Mark “Chopper” Read joins Pinball cast

December 2, 2011

Notorious ex-criminal and author Mark “Chopper” Read has joined the cast of Melbourne-based crime film Pinball.

Read will be playing himself in the modern day retelling of the biblical Cain and Abel story, which will mark the feature film debut of brothers Matt and Trevor Holcomb. Earlier this year, Read also had a cameo role as a biker in the upcoming feature film The Groomless Bride.

Writer-director Matt Holcomb said having Read join the cast was a coup.

“Pinball was designed to be a relentlessly gritty and authentic-feeling crime film, but one not based on a true crime story,” he said in a statement.

“In the absence of a true crime-based narrative, I thought the next best thing would be to try and cast a real (and former) underworld identity like Mark, whom I wrote into the first draft of the script back in 2009 as a placeholder of sorts, never thinking we would be lucky enough to snare him. To have Mark part of the creative team feels surreal. But if I do my job correctly, his appearance in the film won’t feel surreal.”

A film based on Read’s life, Chopper, launched the career of Eric Bana and proved a local hit with audiences more than a decade ago.

The cast of Pinball also includes Australian hip-hop icon, Brad Strut, and VCA graduate Kevin Kiernan-Molloy.

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