Shane Jacobson is a veteran of Australian stage and screen. Currently playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, he is also set to begin a new series on the judging panel of Australia’s Got Talent.
Shane Jacobson will be one of the judges on the next Australia’s Got Talent.Credit:
Shane Jacobson: Australian icon. How does that label sit with you?
Yeah, no, I don’t think that label belongs on me. Only ’cos I know who the icons are: Bryan Brown, Nicole Kidman, Olivia Newton-John, Paul Hogan, Hugh Jackman. I think we know who the icons are. Don Bradman, Dawn Fraser. I think it’d be weird if you got to the point where you thought you were supposed to have one of those labels.
Well, true, but then the people who you say are icons probably don’t call themselves icons either.
Yeah … well, they’re wrong. And I’m right. The thing that I do get that I like, and I’m OK with, is that people kind of see me as just that kind of guy next door: as a pretty average bloke. I think as an Australian male, it’s the ultimate compliment, that people approach me quite often and they come and talk to me on the street and say, “Sorry, I kind of feel like I know you.” And I like that. That’s the one I like, and I don’t know what that means. I’ve always said I give overweight, unattractive men hope.
And I personally would like to thank you for that.
(Laughs) So many people must just look at me and go, “If he can succeed, I mean, surely anyone can.” But that’s the bit I like, and it’s the same with … I don’t like the word celebrity. When I say I don’t like it, I mean I think the word celebrity, or star, should be saved for Cary Grant and those sort of people. I like “recognisable head”. I reckon some, especially young celebrities, need to be called a recognisable head. You’ve gotta be a recognisable head and keep achieving things for a long time before you’re a celebrity or star. And I think it should be a 20-year apprenticeship. Maybe more.
Do you think you have a healthier attitude to the whole business because you didn’t achieve fame very young – you paid your dues before you broke out?
A hundred per cent. And I don’t even know how I would’ve handled the fame at a younger age. It’d be nice for me to say I think I would’ve been great at it because I had great parents and friends who are honest with me. But I can’t guarantee it, because I wasn’t handed the fame at 16. Paul Hogan said to me that the greatest thing about him was he was already a father and a husband and a man, a fully formed human, before his fame. And I was 36 before I started to really turn a corner. I was on radio by then, I’d been performing and singing in bands. I’d experienced a small bit of notoriety, and I was in TV commercials. But not a recognisable head like I am now. I think it helps a lot to get to the point where you are a fully formed human and you know what does and doesn’t matter, and then when something goes off, you then know how to deal with it. It’s a pretty unhealthy thing to hand a young kid.
But now, in your capacity as an Australia’s Got Talent judge, you’re seeing a lot of young people trying to find fame.
Yeah, but some of them, I do genuinely look at them – like the ones who come on as magicians, I don’t think they assume they’re going to be famous. They’re not going to be famous, but they’ve honed their craft. There’s a lot of people who come on – guys doing stunts on motorbikes, you know – they don’t expect fame, but they’re genuine performers. Same with some of our acrobatic acts. The thing I love about them is I don’t think they think, “I’m gonna be famous with this”. They’re genuinely entertainers, they’re artists. Some people do come on the show hoping to find fame, but so many of the acts we see are genuine entertainers, and they well and truly belong on that stage.
You said earlier people will come up and talk to you because they feel like they know you, and you, as yourself, are a very familiar presence to us. But the first time a lot of us were introduced to you it was as a character, Kenny. Do you enjoy appearing as yourself more, or do you prefer playing a character?
Wow. I’ve never thought about that. I like them both … when I’m a judge, it’s me sitting there … even now as I do this interview it’s me talking to you, which I like. I like talking to people, I’ve always liked communicating with humans, I find people fun and interesting. So being me is enjoyable. But I also love playing a character. I play Edna, a loving mother and wife, in Hairspray, and the greatest compliment I’ve had – Rhonda Burchmore had someone come and see the show recently, and they said, who’s the woman that played the mother, she did a lovely job. Being another character is a lot of fun, you’re able to stretch your acting muscles by being someone else. So I like them both, if I’m allowed to be greedy and answer your question by saying I love both.
Australia’s Got Talent is on Seven, Sunday, 7pm, Monday, 7.30pm.
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