By Luke Voogt
Jan Juc paramedic Jack Garnett had just finished a gruelling 3am shift when realised he needed a “healthier way of expressing” himself.
“Serving the Geelong community has been an absolute honour but it comes with its costs,” the 38-year-old said.
An early-morning web search led to Mooregrace Studios and his current gig on Geelong web series Rostered on.
“It’s very rare to get a man with a profession, a mortgage and a family coming to acting so late,” he said.
“If there are any middle-aged men out there, who in their quiet moments dream about the acting world, hopefully I’m an example for them to just give them a go.”
Acting is almost therapy for Jack.
“Being a paramedic is all about reducing the drama and acting allows me to do the exact opposite – it lets me revel in the drama and turn it up to 10,” he said.
Jack plays no-nonsense storeman Darren who “believes on the honour the job”.
He had little trouble getting into character, having worked in warehouses and retail prior to becoming a paramedic in 2006.
“When it comes to good solid work everyone needs to take a leaf out of my book,” Jack said.
“The s**t would fall over if I wasn’t there. The poncy sales staff don’t have much to sell if I don’t do my job.”
Jack described himself as one of the “lucky” ones who escaped the retail sector.
“I get to look back with fond memories rather than being stuck in the grind,” he said.
“There comes a point when you realise you don’t want to do it forever – you don’t exactly get a lot of respect from the community or your bosses.”
Jack was getting excited about Rostered On’s debut episode next Tuesday 4 April.
“There’s a lot of laughter on set,” he said. “Hopefully that will come across in the final edit.”
“If people are excited about what they’ve seen then they’ll be blown away by what’s to come.”
“The show does a magnificent job of taking the piss out of the industry but at the same time respecting it for how it supports a lot of people’s lifestyles.”
Rostered On director Ryan Chamley said he had been inundated with messages after UK viral video juggernauts UNILAD and LAD Bible shared the show’s trailer.
An Australian film body has been in contact with Ryan after the trailer received nearly 20 million views with days until the premiere.
“They said they’ve never seen anything like the response we’ve generated on our own,” he said.
“We haven’t had anyone pick it up yet but we’re confident we can get funding for the second season,”
But Jack said he would to continue “saving lives” in the ambulance service, even if the show launched his acting career.
“I’ve seen all walks of life through that great job – Geelong certainly has its fair share of characters.”
