Who the bloody hell is William Lee, well first of all, my mates call me Will or in some circles Will-Lee “get it Will-Lee as in Willy as in… (I’ll leave that one up to you). I am an actor, I am an animal lover, and I am taking on a life of self doubt by tackling it  head on. I’m taking a chance on life, by doing everything I can to be 100% me… Its not easy, but it can always be worked on.

I started off life living in a house on stilts, nestled in the treetops of The Wombat State Forrest in country Victoria. It was quiet, and peaceful. Unfortunately the following 20 years of my life was going to be spent with my head still stuck up in the trees.

With a Horseman/ Blacksmith as a father (Graham Lee), and a mother (Caroline Lee) who had a passion to improve the Aged Care Industry, I was sure to have an interesting time trying to find a career that would best suit me. In school I was encouraged to go into Hospitality, and train to be a Chef, which I could not see myself doing as a career. I was told in Math class to give up before my final exam (which I ended up doing really well on, and going on to do biomechanics as a part of my university degree). I gave up drama in school, afraid that this would make my life more difficult than it already was, being a competitive horse rider, and a male with real human emotions, in drama class… It was all just a little too much for my teenage self to handle, and a little too much fuel for the kids that I couldn’t seem to get along with.

Although I was determined to do something bigger! Like my mum I was extremely interested in health and well-being, and similar to my father I had an urge to continue on my journey as a sportsman. I grew up as a competitive Horse Rider, being a part of a State Champion Team in my discipline, which was games/novelty racing (think, barrel racing in the rodeos). I also took on, snow boarding, skiing, football (AFL), soccer, running, athletics, tennis, you name it and I have most probably tried it.

This lead me to complete a Double Degree at Victoria University, Ba Exercise Science & Human Movement/ Ba Sport and Recreation Management. All I wanted to do was help others improve their lives, I wanted to show them how to reach their true potential, and I wanted to make an impact on this world! Unfortunately I was never going to achieve this, working towards a career that was an “awkward fit” on me. It never really felt right, It was a career that would have made me fit in at high school, although it was a little late for that.

Towards the end of my degree, I went travelling. It was my first overseas trip, as a lone traveler, to Brazil!

My life was about to change forever. Suddenly I realised that I had alot of work to do on “me” before I could help anyone else. I loved being a horse rider, but did this mean I wanted to do sport for the rest of my life? Not really… I had morphed myself into an automatic machine, a version of myself which I could no longer recognise. We are one small spec on this planet, so how was I supposed to make a difference in this world when I was not even a fully functioning spec! I want to learn how to make my spec radiate as much light as possible. I decided I was no longer going to be afraid of being “too big”, so I opened up my little black book of “How To Make People Think I’m “That Guy” & Not The More Uncomfortable Quirky Me”. I flicked to the chapter of “Squashing My Childhood Dreams”, long behold, I found a section that stood out to me. “Actor” this mythical job where people would magically appear on stage and on our screens. They were charismatic, confident, and well rounded beings, that I taught myself to believed, I could never be. Well for the first time I felt I was ready to take on this chapter of my life. This chapter was no longer going to be in my little black book! I whispered to a few people that I was going to give acting a go, and signed up for my first acting class! After my first day I could not help but announced my passion for acting to my friends and family, I knew there was no turning back. It terrified me, so I knew I was doing something right!

The exciting thing, is that I soon after landed my first feature film role in The Legend of Ben Hall, which turned out to be a big success. It’s a surreal feeling, but something that I  am coming to terms with. I really can do this… Well I have. So I say to the awkward teen “Willy” to chill out, its all going to work out just fine! Sure there are bumps in the road, but nothing I cant handle. They are only opportunities to improve! Oh and note to self. Just enjoy the ride!

John Dunn (14 December 1846 – 19 March 1866), born at Murrumburrah near Yass in New South Wales. 

I was thrilled when asked to bring a “new” Bushranger to the screen. Unlike the other Bushrangers in The Legend of Ben Hall, John Dunn was somewhat lost in history.

Dunn became a household name in the Racing circuit, after winning some big races. This fame got to him, and landed him in trouble with the law. He absconded bail, and took off to join the infamous Hall Gang, with the help of his grandfather John Kelly. I have never been involved in such a unique project, I quite honesty “Joined the Hall Gang” while making this film. (Which I understand is a dream for many Bushranger enthusiasts).

I, Dunn, he, us, we… (I get confused now), was learning what it took to become a Bushranger on the job… Which was pretty special.

This could not have been possible without the generosity of my fellow cast mates Jack Martin, Jamie Coffa, and our Creator/ Director Matthew Holmes, for allowing us to continue exploring and developing our characters, in some circumstances even allowing us to contribute to the script as we made discoveries based on our characters from historical literature.

It has occurred to me that the audience will be experiencing these events and scenarios much like I/Dunn did.

Unfortunately the tale of John Dunn is quite tragic, he got himself in trouble, and instead of being helped he was handed a gun. When it was too late to turn back, he discovered the meaning of “first love”. The Hall gang now had a warrant out for their arrest, and Hall was forced to make a decision… (which I will leave for the film to tell)…

It was a pleasure playing John Dunn, and an even greater surprise having the opportunity to join the team as an Executive Producer… Alongside some film greats, such as Greg McLean.

The Legend of Ben Hall has come leaps and bounds, and has been labeled one of Australia’s most anticipated  films in 2016.

“The Legend of Ben Hall is, above all, the film we’re most excited to see in 2016.” Cinema Australia