Natalie Imbruglia: Why would I lie about my age?

SINGER and actor Natalie Imbruglia is tired of being asked about getting older and complains that: “The George Clooneys of the world don’t get asked the same things women do.”

Natalie Imbruglia talks about feeling happy in her own skin and her experiences on SBS’s First Contact.

NEXT year is the 20th anniversary of “Torn”. How will you celebrate?

Is it really? Wow. I’m incredibly proud; I mean that song does not die. It’s heartwarming getting Instagram videos of people drunk at karaoke singing the song. I don’t know what I’ll do — maybe I’ll parody myself.

You released your first album in six years, Male, last year. Will we have to wait another six years for the next one?

Well, I’ve been writing and writing and writing, so we’ll see. I’m certainly not known for being fast when it comes to writing [laughs]. I’m excited about making new music, but I wouldn’t hold your breath for it to come out soon, because you might pass out.

Imbruglia won best new artist for “Torn” at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.

You’ve spoken about learning to be comfortable with your appearance and not “apologising for being good-looking”. How did you get to that point in your life?

[Laughs] That lovely journalist! Look, when you’ve been under the microscope since you were very young, it takes a long time to adjust. It’s not a natural thing from a young age, but it’s not something I think about too much anymore. You focus on things that are more important.

What advice would you give to young women who are struggling with their self-confidence?

I don’t think social media has been very helpful with that. My advice would be to love who you are and not compare yourself with other people.

The SBS documentary series First Contact took you and five other celebrities on a journey into Aboriginal Australia. What was the biggest challenge?

Trying to be calm and respectful of other people’s views when you passionately disagree with them [was challenging]. But feeling helpless in so many of the situations when you couldn’t see an immediate resolution was the hardest part.

“Women are scrutinised ... the George Clooneys of the world don’t get asked the things we do”

There’s not one voice or face to the problem; you can’t say there’s one story for Aboriginal people. Depending on what mob they’re from and where they live, there is a completely new set of issues. There are some areas and some models I think are working, so it wasn’t completely helpless, but we have a long way to go.

Imbruglia at the Elle Style Awards in 2014.

Six in 10 Australians have had little to no contact with our nation’s first people. You’d never spoken to an Aboriginal person before the show. How did you feel about that?

I grew up in an area where there wasn’t a big Aboriginal community. It’s not like I avoided it, it’s just that I didn’t come into contact with Aboriginal people. I have always felt an affinity with their culture and [been] respectful of their relationship with nature. I also carried guilt about how they were treated when white man came. So I wanted to hear directly from those communities about what life is like for them now. I feel like we don’t talk about it enough.

Were you apprehensive about being part of First Contact?

I’ve never done anything like this before, but the issue was important enough for me to be part of the conversation and the change — even if that meant admitting I’m ignorant. We can’t tiptoe around it or shy away from the conversation because we’re not sure what’s politically correct, and I include myself in that. If you’re not well-informed, how can you speak on something? At least now I can say I’ve spoken to people who have suffered from things that happened in the past.

Imbruglia says she carried guilt about how Aboriginal peoples were treated when white man came to Australia.

How did you get on with former One Nation politician David Oldfield?

I certainly had different views from David, but it wasn’t like we were fighting all the time, like it has been reported. It’s always hard when you’re passionate about something and you don’t have the same views; that can be quite upsetting. I tried to stay as calm as I could — I am a fiery Italian — and tried to be myself and speak my truth, as did David. Everybody should be entitled to that. We had good relations separate to disagreeing in certain situations.

Changing topic, you’ve said you’re not worried about your biological clock, that you’ve got time. Do you still get asked by well-meaning relatives and friends about that — and how do you respond?

Girls get asked this question more than men; it’s really weird. I don’t have a problem with ageing. I think if you try to hold on too tightly to youth, you get yourself into trouble. I admire people such as Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep — those are the women I aspire to become. They’re sexy and beautiful. It’s sad that in the media, we’re scrutinised more harshly than men.

“My advice would be to love who you are and not compare yourself with other people.”

The George Clooneys of the world don’t get asked the same things women do. I encourage women to be loud and proud about ageing. I don’t care about telling people my age. In Hollywood, people shy away from that, which I find hysterical. Why would you want to lie about how old you are? It’s stupid.

A lot of Australians want to see you settle down with a white picket fence in Byron Bay. Do you have any news that you want to share?

Oh yeah, cat’s out of the bag! I bought a property in Byron, which is a childhood dream realised. Anyone who knows me knows I always wanted to get a place in Byron Bay and retire there. Before I’d ever been to Byron, I’d tell people that. I’m going to build a little piece of heaven — I always planned to do that. I’ll always spend time back home.

First Contact airs 8.30pm, November 29 to December 1, on SBS and NITV.

Originally published as Natalie Imbruglia: Why would I lie about my age?