Actors are always looking for a big break and for Terry Serio, that break came in his first role playing the lead in Running on Empty.
Serio’s lead role of Mike in the 1982 cult Aussie street-racing film, Running on Empty, immediately thrust him into the spotlight and set him up for plenty of work to follow.
“That was my first professional job,” Serio recalls. “I trained as an actor at Curtin University but the only roles I’d done before had been in student theatre roles.
“So Running on Empty was my first ever paid work as an actor.”
Terry was back in Cobar for this year’s Running on Empty Festival over the weekend and spoke with The Cobar Weekly about the film and what keeps bringing him back to Cobar.
At 26, Terry was working as a musician, playing with his band, The Elks, up and down the east coast when the group decided to split.
A bandmate asked what he’d do next and Serio thought, why not try acting?
He met Running on Empty director John Clark when he auditioned for the role.
“John realised I had a real affinity with cars.
“It was kind of mind-blowing really, our connection, and we talked cars for ages.”
Serio had grown up on a farm in Western Australia and had been driving since he was 10, down and back to the bus stop in a Flying Standard (sitting on a cushion so he could reach the pedals).
When he auditioned for the movie, he was driving a Renault 12, but it was the iconic cars on set that piqued his interest.
“That Phase 3 Falcon, you could spin the wheels on that in any gear.
“It was just great and a wild car to drive.
“But the Chev was a brute, a real handful.”
When he was allowed, Serio was hands-on with the stunt driving every chance he could.
“I did quite a bit of driving. A lot of actors aren’t allowed behind the wheel much, but I got to do some proper driving.”
Terry was with the crew when they came to film some of the action scenes around Cobar.
The storyline saw his character discovering a ’57 Chev, fixing it with Rebel the mechanic (Max Cullen) at Rebel’s Garage, all of which was shot on location at Canbelego.
Serio credits both Max Cullen and John Clark as wonderful mentors in his career.
Terry retuned to Cobar as a special guest for the first Running on Empty Festival in 2018, was here in 2022 and flew in again this year.
Over the weekend, he said he’s enjoyed chatting to locals and other car enthusiasts from all around the country, and said he’s now is keen to return for the next festival in 2027.
“I love just getting back out into the bush, meeting the fans,” he said.
“Festivals like this are generational.
“I met this bloke Zach who is building his own car and he’s probably still only in his early 20s, but his knowledge of machinery and motors was exceptional.”
Since that first break out movie role, Terry has become a familiar face in a long list of Australia Television hits including Blue Heelers, Rafferty’s Rules, McLeod’s Daughters, Underbelly, Rake and more.
Terry’s also played countless theatre and musical theatre roles, made dozens of films and won a few acting awards.
At 69 he’s still acting and still performing after starting his career with that first wild ride in Cobar back in 1982.
