as well. So we had this collaboration both on and off-screen. We became friends immediately. Everyone was lovely, and that helps. I feel like that shows when we’re on screen. You don’t have to try. It’s certainly a lot of fun. You get to have a good time while you’re filming, and that’s important too.

PC: Is there a particular scene that’s in the film that you’re really excited for your fans to see?
Aaron: That last question made me think of TK’s jellyfish fist bump. [laughs] That’s a fun one. Also, those final sacrifice moments…you have to give your all to perform them. I hope the audience connects with these characters’ struggles.

PC: This is Martin’s debut feature film. What was it like collaborating with him?
Aaron: He was passionate about creating this story. He’s always loved feature films, so he was really passionate about it. You could see his vision. I sent my audition in over Skype, and he actually color-graded my audition because he was that passionate about getting me on board to show everybody. That shows you the level of passion that he was bringing.
He’s a big fan of a lot of the old horror/thriller legends, like Hitchcock and so on. We had a great working relationship. He surrounded himself with a wonderful team. The crew was fantastic. The imagery was gorgeous. The props department was phenomenal. It was a great team.

PC: You’ve said in previous interviews that you’re an actor that’s always focused on personal growth. What did you learn about yourself working on this project? What did you take away?
Aaron: I try to learn all the time, and I try to absorb all the time. For me, this project was about learning to enjoy my time off-screen. I can get tunnel vision and just work, work, work, so it was really nice to be able to sit back on a beach and absorb what was going on. It’s a nice reminder to work hard but also to find that balance.

PC: The film’s been incredibly well received overseas. What do you think is resonating most with audiences? What do you hope US audiences take away after they see the film?
Aaron: It’s a wonderful time for escape. We’re yearning for stories to take us on a journey right now because it’s been a tough time for the world. This is a story that does that. You can have fun. I mean, my girlfriend and I were watching, and she was clinging onto me the whole time. We had such a good time watching it. I hope people walk away from it enjoying the ups and downs of the film, the highs and lows that these characters go through.

To keep up with Aaron, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Great White is available in theaters, On Demand and Digital July 16, 2021.

Photo Credit: http://www.jaclynadams.com/