Matt Hetherington

straight mate SAMPLES “When someone loves you, they take everything from you and that’s what you want them to do – take all of you.”

30 DNA

Hetherington In Harmony He sings, he dances, he acts – he goes the Full Monty! Matthew Myers talks to new dad Matt Hetherington about The Voice and his Les Girls babysitters!

DNA: You were on The Voice recently.

How was that?

Matt Hetherington: It was a fabulous, eye-opening experience and it ultimately proved to be a very positive one for me.

There were some frustrating elements in it though. I didn’t go as far in the competition as I would have liked. But it was great to be able to share what I do with a much wider audience. It’s not something you can do unless you’re on prime time TV. It’s extraordinary how many people it actually touches.

So, a good career move?

It’s been very positive. The ripples in the industry since have been positive ones, too. There were certain people that questioned my decision to go on it, but I didn’t have any concerns. I’ve been doing what I do for a long time and feel secure about my ability. I didn’t go on it to be told by somebody that I’m good, or to prove myself. I went on it to share what I do. I would like to have had more say in what I did on the show. The choices of the songs were not up to me, which meant I was at the mercy of the decision-makers.

But having said that, I’m really proud of the experience and I’ve had messages from all over Australia and overseas as well. The Voice is a phenomenon that goes all over the world.

You’ve had a lot of theatre roles. Is there a personal favourite?

There have been certain significant things in my theatre shows that have had a great impact on my life, both personally and professionally. The Full Monty was the best thing to happen to me professionally. Landing a big role in a huge, multi-million dollar production and winning the Helpmann Award for it was incredibly rewarding.

Speaking of The Full Monty, when you played Berger in Hair, did you go nude?

Yes, I did! When we did the production company version of Hair, I became friends with Reg Livermore, who was the original Berger in Australia, and we’ve remained friends to this day. I’ll never forget the advice he gave me. He said, “If you are at all concerned about being nude in front of those people, what you want to do is stand next to the biggest black guy you can find in the cast. Because if you think for a second that anyone’s going to be looking at you…”

You headline in Promises Promises with Marina Prior. What can we expect?

I’ve been a little nervous about it, because I saw Sean Hayes (Will And Grace) play the role on Broadway and he was spectacularly good. I hadn’t seen the show before, but

I’m a fan of Neil Simon and Burt Bacharach.

After five minutes, I thought this is going to be great. Sean Hayes is so talented, charming and clever and I thought what a great show to do! Jeanne Pratt has once again helped us out by bringing these shows to Australia that otherwise might not get to the Australian stage.

Promises Promises also has some great Burt Bacharach songs made famous

by Dionne Warwick. Who is Matt Hetherington’s diva?

Whitney Houston is the ultimate. I think she had an authenticity to take a gospel sound and cross over into the pop genre. Plus, she was so beautiful to look at. It’s so tragic that she’s passed. I remember getting her first album in high school, which I played on my walkman! For me, she ticks all the boxes.

She sings the notes that make your spine tingle and she had that innocence like a little girl. You could see back then that she was destined for greatness.

Do you have close gay mates?

Yes, plenty. I’ve never really thought that much about their sexuality, but it turns out throughout my life some people who I consider to be very dear to me, happen to be gay. But it was never a big deal for me.

I went to an all-boys school and I wasn’t made aware of anyone at school. But it was when I started doing musicals that I found myself in an environment where people would just be the way they wanted to be.

My dad has been in show bands his whole life and my mum tells a story of how when I was a baby, half the ‘girls’ that used to baby-sit me while she was dancing were blokes. I was in that world of Les Girls and both my parents had never raised it as an issue. So, it never has been an issue. I was only aware of the issues, once I had left school and spent time with people who had endured the small-mindedness of others. I thought, “Gee, that must be really hard”. Some of my nearest and dearest friends have struggled with the relationships in their own families and I think that is tragic.

So do you think gay marriage will eventually happen here?

It’s so ridiculous that gay marriage hasn’t happened. It has already happened in my mind. The fact that it’s not legal is an abomination. The fact that anyone would feel they have the right to draw a line down the middle of the community and say, “Oh no, you have to abide by all these laws and when it comes to something that you really want to do, you’re not allowed to.” It’s just so ridiculous. I really don’t know what to say about it.

Gay for a day – who would you go for?

I have a healthy appreciation for a handsome guy. I reckon someone like George Clooney.

He’s charming and masculine.

What is the campest song on your iPhone?

This is going to sound like a ridiculous stereotype, but I have The Trolley Song in my workout playlist for the gym! It’s the early recording with Judy Garland. It’s great for working out to.

Your television credits include Sea Change, City Homicide and Stingers.

Does television drama have a certain appeal for you?

Definitely. I’m actually filming an episode on an upcoming ABC series called The Dr Blake Mysteries. It hasn’t started airing yet, but it’s just a guest appearance.

Stay tuned!

You had a role in the comedy film 10Terrorists. Please explain.

That was one of the best 13 days of my life.

It was great to create the character of Sam Brown, a maniac who was so determined to be famous that he decided the best thing he could do was to murder someone. He thought everyone would talk about him and he could then say the things he wanted to say. It’s ironic because this is long before The Voice came along! [Laughs] We filmed it on consecutive days with Dee McLachlan as the director. He also directed the AFI award-wining movie The Jammed.

Have you ever played a gay role?

I did in a concert before I went to drama school. We did a sequence from March Of The Falsettos. We sang that beautiful title ballad, which is a very intimate love song. In fact, one of the best love songs ever written. It’s funny though, I was in my twenties and very clear about my sexuality.

I wasn’t at all uncomfortable about it.

Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction on stage?

[Laughs] I have! I remember when we were doing dress rehearsals for The Full Monty and there was a scene at the end where we would rip our trousers off and we would have underpants on underneath.

Everyone was there and I realised halfway through the scene that I had forgotten to wear my rehearsal undies. I didn’t know what I was going to do, because it was a rehearsal and the lights would stay on. So I bailed out of it and didn’t get my gear off!

How does it feel to be a new dad?

It’s amazing. It’s been such a tremendous life changing experience. His name is Oscar James and he’s beautiful. I’ve never been so excited.

Promises Promises opens 3 October at the State Theatre, Melbourne.

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