Country showbiz star Joel Jackson shares his rise to fame from an Elleker farm and the red dust of Karratha

For Albany-born actor and musician Joel Jackson, growing up in the Great Southern will be something the star will keep in his heart, no matter where his career takes him. Living on a farm in Elleker near Albany until the age of nine, Jackson recalls a childhood full of farming and fixing things. “We were kind of always moving from place to place. In the school holidays, we were always painting or fixing a shed, doing something on granddad’s farm, helping with cows ... picking potatoes and broccoli,” Jackson said. Born into a boisterous family full of love and support, his passion for playing guitar started at a young age. “I’d go and sing to the cows,” he said. “I remember standing on the balcony one time. I was too loud for Granny but everyone else still wanted to hear it, so she told me to go outside. It was dusk and all the big black Angus cows came to the fence as I started playing.” Jackson moved to the Pilbara, where he was raised in the dust and heat of Karratha. “Being in Karratha compared to here, the atmosphere and climate were really different but the people and the space were kind of similar,” Jackson said. “They both shared a sense of sport, recreation and fun ... I never had the pressures of being in a city or that idea of pressure to perform, which I think people in the country get right. “It’s not to be the best and make money, it’s just to be happy and do your thing.” Speaking to Inspire at his family’s farm in Elleker, Jackson said he stumbled upon his acting career by accident at the age of 18. “Mum suggested it,” he said. “I was up north playing at pubs and working as a landscaper; I think Mum was sick and tired of me being at home. “She knew that I loved movies and did a bit of theatre stuff when I was younger.” He auditioned for the WA Academy of Performing Arts and the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, then chose the latter after being accepted into both. The homegrown actor and indie pop singer has worked alongside some big names including Daniel Radcliffe, Sam Worthington, Richard Roxburgh and Rebecca Gibney. Best known for his role in TV series Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door, Jackson has also played prominent characters in Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, Deadline Gallipoli, Jungle and the locally shot feature film, H is for Happiness. Jackson said working with Harry Potter star Radcliffe was relaxing. “He makes it so easy. He doesn’t ask anything of you,” he said. “A lot of actors have a bit of stigma around them where it’s a bit difficult on set, but he’s so talented that it just seemed like you were talking to that person.” When he isn’t busy rehearsing lines or strumming a new tune, he likes to spend his time outdoors. “I love to surf, camp, go and see live music. I love travelling and hanging out with family,” he said. “I like meeting new people and having new experiences, so that those things can be put into acting ... life fuels acting and storytelling.” Right now, Jackson is back on Albany, where will be performing his original songs at a sold-out show at Six Degrees on Saturday. “People will be hearing songs off my EP Boy On A Wire, along with covers of stuff that you wouldn’t expect someone to do ... “It’s the first time I’ll be playing my original songs. It’s really exciting to be building an audience,” he said.