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Spotlight on Racism

Actors

Nick Giannopoulos

Nick Giannopoulos

What do you do?

Actor, Writer, Producer on stage, films and television.

How old are you?

37

Where were you born?

Melbourne.

Where did you grow up?

Melbourne.

Describe your cultural/religious/ethnic family background

My parents are both Greek. They migrated to Australia in 1960.

Do you know any other languages? If so what are they?

Greek.

What is your favourite place in the world and why?

Athens, Greece.
It's historical significance to the rest of the world, the people, the climate and of course, it's my heritage land.

Have you ever experienced or witnessed racism? How did it make you feel?

Yes. I got called a "wog" when I was at school. It made me very angry.

What did you do about it?

I wrote a play called "Wogs Out of Work" which made fun of racism and showed how people from ethnic backgrounds started calling each other "wog" so as to help diffuse the extreme animosity and hatred that existed within people who had been subjected to racist taunts through their childhood. I followed this up with a TV show called "Acropolis Now" which focused on how multiculturalism was now a common part of Australian life. Last year I released my first film "The Wog Boy" which continued exploring similar themes to those I first looked at in "Wogs Out of Work" but in a more modern context.

What advice would you give kids experiencing racism?

Don't get angry. Educate people about the realities not the myths.

What kind of Australia would you like to see for our children?

A country where regardless of your colour, background or religion you are treated equally.