Eric Bana movie rule: Darker the subject...

Eric Bana movie rule: Darker the subject...

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Eric Bana (center) stars in new drama "Deadfall," with Olivia Wilde and Kris Kristofferson.

ERIC BANA has a general rule of thumb when it comes to tackling dramatic roles.

The darker the film, the more vital everyones sense of humor is on set, the Australian actor says.

Its certainly a dictum that was followed on the set of Deadfall, which is playing at the Tribeca Film Festival.

We really did have a great time given how grisly the movie was, he chuckles.

Bana plays Addison, one half of a brother-sister fugitive team hightailing it toward the Canadian border with a sack full of cash after a casino job gone wrong. The two decide to split up, but an impending snowstorm and his sister Lizas (Olivia Wilde) chance meeting with ex-con Jay (Charlie Hunnam) complicate their escape.

It was beautiful out there, especially if youre not used to it, Bana says of shooting the film in virtually in the middle of nowhere in Canada.

It was probably more of a novelty to me than to anybody else though (being from Australia).

Unfortunately for me, however, Addisons clothes werent from the North Face collection, so I did have to suffer a bit for the sake of art.

The flick, which debuted Sunday, puts Bana back in leading man status, in a part the actor says he found extremely attractive.

I would describe him honestly as nutty, he says of Addison, because he has that slightly twisted sense of purpose and that helps to define his actions. I knew he was a character I could have a lot of fun with.

But grisly, nutty roles are far from what Bana initially set out to do when he decided to step into the entertainment business.

The Aussie, known for his role as a Trojan warrior opposite Brad Pitt in Troy, as a sergeant in Black Hawk Down, and as a scientist-turned-monster in The Hulk, actually began his career as a standup comedian in the 1990s.

And after trying his hand at standup, Bana moved into the television sketch comedy realm for about five years even starring in The Eric Bana Show, which ran for just eight weeks.

Then came 2000s feature film Chopper, in which a young Bana starred as notorious Australian killer Mark Brandon (Chopper) Read. He interviewed the killer, shaved his head and gained 30 pounds.

Pitt came calling a few years later after seeing his memorable role, and Bana was soon kicking up sand and hefting heavy armor in Troy.

Finding himself on the big screen in sweeping dramatic roles, therefore, has been nothing short of an adventure.

I think these characters are a hell of a lot of fun to play, and I find Addison kind of humorous, he says of his role and his quest to find a balance between serious fare and his comedic roots. So in my own twisted mind, I kind of actually saw this as close as you can get to a dark comedy. Literally.

YOU SHOULD KNOW: Screenings are Tuesday, April 24 at 10 p.m. at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea 5, Thursday, April 26 at 3 p.m. at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea 7. Go to tribecafilm.com for tickets, addresses and more information.

jchen@nydailynews.com