Born in Northern Ireland and relocating to Perth at the age of nine, Winchester’s imagination sparked at an early age when, like many other little boys, he saw the Star Wars films and decided he wanted to be Luke Skywalker.
Not long after did he discover his affinity for performing, starting with home puppet shows and progressing to weekend acting classes, clowning around with the high school circus, and participating in stage shows both at school and at the local theatre.
“I never felt comfortable being myself when I was younger and I really felt like acting was an outlet for me to be anything I wanted to be,” he muses. “I certainly didn’t have that confidence in my real life. So, you know, it’s a way of building your self-esteem.”
After high school, Winchester was accepted to study musical theatre at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), where he studied until 1993. But it wasn’t long before he realised that his true passion was for film and television and so, in 1994 at the age of 22, he packed up and left for Sydney.
He’s been building his career since, dabbling briefly in film production as well as acting in commercials, TV programs (with guest slots on Packed to the Rafters and All Saints), short films and feature films, including 2007 blockbuster, Gabriel.
But the three years he spent studying theatre didn’t go to waste – he says they actually expanded his artistic horizons.
“I really think the theatre background has given me the ability and the skills to broaden the kind of characters I can play,” he says. “It’s given me the ability to play character roles or roles that don’t necessarily fit your type.”
And considering the strange characters that Winchester has pulled off in the past couple of years, it seems transforming from self to character has become second nature, whether it be derived from method acting or simple internet research – “I inevitably have to do research because I don’t go around being a brutal axe murderer!” he jokes.
In his latest film, Sweet Marshall, Winchester plays the suave Marshall, a high-flyer who has it all but is entangled in a deceitful and messy web – a character whose sense of humour he related to, and also the first hero-type character he’s played.
Sweet Marshall was produced and shot entirely by students of the Participate Film Academy – an experience that Winchester says was different in a good way.
“There were only ten [students] involved but they were producing this whole film, coordinating the whole thing…everything.”
So did the end product meet his expectations?
“They won’t let me see the whole thing until the premiere, will you believe it?” he laughs. “They want to keep it as a surprise. So I’ve seen bits and pieces here and there, and it looks fantastic.”
But whilst inspired by working on films, Winchester, like many other actors, finds that the trouble with his career-of-choice is that work – and subsequently income – is inconsistent. So in order to stay constantly involved with his passion and also make ends meet, Winchester co-runs Point Break Drama School (on top of his acting commitments). Since 2002, along with co-founder and fellow actor Adam Stewart, he has taught the joys of performing to adults and children alike, an experience he sees helpful to not only aspiring actors, but also to himself.
“You see firsthand what you’re doing for people,” he says, “and in the process it’s made me a better actor because I’ve been talking about my craft for seven years and clarifying a lot of stuff for myself.”
As Shakespeare once said, there’s method in the madness – while watching Paul Winchester on-screen can be a disturbing experience, it’s all a carefully calculated procedure and in the end he’s just playing a part. But this man is so passionate about his art that it literally jumps to life, and to say that he has a bright future ahead would be a gross understatement.
“I feel like I’m kind of hitting my full stride now,” he says.
“I’m in the zone and ready to take on the next big role that comes along.”
Sweet Marshall premieres at Hoyts Fox Studios on April 22.
