Rodger Corser
Top Cop
By Angus Fontaine
Who you? I’m Rodger Corser, an actor. I used to live in Newtown but now live in San Souci. At the moment I’m playing the top cop in Channel 9’s Underbelly.
A soft Melbourne cop, eh? Unlike Sydney cops who kick in doors and carry shotguns like lunchboxes, we Melbourne police go by the book.
What’s that mean for an actor? Doing the opposite of what you see on most Hollywood cop shows for starters. Resting your hand on your holster instead of walking around like your balls are on your hip.
What about interview technique? Mine or yours?
Actors! Yours… Well, even a pussy actor like me realises it’s not about sitting backwards on a chair, yelling, screaming and threatening. It’s about taking the emotion out of things, buying the guy a coffee or a burger and getting on his talkative side.
What’s Underbelly taught you about crims? That it’s a black and white world and most of the crims in Underbelly are scum and existed for too long under the radar and yet crossed the line again and again. They deserve what they get in the show.
Could you be a cop? If you’re an actor you’ll play a doctor or a cop sooner or later.
Can you empathise with cops? Definitely. They’re ballsy guys working insane hours and they can’t leave work at the same time or drive the same route home for fear of the repercussions.
Makes acting seem a breeze? Well I’ve pulled beers at the Iron Duke in Alexandria, worked as a short order cook, a labourer… the lot. A lot of great actors do soap or dig ditches y’know.