CELEBRITY OF THE DAY

GEOFFREY RUSH, actor

* Hometown: Born in Toowoomba, Australia.

* Residence: Melbourne.

* Is there such a thing as an Australian film style? “We’ve always been peculiarly determined to maintain the integrity of our own culture, and I think that’s why the films that come out of Australia have been so diverse. From ‘Shine’ to ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ to ‘Strictly Ballroom,’ there’s a clarity of vision in the films produced there that perhaps is rooted in the determination to be true to ourselves. There’s also something strangely subversive in the Australian temperament that could have to do with the fact that it was a culture begun by convicts.”