Patti Newton
From pain to joy as Matthew triumphs
It was the moment Patti Newton and her husband Bert had been waiting five long years to see – their beloved son Matthew sharing a glittering red carpet with the likes of Angelina Jolie, Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Winslet.
“Patti is absolutely over the moon about Matt’s triumphant appearance on the A-list,” confirms a close friend, who says the Aussie TV veteran is beyond excited at her son’s incredible comeback, with his new film garnering huge praise at the Toronto International Film Festival.
HAPPIEST MUM IN THE WORLD
“To see him mixing with stars and wellrespected industry people again has been a dream of hers and Bert’s for years. They never stopped believing in Matt, and to see him finally realise his potential has made her the happiest mum in the world.”
Now, the only fear Patti has about Matt’s success and apparent redemption is that it once again puts him back in the spotlight he found so hard to take all those years ago.
“She and Bert are trying not to think too far ahead, and they are just enjoying the moment,” our source says.
“But there’s a little bit of trepidation as well, because Patti knows there’s always a risk that Matthew can mess things up, particularly if he gets too excited. She’s incredibly proud that he’s been clean for years now, and she just has her fingers crossed, that’s all she can do.”
Matthew, 40, has reinvented himself since fleeing Australia five years ago under a very dark cloud, amid allegations of drug and alcohol abuse and violently assaulting his former girlfriends, actresses Brooke Satchwell and Rachael Taylor.
The Underbelly: A Tale Of Two Cities star famously lost his highly paid job hosting The X Factor in 2010 after two domestic violence incidents. He was also arrested in the US in 2012 for battery and resisting arrest after a dispute with a hotel clerk in Miami, Florida.
FROM ACTOR TO DIRECTOR
After a stint in rehab, Matthew wound up in New York, where he stepped back from the limelight to carve out a career behind the camera. The two films he has since directed have won him critical acclaim, with Who We Are Now opening to rave reviews in Toronto last week.
Showbiz bible Variety calls the film – which stars Julianne Nicholson, Jimmy Smits, Zachary Quinto, Jason Biggs and Emma Roberts – an “exemplary indie drama from writer-director Matthew Newton”. The Hollywood Reporter compares Matt to the late esteemed director Robert Altman.
“Patti is just so proud of how Matthew went about doing this film,” her friend says. “This was an indie film, which he wrote and independently sourced the finance for, without a big movie company underwriting it.
“He also attracted some pretty big names to participate for very little pay, and best of all, it’s a huge success.
“Patti is chuffed at what a good operator he is now that he’s finally put his demons to rest. She now realises that behind the camera is where his best talent lies, not in front of it. Patti has finally reconciled herself to the fact that he’s never going to be a leading man type.
A SECOND CHANCE
“The whole family is thrilled that he is accepted among huge stars, who want to work with him.
“It still burns Patti that Matt had the world at his feet at one stage and blew it, that he knocked himself out of the game,’ her friend says, adding, “She just wants people to give him another chance.”