Daniel MacPherson: ‘I got heckled by Prince William!’
Actor Daniel MacPherson opens up about playing a father in his new show Bad Mothers, why he was heckled by royalty, and whether he is a bigger diva than wife Zoe Ventoura.
Stellar
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Actor Daniel MacPherson opens up about playing a father in his new show Bad Mothers, why he was heckled by royalty, and whether he is a bigger diva than wife Zoe Ventoura.
Your first acting gig was as teen heart-throb Joel Samuels on Neighbours, and that lasted four years. Any surprising fans as a result?
A couple of years ago Prince William had a state visit to Sydney and I was emceeing at an event he attended. He remembered me and before it started said, “I used to watch you on Neighbours.”
So I got up to emcee, wearing some very tight, black skinny jeans. And His Royal Highness heckled me from the crowd about my skinny jeans! Yeah, I got heckled by royalty.
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In 2011 you met fellow actor Zoe Ventoura while shooting the TV series Wild Boys, and married her four years later. What was the best and the worst thing about working together?
Meeting Zoe was definitely the highlight [laughs]. It’s been a crazy ride and I’m lucky to have someone who understands the ups and downs of being an actor. The worst thing is that we’ve never really worked together since.
Who’s the bigger diva?
Oh me, totally. Zoe is the calming, grounded influence. I’m going one million miles an hour.
You hosted Dancing With The Stars for seven seasons, and now it’s back. Would you consider appearing on the show again — but as a contestant? And do you have any tips for new hosts Grant Denyer and Amanda Keller?
I am a horrific dancer. But I still love live television. So I’d love to come back and do more at some point. It’s a great, fun format — but it’s bigger than any host or anyone in the middle of that stage.
Considering you have played a cop a few times — in shows such as The Bill and City Homicide — have you always kept on the right side of the law?
I’m proud to say I’ve never been arrested. Is that a good thing or a bad thing, though? I’ve been really well-behaved.
You’ve competed in triathlons most of your life. Is it true you once finished a race having stepped on a sea urchin?
I continued the race because I was winning, but the poison went all through my body and I ended up in hospital with blood poisoning. I had to have an operation and they found seven pieces of sea urchin embedded in my big toe.
In your new Australian series Bad Mothers, you play a parent. Was it fun to play a dad?
Yeah, but that’s a challenge for me, not being a father. I speak to everyone — my brother, my father, friends who have children — but no matter how much they tell me about it, it’s one of the toughest things to replicate, that love a parent has for their child.
You were accepted into prestigious IQ society Mensa as a child. You’re 38 now. So has your IQ increased or diminished since?
I was living in England when I got accepted. I think I was eight or nine and I never really did anything with it.
I would imagine I’ve done some damage to quite a few brain cells over the years — but that’s nothing I regret.
Apparently a long time ago you played in a band called the Funky Bitches. Would you ever revive your rock’n’roll career?
That was back in my Neighbours days — and we probably spoke about music more than we played it. My days as a lead vocalist are about 20 years behind me, but I still play guitar for fun.
Zoe is learning guitar at the moment; she’s from a family of musicians, so she’s incredibly talented. It’s in her genes. The MacPherson side of the family is letting the team down.
Bad Mothers premieres Monday, February 11, on the Nine Network.
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Originally published as Daniel MacPherson: ‘I got heckled by Prince William!’