by FilmInk Staff
Through the 1990s and 2000s, Jason Stevens was one of the NRL’s most compelling and unconventional superstars. An absolute wrecking machine on the field, Stevens struck terror into his opponents while playing in the forward pack for his club sides The St. George Dragons and The Cronulla Sharks, and the representative teams The NSW Blues and The Australian Kangaroos.
Off the field, however, Stevens was renowned for his self-deprecating humour, his Greek heritage, religious beliefs and appearances on TV programmes like The Footy Show.
Retiring from The Greatest Game of All in 2005, Stevens’ post-footy career has been just as unusual as his time spent on the field.
Though he’s taken the route of many former players by commenting and writing on the game for various media outlets, Stevens has also moved far further afield by working as a presenter on TV shows like the late and lamented Sydney Weekender, and his own variety show Big J’s Place.
Jason Stevens’ real passion, however, is for film. His first foray into movies came with the documentary The Disposable Ones, a deeply moving and highly personal look at the impoverished children of Columbia. Stevens then drew on his own footy career (and his famed no-sex-before-marriage stance) for the 2018 feature film Chasing Comets, which he wrote and produced. The engaging comedy drama (which starred Isabel Lucas, Dan Ewing, Rhys Muldoon and many more), however, was just a warm-up for Jason Stevens, who is now set to make his directorial debut with Finally Me, which he also scripted.
“I’m beyond excited to make my second feature and to be directing,” Stevens says. “Finally Me is a project that I began developing in 2010. Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Bring It On. My background is Greek, so I was able to draw on so much humour from my own family and the Greek community. I remember growing up watching Acropolis Now, but at the same time, I loved teen flicks like 10 Things I Hate About You. In many ways, this film is a tribute to my Pappous and his Greek heritage. He came to Australia with zero in his pockets and a family to feed and worked so hard. I weaved his story into the film.”
Considerably less autobiographical than Chasing Comets, Finally Me follows sixteen-year-old Soula Mitsos, who works after school in the family owned take away souvlaki store. All her dad wants her to do is take over the store and marry a Greek boy named Jimmy. All Soula wants to do is cheerlead for her school Westend High. Despite being a complete novice at cheerleading, Soula’s dream becomes a reality when she’s unexpectedly chosen in the team. Soula, however, will face ridicule from her teammates, and much opposition from the affluent Taylor White, who will use every dirty trick in the book to seal victory. But Soula’s greatest battle will come from within as she struggles to believe that she belongs.
Landing the plum role of Soula is newcomer and NIDA graduate Jazz Laker. “When I first read the script, I immediately felt drawn to Soula,” the young actress says. “She resonates so deeply within me. She has a very clear dream, and has this sass that just makes you love her. But she has to face so many people telling her that she isn’t capable, she isn’t right, and that she should stick to her lane. That is something a lot of people can empathise with, especially when your dreams seem so big and scary to others. The most magical moments come when you push past everyone who tells you no, and then prove them wrong.”
Also starring Tiarnie Coupland (Love Child), Josh Heuston (Heartbreak High), Alea O’Shea (Home And Away), Naomi Sequeira (Romance On The Menu) and Rhys Muldoon (New Gold Mountain), Jason Stevens is rolling right now on Finally Me, and Stevens is excited to truly spread his wings as a filmmaker and storyteller. “Stories have the power to move people in many ways,” he has said. “I love films that make me laugh but also ones that challenge my thinking and stretch me to be a bigger person.”
For more on Jason Stevens, head to his official website, Twitter and Instagram.
