Bodyguard star Paulini on why her big TV scandal could never happen today

IT’S one of the most infamous moments in Aussie reality TV history. The woman at the centre of it says there’s no way it could happen today.

SINGER and Australian Idol alumni Paulini will make her musical theatre debut next month — and what a debut, following in the footsteps of Whitney Houston to star in The Bodyguard: The Musical.

But she’s keen for audiences to know one thing: This ain’t no Whitney tribute concert.

“Hopefully I can fit a little bit of myself into the character — I don’t want to play it exactly like she did. They’re big shoes to fill, but I’ll try my best to do it justice,” she said of playing fictional pop superstar Rachel Marron, first portrayed by Whitney Houston in the 1992 hit film.

“I’ve had people say ‘Paulini, I hope you do it exactly like Whitney! We want to see Whitney up there!’ You’ll see me, but I’ll do my best to play the Rachel Marron role. When you think of The Bodyguard, you think of Whitney, but ... it’s not a Whitney Houston tribute show.”

Perhaps anticipating the inevitable comparisons, The Bodyguard team have already released the musical’s showstopper on social media: Paulini delivering a gorgeous, faithful take on Houston’s biggest hit, I Will Always Love You.

It is, she readily admits, a bloody hard song to sing.

“There’s 16 songs in the show and I’ll be doing 14 of them, eight shows a week. I Will Always Love You is definitely the hardest. I don’t have amazing technique, so it’s been a struggle. It’s such a hard song to sing because [Whitney] doesn’t take breaths in between the notes, she seems to just go on forever. It’s a challenge, but I’ve just got to get show fit. I’m exercising a lot to make sure I’ve got the stamina.”

Kip Gamblin and Paulini star in the Australian tour of The Bodyguard.

At 33, Paulini’s certainly fitter than she’s ever been — a world away from the curvy teen who unwittingly provided one of the most controversial moments in Australian Idol history when she found herself on the receiving end of harsh feedback from judge Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson.

As Paulini stood on stage alone after her performance, dressed in a tight gold frock and ready to hear the judges’ critique, Dicko uttered the words that would spark a national debate: “You should choose more appropriate clothes or shed some pounds.”

Paulini in the dress that drew harsh comments from judge Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson during the first season of Australian Idol.

It was a shocking comment — made even harder to watch by the fact that Paulini, ever gracious, smiled and thanked the judge for his feedback.

Looking back on the infamous moment some 14 years later, Paulini acknowledges that it’s hard to imagine those comments flying today.

“I think it has changed a lot — there’s no way anyone could do that today. People would just be outraged. There’s no way,” she says.

“And anyway, they shouldn’t be able to; these are often young kids standing up there being judged. We have so many problems with young girls who don’t think they’re skinny enough. There’s so much pressure about this mould that you have to fit into — it’s all crap.”

Paulini getting show-fit.

Despite that tough moment in the spotlight, Paulini says she has no regrets about the show that kickstarted her career — but she’d have one simple piece of advice for anyone considering trying out for a TV singing contest today.

“Now that I watch these shows like X Factor and The Voice, I think people take themselves too seriously. The contestants go on there expecting so much and are so serious about the whole process.

“You’re just setting yourself up for failure — if you don’t get it, you think your whole world’s over. It’s really not!”

The Bodyguard: The Musical opens at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on April 21 before seasons in Brisbane and Melbourne. Tickets available at thebodyguardmusical.com.au.