Ipswich tattoo man's movie role

2nd July 2009

JASON Niebling came to our attention as the tattooed dude who wanted to become a human billboard and now he's in the movies.

Jason Niebling's tattooed face will be hitting our screens in the movie, Blood Money.

Rob Williams

JASON Niebling came to our attention as the tattooed dude who wanted to become a human billboard and now he's in the movies.

Mr Niebling made national and international news last year when he offered to sell space on the right side of his face for advertising.

“When I put up my head for auction, it went worldwide. It was in the New York Daily Times, Omaha, Turkmenistan. It went rank,” Mr Niebling said.

“It worked out pretty good because if I hadn't done that I probably wouldn't have got this role.”

The 37-year-old Ipswichian, who goes by the nickname Wal, put his name on a talent website and landed a role in an international action film Blood Money.

“I'm registered with a website called StarNow.com.au and that's where the reality shows and movie directors go to find people they're looking for,” he said.

“I don't have an agent; it only costs me $5 to be registered on that site. Mike Goldman got picked up off that website.”

He got a phone call to audition as an extra at Q1 on the Gold Coast, but was asked to do a cold read and two days later got the lead Australian role.

“I got a speaking part and a credited role. The name of my character is Wolf and he's the leader of the Australian bikie gang,” he said.

“I'm not a bikie myself but I've been around them all my life, with the tattoos and everything.

“We ended up going to Miami, Florida, to do some filming over there.

“I hadn't flown before - or I think I might have flown to Sydney when I was a kid - and then here I was, 18 hours to LA and then another flight to Miami, all expenses paid.”

After filming around Miami, the crew came to Australia and did some scenes in the old Redbank woollen mills. The Logan Motorway was closed one morning for some bikie scenes.

Filming started last November and finished in February and the movie is due out in December.

“It's worked out pretty good. Let's say I wasn't too much of a speech and drama person at school,” Mr Niebling joked.

“This is my first acting role, I had a role as an extra in a Bollywood movie the Christmas before last called Singh in Kinng, but I don't know if I got left on the cutting room floor.”

A mate called Slam who works at RAAF Base Amberley, scored a role as an extra in Blood Money because he's got his own bike, a newly painted Harley, and his own tattoos.

Mr Niebling said Blood Money was an archetypal action film involving the Triads, Cuban drug lords and rebel bikie gangs.

“The plot is basically myself and the Cubans steal $200 million worth of cocaine from the Triads and I go over to America and kill the head of the Triads' daughter and they end up sending an up and coming new martial artist, a hit man, to beat the living hell out of everyone,” he said.

“We were doing 14 to 15 hour shoots and you'd be on the set for 11 hours waiting for your role.

“Fun's not the word. We had a ball. Just unbelievable.

“Whether it becomes a flop or goes off, like they say it will, it's something to tell the kids.”

• For more about Blood Money visit the website at www.bloodmoneymovie.com.