Honouring Hoges

Josh Lawson made a name for himself in Hollywood for Anchorman 2. He recently returned home for the role of a lifetime, playing Paul Hogan in new TV mini series Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story, writes DANIELLE MCGRANE.

As TV shows go, some roles are just bigger than others and, as Josh Lawson realised, taking on an Aussie icon was never going to be easy.

The Brisbane actor has made a name for himself in Hollywood as hot comedic property, particularly for his memorable turn as Australian mogul Kench Allenby in Anchorman 2.

But playing a real person on screen, especially beloved comedy hero Paul Hogan in TV mini series Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story, was new territory for him.

“Hoges was the first time I ever played someone real and I really relished that challenge and responsibility because it’s one thing to play someone that people know, it’s another thing to play someone who people love,” Lawson said.

“It certainly was a monumental task.”

Hogan became a global name for Crocodile Dundee, the movie from the ’80s, but before that he was well-known at home for The Paul Hogan Show. The show ran from the ’70s and also birthed the “Hoges” character, a quin- tessential Aussie larrikin who appeared in the show’s sketches.

In preparation for playing Hogan, Lawson revisited episodes of the show.

“It’s of its time,” Lawson said of The Paul Hogan Show.

“But the most notable thing is how relaxed Paul is. It’s remarkable how comfortable he is in front of the camera. Even the best today struggle to find that kind of relaxation. The style of comedy is, of course, very, very different but I think comedy has changed in the last five years, comedy constantly evolves.”

Lawson never got to meet the LA-based Hogan in person but did have some frank conversations with him over the phone from Brisbane where the show was filmed.

Lawson said he didn’t probe Hogan too much, describing him as a very private man, but still felt like he understood him.

“I don’t think he puts a character up, you get a sense of the kind of man he is when you just talk to him,” he said.

People don’t accidentally become a legend like Hogan, and the qualities that make him legendary, from his talent to his patriotism, are explored in the Seven series.

“He really does love this country very, very much and so many of his decisions came out of that, including Crocodile Dundee. Part of his motivation to make that film was to help bridge the gap between Hollywood and Australia, a gap that had really not been bridged prior to that,” he said.

Hogan paved the way in LA for so many young Aussie actors, including Lawson, who says he probably wouldn’t be there himself if Hogan hadn’t forged the path many years before. He introduced the true Aussie character to the US.

“He was able to say to Americans for the first time, ‘Yeah I know we seem like these strange people on the other side of the planet, but in actual fact we’re very similar, we laugh at the same things, we feel the same things, we love the same things. If we can make movies that connect us, then the industry will be able to include all of us. He re- ally started pushing those first dominoes over and this comes back to his love of country,” Lawson said.

In the series, Lawson plays Hogan from right back in his early days working as an 18-yearold rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, before he was famous, to now as a 77-year-old.

What he noticed is how much Hogan has done and how his story is worth telling.

“Paul Hoogan will tell you that he doesn’t think his life is that interesting … but that’s why he’s so fascinating. He doesn’t have the hubris of a classic industry juggernaut, he’s still the same old bloke who grew up in Granville,” he said.