SINGAPORE, Aug 2 — Here’s a little-known fact about Australian director Baz Luhrmann: In the early 1980s, he spent some time in Singapore — working on his first job in film, no less.

On the line with TODAY from Los Angeles last week (July 29), Luhrmann recalled: "The first time I ever left Australia and the first thing I ever did in film was in Singapore, and I stayed at the Raffles Hotel.

"(The film) was called The Highest Honour. I didn’t direct it. I (acted) in it.”

The movie, based on the true story of Operation Jaywick, a daring raid on Japanese-occupied ships in the Singapore harbour by Australian and British troops during World War II, was released in 1982.

Since his early days in the industry, the 53-year-old’s career has exploded, with award-winning movies like Moulin Rouge (2001) and The Great Gatsby (2013) among the many accomplishments on his resume.

Now, Sydney-born Luhrmann has set his sights on television in a big way.

He is behind The Get Down, a musical drama series that is Netflix’s most expensive production to date — reportedly costing a whopping US$120 million (RM482.4 million) for the 12-episode season.

The show, which follows a group of Bronx teenagers growing up in a financially-fraught New York City in the 1970s, and which explores the birth of hip-hop, will make its global premiere on Netflix on Aug 12.

It stars up-and-comers including Shameik Moore, Justice Smith and Jaden Smith.

"Normally when you open a movie, a week later it’s out there and it’s done,” said Luhrmann, who first rose to international fame with his unique 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

"With this, I’ve got to go back (to film the rest of the episodes) after the whole world has already seen the first bits... there’s excitement and a bit of trepidation.”

While he didn’t quite have reservations about making the foray into television, the 53-year-old, who is based mostly in New York with his wife, their two children and his creative partner Catherine Martin — one of The Get Down’s executive producers, has admittedly found the medium challenging.

"Films have a beginning, a middle and an end,” he mused.

"The thing about television is that it has a life that can be ongoing, so what I was concerned about was sustainability. How do you sustain something that is cinematic like this?”

Another thing Luhrmann found "shocking” was the amount of labour involved in putting the series together.

He explained with a laugh: "It’s the most labour-intensive show I’ve ever worked on, and (my projects) have all been labour-intensive, you know?”

For all the hard work involved, there was also lots to enjoy about his first experience in television.

"Getting lost in the research” of the subject matter in order to maintain authenticity of the show’s portrayal of the era, for instance, proved great fun for Luhrmann.

"We are actually research junkies, and one of the great things about working with Nelson (George, one of the show’s executive producers and a respected African-American journalist) is that he’s the go-to authority on this music and the history of it,”he explained.

"If I could only just do the research and not make the movie, I’d be the happiest man in the world,” he added.

As for how he chooses the projects he embarks on, the auteur insisted there is no magic formula.

"It’s all about enriching my own life experience,” Luhrmann said, chuckling.

"I’ll think ‘Oh, I wonder how hip-hop got born’, and then here I am years later (for example) ... it’s nothing to do with (attaining) commercial success, that’s for sure.” — TODAY