I often thought I was in the wrong business. I was pretty seriously thinking of tossing it in before I shot Shine. I do not know why. I was pretty restless, I had been through a bad period of stress induced anxiety - panic attacks - and I was not sure of what I wanted to do.

In August 2011 he was appointed the foundation President of the newly formed Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. A pun on Geoffrey Rush's name (and the circumstances) was used in the opening prologue of the play with the comment that the "Optus Playhouse was opening with a Rush". In 2010 Rush played speech therapist Lionel Logue in The King's Speech a part that earned him a BAFTA and nominations for the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor.

Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor and film producer. He is the foundation President of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts and was named the 2012 Australian of the Year.