Former H&A star opens up about his Hollywood hell
THE STAR TALKS ABOUT THE REALITIES OF MAKING IT IN HOLLYWOOD AND HIS NEW SHOW INSTANT HOTEL
Back in Australia to host Channel Seven’s latest reality offering Instant Hotel, Luke Jacobz is happy to be home. And there’s one person especially excited to see him – his nephew Jake!
‘I’ve got a 12-year-old nephew here, so if I’m going to be in Australia, I need to be close to him. He’s my man!’ Luke, 36, gushes to New Idea. ‘I love looking after him, he’s a great little kid, but he also loves when I go because I come back with presents. He’s always like: “When are you going away next?”’
Luke made the move to Los Angeles soon after his time as host of The X Factor Australia came to an end in 2015. It’s given the former Home And Away actor a fresh start.
‘I’m auditioning, doing classes, trying to get as much experience over there as I can, because I haven’t been acting for a while and it’s one of those things you really need to stay on top of,’ Luke explains. ‘But the auditions, they’re a hard process because you’re going up against thousands of people, compared to Australia where you’re probably only going up against a couple hundred.
‘Last year I was one of 10,000 people who went for an audition – it’s a different world. I can’t remember what the role was for – I’ve done that many auditions. But still, that was quite confronting when I got the call saying: “You did a great job, but don’t forget, you’re going up against a lot of people.” It was a bit of a reality check.’
Starting his career again has had its tougher moments.
‘If I do a casting in Australia, you walk in, meet the casting director and I’ll know them so I’ll sit and have a chat with them, whereas in the states I had one audition where I literally opened the door and they said: “Thanks very much but no,”’ Luke recalls. ‘I obviously didn’t have the right look. I spent three days working on some scripts to open a door, hear the word “no” and walk away. That happens.’
Luke’s grown a thick skin to cope with the rejection.
‘It’s definitely character building and you just put your chin up and you keep going and think: “OK, what’s the next one?”
‘When the opportunity for Instant Hotel came along, I jumped at it. I’d been having so many auditions, but I wasn’t actually working, so it was really nice to set
an alarm and wake up and work.’
On the hunt for Australia’s best instant hotel, viewers will travel from Humpty Doo to Port Douglas with a group of homeowners renting out their homes. Each couple will judge their stay, before moving onto the next hotel destination – and the competition is fierce.
‘There were four people that butt heads so much that I was called in numerous times to mediate or at least keep an eye on what was going on,’ Luke explains. ‘At one point, things got so heated, it was so awkward I was about to leave I was so uncomfortable! I didn’t know where to look, but I had to stand there as the cameras rolled. I was sweating and shaking! My work was cut out for me. I’m not a confrontational person at all and situations like that happen more than once.’