>> yeah, accent work at nida.re thing you've got to think about, not just your lines. >> no, i know. that was the thing on the show, we always had to -- there was often times where we had to improvise. so, i had to try and think in an american accent as well, which is tricky. >> luhrmann, too, still leans on his nida training. >> the national institute of dramatic art, the drama school i went to, i mean, i do remember one thing, and i think it's an australian attitude, which is, don't wait for permission to be told that you can act. we were taught to devise things. we were taught not to sit around and, okay, there's the part, you may be in it. we were taught to make up story, get with friends, make a show, create something. i had an idea that i would take the greek myth and with a bunch of friends, devise it and set it in the world of ballroom dancing while i was at the national institute of dramatic art. that little play went 30 minutes. it was called "strictly ball room." >> within a few years, luhrmann had turn