Behind the Scenes with Actor Connor Pullinger

Connor Pullinger, a local Adelaidean actor, is on the rise and Hub was lucky enough to sit down and pick his brain about the world of acting. Most recently known for his work on The Hitcher (2024), Connor’s journey to becoming an actor began when he was a kid.

Connor remembers, “[Acting] was the only thing I properly loved at school.”

Connor not only fell in love with the art of acting but also with the people in the creative world: “Creative people are so much fun to be around.”

Connor booked his first gig when he was still in school on the TV mini-series, The Hunting (2019). Connor said, “That’s kind of when I realised that I could do it.”

Connor Pullinger in The Hunting

So off he went to Flinders University to study acting.

Fast forward to 2024, and Connor’s most recent work, The Hitcher, premiered in the Adelaide Film Festival as a part of the Made In SA short film session.

Connor reflected on the premiere saying, “…it was a great premiere. So many people were there… But I hadn’t seen it until the first night. It was on the big screen and my whole body was terrified.” After watching it again at the second screening Connor was able to appreciate the film for what it was, a great success.

After only working on very low budget films for a while, Connor was excited to be a part of the The Hitcher, which received funding from the Quicksilver Production Fund at The Mercury. As many emerging filmmakers would agree, “You know when they’ve got the money, everything looks so professional.”

To begin with, Connor found the role of the Hitcher daunting because “the Hitcher’s crying then the Hitcher’s dancing,” but he said it was something that he really wanted to do.

Connor Pullinger in The Hitcher

Something many people do not realise is that, on set, actors are only acting for a third of the time, with the rest of the time spent on setting up equipment and preparation for the next shot.

Connor says, “It’s so funny because it can be so stressful when they’re setting up the rig and they’re like, ‘It’s going to turn here and when it hits there you have to look up.’ It’s so technical, but obviously the role of an actor is to make that normal, right? You have like five minutes to discuss it, do it, and they they’re rolling. It can get a bit hectic… but I really like that.”

An important part of Connor’s journey and success has been watching his work, as it means “holding yourself accountable because then it’s a constant growth thing. The more you do it, the more you learn.”

Despite Connor’s great success over the past few years and the consistent work he has booked as an actor throughout this year, he has not gotten there without putting in the hard work. Connor says, “I do quite a few auditions, but it’s all self-tapes. So, you set up the blue screen and do it and send it off and don’t hear anything back.” Connor says it can be easy to forget that he is doing a good job and acknowledges that it is important to, “just be proud of yourself when you get the work.”

Connor has hopes of stepping into the shoes of a director one day and helping to “craft the world for the actor,” but in the meantime, he plans on working under as many directors as he can to experience different ways of working.