SHANE JACOBSON ‘MY BIGGEST YEAR YET’
THE ACTOR ON SAVING LIVES, STRIPPING NUDE AND DITCHING THE ‘FUNNYMAN’ LABEL
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hey say you should never work with kids or animals, but Shane Jacobson has done both on Little Big Shots – and he couldn’t be happier about it!
‘I say, why not?’ he says, laughing. ‘That’s when all the fun happens!’
The 48-year-old has returned to host the second season of the Seven Network show, which was a surprise hit last year.
‘I think the great thing about this show is that we’re letting kids be kids, we’re not pitting them against each other,’ Shane tells New Idea.
‘It’s not a talent competition, it’s a celebration of diversity.’
While the kids may not be competing for a contract, there’s certainly no shortage of mindboggling talent on display – whether that’s woodchopping or foot juggling.
When asked about whether he has any special skills of his own, Shane remains humble.
‘I’ve always been into singing, dancing and acting, but I’ve never been as good as these kids at any one thing,’ he explains.
However, the father-of-four could add ‘saving lives’ to his repertoire...
Shane reveals that after filming a TV commercial about bowel cancer, he received a letter from a stranger.
‘This man told me that he went to get tested for the first time after seeing me on the ad,’ he says. ‘It turns out he did have bowel cancer and was able to catch it early.’
The touching experience made Shane realise he had a responsibility to shine a light on men’s health issues, and it’s the reason he decided to take part in the The Real Full Monty.
The one-off TV special saw him strip nude alongside seven other male TV personalities to raise awareness of cancers that affect men.
‘I’ve done parachuting and bungee jumping and this was scarier,’ he says of the big reveal. ‘But it was worth it. I’m so proud of what we’ve done.’
To say it has been a busy year for Shane would be an understatement.
As well as appearing on Little Big Shots and The Real Full Monty, he’s currently playing the narrator in the Melbourne production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Not only that, but he currently has five movies in production, including Bruce Beresford’s film adaptation of Ladies In Black.
The actor and director also just wrapped up the promotional tour of Brother’s Nest, a dark comedy he created with his brother, Clayton.
Attracting critical acclaim at a number of film festivals, Brother’s Nest is the first time Shane has worked with Clayton since their 2006 breakthrough hit, Kenny.
The real-life siblings play two brothers who plot to kill their stepbrother.
‘It’s a much darker role than people have seen me in before,’ Shane says. ‘People keep saying this is going to be my Eric Bana role,’ he continues, referring to the career-defining role as Chopper Read that saw Eric go from comedian to respected actor. Watch this space!