Eric Bana is struggling to shake Dirty John character but ‘had a ball’ playing the part

He’s known for his iconic roles as Chopper and Poida. 

But on Wednesday, Eric Bana revealed he has been struggling to shake off his Dirty John character since the show premiered in 2018. 

In the Netflix series, the 51-year-old actor played John Meehan, a criminal who manipulates women after meeting them on dating apps. 

On Fitzy and Wippa, host Ryan Fitzgerald asked the actor: ‘Have you been recognised in the street over the past year as Dirty John, you mongrel?’ 

‘I’ve got a bit of work to do to wash him off, I really do,’ Eric replied. 

‘It was far reaching and every now and then, I’ll go somewhere and there’ll be a young lady behind the counter who may not be as familiar with my older body of work and it’s not good, it’s not good.’ 

Eric’s character in Dirty John was based on the life and exploits of John Meehan. 

In real life, Meehan tried to abduct his wife’s youngest daughter Terra, who stabbed and killed him in August, 2016.

Despite this grisly history, Eric said he loved playing the manipulative criminal. 

‘What can I say? I hate to say it but I had a ball playing the part, I really did. It has floored me how wide reaching it was and how well the show went. It was great,’ he said. 

Eric appeared on Fitzy and Wippa to promote a VIP charity dinner in Melbourne to raise funds for the Australian bushfire crisis.   

The Hollywood heavyweight will host the dinner along with former racing driver Mark Webber and tennis player Pat Rafter. 

Twelve lucky winners will join the trio at Ezards in Melbourne in the coming week to raise money for the Red Cross and Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund.