He’s been acting since he was 10 years old, but Damon Herriman’s latest role could be what catapults him to international stardom.
The Australian actor, 48, will play cult leader Charles Manson in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, Damon said that getting into the mind of a convicted killer was an ‘upsetting’ process.
‘It was upsetting having to research it’: Actor Damon Herriman (pictured) has spoken about playing killer Charles Manson in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
‘Mentally, it was certainly incredibly upsetting researching what happened’, he said.
Damon added that his portrayal of Manson wasn’t focused on the ‘horrific’ crimes he committed but instead ‘the characterisation of the guy’.
He added: ‘Playing a real person is a challenging thing, especially someone as well known as him, and you want people that are watching to forget they are watching an actor. It was one of the hardest things I have done.’
Psychopath: Charles Manson is pictured arriving at court in Los Angeles in December 1969
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is set against the backdrop of the ‘New Hollywood’ movement in the late ’60s.
The film’s protagonist, fading TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), lives next door to actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles.
Sharon was murdered in August 1969 by members of the Manson Family cult under the instructions of Charles Manson.
True crime: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is set against the backdrop of the ‘New Hollywood’ movement in the late ’60s. It also stars Margot Robbie (pictured) as actress Sharon Tate, who was one of the victims of the Mason Family’s killing spree
Her friends – Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski – were also killed in the home invasion, which was carried out by Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Charles ‘Tex’ Watson.
An 18-year-old, Steven Parent, who was visiting the property’s caretaker at the time was also murdered.
Sharon, who was a rising star in Hollywood in the late ’60s, was eight-and-a-half-months pregnant with her first child when she was killed.
Storyline: The film’s protagonist, fading TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), lives next door to Sharon Tate in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles. Pictured with co-star Brad Pitt (left)
She was married to film director Roman Polanski, who was not at the 10050 Cielo Drive property when the murders took place as he was in Europe working on a film.
Charles Manson was sentenced to death for the murders. This was later reduced to life in 1972 when the state Supreme Court abolished the death penalty.
Manson died in prison in November 2017 of a heart attack.