One of the strange things about life is that you can be a drug dealer, a killer, even a Mafia leader, and still be a nice guy as far as your family and friends are concerned. As
Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities has shown, the character of Bob Trimbole has juggled the dilemmas of running a drug network, while being diagnosed with prostate cancer and handling the continuing dramas associated with his children dealing with his extramarital affair.
This video, an interview from 60 Minutes in 1984, shows Bob's wife, Joan Trimbole, in her first interview, speaking about Bob with enormous affection, blissfully unaware of her husband's criminal connections.
We caught up with actor Roy Billing to talk about his performance as Bob Trimbole, and get a brief behind- the- scenes look at how he plays a character who was once described as, Australia's "public enemy number one".
Bob was corrupt and ran an enormous drug empire. What sort of research did you do for the role?
The research I did was extensive. There are many books, such as [Keith Moor's] Crims in Grass Castles, about Bob and Terry Clark and the crime/drug scene at that time. I read every one I could get my hands on. There is also a considerable amount of information on the Internet, which I perused.
What attracted you to the project and the /character?
The chance to play one of Australia's most noted criminal characters, a lead role in a major TV series, and to play a character with a lot of depth and with many different sides to him.
What has been the most challenging aspect of working on Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, with the success from the last series?
So far the most challenging aspect has been to ensure that, over many episodes and scenes, there is continuity to the character and that he is presented as a real and rounded person.
