The Trenerry Reserve, an off-leash dog park high above the southern headland of Coogee Bay, on one of the last warm days of the late Sydney summer is busy. Locals watch their tiny dogs play and suburban tourists have piled in for a blast of sunshine and a walk with spectacular views. “I usually find the ocean very relaxing,” says Anthony LaPaglia. “Contemplative. But today, it’s too busy for me.”
The 65-year-old Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Australian actor, best known for his starring role in the US police drama Without a Trace and Australian films such as Lantana, Balibo, Holding the Man, Nitram and Boy Swallows Universe, doesn’t like being recognised, talked at, or being hit up for a selfie. “I love acting, but I don’t like the box it comes in, sometimes.”
LaPaglia is walking across the undulating grass with some care. I ask him if he’s carrying an injury. Turns out, he’s got two artificial hips. “After I fly, I get a bit of inflammation but then I come good,” he says in a soft, raspy voice. “I’m a bit jetlagged at the moment.”
