Movie renews Henderson's passion for bikes

By MICHELE MANELIS


You may have heard the old adage bikers like to quote: "Live to ride and ride to live." They certainly take it seriously in the action thriller Torque, about a gang of renegade bikers.

Leading man Martin Henderson, the former Shortland Street star who has been described as a modern-day Steve McQueen, is fast becoming a bona fide movie star. Just don't tell him that.

Sitting in a Beverly Hills hotel, Henderson seems a little like a fish out of water.

"I don't partake in the world you're referring to at all. I don't go to the Hollywood parties, I don't hang out. I don't see the point of going to premieres, unless I'm in the film," he says.

"I haven't even been to one single club in LA and I've been here five years."

Henderson would prefer to talk about his movie. Torque also stars rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube, Jay Hernandez (Crazy/Beautiful) and newcomer Monet Mazur, and Joseph Kahn makes his directorial debut. It was the subject matter of bikes and bike culture that interested Henderson.

"When I was 18 I had a Honda two-stroke and it was really noisy but quite zippy. I used to ride around a lot in New Zealand so I had a certain degree of confidence," he says.

"I'm not unfamiliar on the subject. We have some gangs in New Zealand, too, like the Black Power, the Mongrel Mob. They are some scary dudes. Really scary."

Understandably, Henderson sustained some injuries during the shoot.

"In one of the chase sequences I had an accident. I have a scar on my arm and a few more on my back and shoulder from a fall," he says. It wasn't so bad, but we were in the middle of shooting so we had to wrap it up and bandage it. I didn't clean it properly and a week later when I changed the dressing, the gravel was still in there so it was all septic. I had to use a pot scrubber to clean it."

He laughs. "A guy tried to pour on the alcohol but you have to do it yourself because if someone else does it, you'll punch them. You literally just scrape your arm off. It's horrible but it's the only thing you can do."

So, is the latest New Zealander to hit Hollywood ready to be the next Mad Max?

"No. Actually, my father made me get rid of my bike because I was irresponsible," he recalls. "He lived on a farm, an hour north of where I lived. I'd call him up on a Friday night and say, 'Dad, I am coming up for dinner.' He'd say, 'All right mate. I'll put on some spuds.'

"So, I'd jump on my bike and I'd be there in half an hour. He did the math. So he convinced me to get rid of it."

Henderson says reacquainting himself with motorbikes on Torque has renewed his passion and he may buy another one.

"I like the 1960s styles of motorbikes, maybe a Triumph or BFA or something, with the little headlight on the front. It's kind of cool. But I have put it off because they are really dangerous. I have to be careful. I tend to push things a little too far."

On Screen

Who: Martin Henderson

What: Torque

When: opens on Thursday