Late Bloomer: Rodger Corser was a late-comer to the industry and he still has much to do

For three-time Gold Logie-nominated actor Rodger Corser joining the cast of comedy-drama Five Bedrooms, filmed in Malvern, was a no-brainer.

Part of the attraction of joining the TV show’s second season – which follows five housemates, who, after bonding at a wedding, decide to buy a house together – was the opportunity to reunite with Australian actress Kat Stewart.

Corser has worked with Stewart many times before, including in 2005 when filming Last Man Standing and in 2008 as cop Steve Owen in Underbelly. He has also worked with her husband David Whiteley in The Doctor Blake Mysteries. 

In Five Bedrooms, Corser plays Stuart, the ex-husband of Stewart’s character Liz. The show follows their break-up and the consequences of what happens when couples can’t agree on the right time to start a family.

“Kat is so bloody good at her job as an actor,” says Corser, best known for his roles in Doctor Doctor and Underbelly.

“I remember on set filming Underbelly and being blown away by her performances as Roberta. The way she would look at Carl – it’s hard to get that look out of your head. I can still see that face. There’s a reason why she has always been at the forefront of screen talent in this country,” he says.

 He was supposed to be only in the second series of Five Bedrooms for a few episodes, but the pandemic had other plans. 

“The pandemic worked in favour of my character because when filming went into hiatus for the show last March, they had to pivot and brought my character back. That was a good thing for me,” he says.

Corser never planned a career in acting and always thought he’d put his Deakin University Media Studies degree to use behind the scenes. But it was a lead theatre role in Rent in 1998 that gave him a taste of the spotlight and led him to Beastmaster in 2000 and Water Rats in 2001.

“I guess you could say I was in the camp of late bloomers as far as acting went,” he says. 

“There is no six-step plan to getting where you are in this business. There’s no guarantee even after going to drama school that it will lead to work,” he says. 

“A lot of parents stop and ask me about what their kids should do to get into acting. I always say there’s no one pathway – there certainly wasn’t for me.”

Corser lives in Sydney with his wife Renae Berry and their three young children. It’s there you’ll find a guitar he used to play with his rock band in Melbourne in his teens and early 20s – Tender Prey and Stone the Crows – before he made the switch to acting. And yes, he still likes to bring it out and play on occasion.  

“The kids like to pick up the guitar and give it a bash,” he says. “I don’t mind picking it up from time to time, but I leave music to those who do it better. I had fun playing in bands; it was a chance to think on my feet and interact with a crowd. It was fun while it lasted.”

Corser also has a fourth child, Zipporah, 19, with former partner Christine Anu.

He’s adored for playing lead character and heart surgeon Dr Hugh Knight in Doctor Doctor – which just wrapped up after five seasons – and hopes to woo his fans in Five Bedrooms.

“There is never a perfect time for a child to come along into your life, and Five Bedrooms taps into that,” Corser says. 

“There is always going to be compromise involved or something you will have to put off and change in life. Regardless of how great your job is or whatever is going on professionally and personally in your life, it’s a conversation that will change your life, and my character is all about that. I’ve seen friends and family put off having kids, and sometimes you have to jump in and find your way through it,” Corser says. 

A more than 20-year career on our screens is an achievement he’s proud of but admits the hustle is part of his daily grind. 

 “People see you pop up in more than one show on TV and don’t realise how much time has elapsed between them. Sometimes there are 73 working weeks between shoot days,” he says.

“But I also realise I have been more fortunate than others. It’s a tough industry to get into and maintain a place. And as you get older, there are the pressures of family added too. 

“The stop-start impact of the pandemic on one’s career can be huge. A lot of friends and colleagues certainly felt undervalued and not seen by not qualifying for any government help last year and really did it tough,” he says.

In the final season of  Doctor Doctor, Corser stepped into the role of producer and started thinking he’d like to do more.

“I was lucky enough to step into associate producer on Doctor Doctor for a few seasons and then as producer. I am looking to move into that and be there from the ground up. I’m all about pitching my ideas and getting something off the ground,” he says. 

“I also feel there is a voracious appetite for content right now, and I’d like to think Australian productions can be part of that. That’s definitely a goal for me, and I would love to see it come full circle – a chance to do what I went to university for all those years ago.”

Season Two of Five Bedrooms will premiere exclusively on Paramount + on August 11.