This was published 2 years ago
The striptease that made unlikely friends of Todd McKenney and Shane Jacobson
By Dani Valent
Dancing with the Stars judge Todd McKenney, 57, met Shane Jacobson, 52, when he choreographed the actor’s televised striptease. Despite their differences – bubbles v beer, greyhounds v kelpies – they immediately clicked.
Todd McKenney (right) and Shane Jacobson: “There’s no better icebreaker than asking someone to strip.”Credit: Paul Jeffers
Todd: I loved Shane in [his 2006 film] Kenny and saw him on telly, but I didn’t know him. Then, in 2018, I was choreographing The Real Full Monty, teaching eight [male] celebrities to strip to bring awareness to men’s health issues. Shane was one of them.
On the first day, we went to a coffee shop near the theatre. Shane arrived like a hurricane. I was plastered to the back wall with his energy, this man telling stories almost before sitting down or saying hello. I’m a talker, too, and I was speechless. I thought, “I’m either going to hate you or really like you.” And then I actually listened to his stories and started laughing. The stories were about his kids and his wife; he was so endearing and warm. I thought, “I like you.” A dear, deep friendship was formed pretty much instantly.
There’s no better icebreaker than asking someone to strip. As a choreographer, I knew the moments where Shane would be self-conscious. I said, “This is where you’ll be standing when you take off your last piece of clothing. I’ll protect you. I’ll put you in the least conspicuous position and it will be done with humour.”
We’ve done lots of jobs together since then – [the stage show] The Rocky Horror Show, [the TV show] Mates on a Mission and now Hairspray [which opens at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, on August 7]. Shane knows the shots you need, the vibe, and my brain works like that, too. We both want to wring out every scene for maximum impact.
“Our friendship is new, but it’s one of the dearest things in my life. The world needs more Shanes.”
Shane doesn’t care where the funny line comes, or who says it, as long as it gets said. I’m the same – there’s no competition. I can feel him setting up a gag for me to bring home and I know I can lob something over the net and he’ll run with it.
From Shane I’ve learnt to try any idea in rehearsal. When something doesn’t work, people often crumble and think it’s a disaster. He’s got the ability to shift focus: “Okay, let’s do this. And if that doesn’t work, let’s do this.” It’s a lovely energy to be around. You feel safe.
Shane’s the only one who can talk me into things. For Mates on a Mission, he got me to jump a dirt bike up a four-storey ramp and through a ring of fire in Las Vegas. I thought I was going to kill myself. I cried. I did it, though.
He’s got that knack. He’s like a little kid – passionate. He makes you think you’re going to miss out if you don’t do something. Most of my close friends are women – except for Shane. He’s not afraid to be sensitive. At the first cast meeting on Hairspray, Shane said, “I want everyone to know you can always come to my room if you need to talk.” That’s inherent in his DNA, a charming quality. I’m happy to have a friend who’s got that as their go-to. Our friendship is new, but it’s one of the dearest things in my life. I know we will never have a fight and we will be friends forever. The world needs more Shanes.
Shane: On paper, we shouldn’t be friends. I like cars, he couldn’t care less. He has greyhounds, I’m more your sheepdog and kelpies type. I drink more beer than he’ll ever drink. If we’re going to a bar, he’ll probably want bubbles. For some reason, we get a giggle out of how different we are. We joke about it all the time. Being opposites is our greatest joy.
It’s a given that we both love theatre, the arts, but we were thrown into working together at first. You don’t know you’re friends until it’s the end of a working day and you go, “Oh, that’s a pity, I was hoping to hang out with him longer.” As a grown-up, when do you say, “Are we stuck in a workplace together or are we mates?” It sounds terrible to admit this, but I read something nice that he said about me in an article and I thought, “Oh, it is a friendship.”
Not too many relationships start with “I’m going to teach you how to dance naked”. There were many things that were weird and uneasy and he did everything to make it comfortable. He worked on my performance until I was proud of it. He said, “You’re a strong dancer; let’s work on these moves.” In the end, he got me out there performing a number where I happened to get nude. That was his magic.
Todd’s been on Earth a little bit longer than me. Sometimes experience and confidence can make an individual a bit set in their ways. I drill away. If you chip long enough, the concrete cracks. With Todd and the motorbike, I’ll be honest, it was a big task. But Todd hates to fail, so I knew I could push him. I knew that if he did it, he’d come out the other side happier. He’s proud that he did it, not angry that I made him.
A lot of people have a preconceived idea about Todd based on his job on Dancing with the Stars. He’s been brought in to judge people but, in real life, he’s the least judgmental person: he cares about people. With me, it’s the way he checks in. The last two to three years have been hard for entertainment. It felt at times as though we were left on an island. Todd would always see how I was going. Entertainment can be an interesting emotional battleground, a crazy little world. Todd is one of those people that I know has my back, and I think he knows I’ve got his.
“We have an invisible dialogue. There are moments we laugh at each other and no one’s done anything.”
A lot of my oldest friendships are from when I was a kid growing up in the western suburbs [of Melbourne]. I can’t talk to all of them about what I do, whereas Todd is someone I can dial into immediately. Sometimes it’s the stuff you don’t have to say that makes the friendship that much easier. We have an invisible dialogue. There are moments we laugh at each other and no one’s done anything. It can be a look, a little nudge with my hip, and we get a giggle out of it.
He’s a very dear friend of mine. I’m going to be his friend forever whether he likes it or not. I hope other people have a Todd McKenney in their life. Thank goodness I’ve got one.
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