Why Paul Hogan wants us all to lighten up and laugh

Comedy legend Paul Hogan misses the “down to earth” nature of Aussies and feels too many people are looking to be offended. And the larrikin Crocodile Dundee star says while his Paul Hogan Show humour was “politically incorrect”, he’d take the same approach to it today.

Larrikin king Paul Hogan believes Aussies need to stop taking themselves so seriously.

The comedy legend, who shot to international fame as Crocodile Dundee in the 1980s, said people were too often looking to be offended and that all he ever tried to do was make people laugh.

And the “reluctant native” of Los Angeles said he missed the sense of humour and good nature they Australians are world famous for, and was keen to move back.

“The world is full of pretentious people,” Hogan said. “We’re not like that. Australians are sort of down to earth and that’s what I miss the most.”

Paul Hogan.

Famously a former rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Hogan first found fame in the early ‘70s when an appearance on New Faces led to sketch comedy series, The Paul Hogan Show, before Crocodile Dundee made him a global superstar in 1986. Hogan freely admits his humour was “politically incorrect” by today’s standards, but said he’d take a similar approach if he was making the show in 2020.

“There would be some changes but not many,” he said. “Unless you are sitting there looking to be offended, it was done without malice. It’s not designed to hurt anybody, it’s designed to not take life too seriously and have a laugh.”

Hogan said he’d been “mentally retired” since the first Crocodile Dundee made more than $US300 million dollars at the box office and spawned two less successful sequels, but he said the offers were still coming in for him to reprise the much-loved Outback hero, especially since a Dundee-themed tourism campaign starring Chris Hemsworth and an A-list of Aussie talent was a huge success in 2018. Hogan said he’s had at least seven pitches from “legitimate, studio-backed filmmakers”, including a musical version, and another with Hemsworth as his son, but he’s knocked them all back.

“They are still coming from out of the woods” he said. “But none of them appealed to me. The one with Chris appealed to a bit — I mean who wouldn’t want Chris Hemsworth as my son? And there is another one floating around with Margot Robbie as my daughter. I thought geez, I’m a prolific breeder — what beautiful children I have. I should charge stud fees.”

Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee.

While another Dundee film is unlikely, Hogan will return to screens next month with The Very Excellent Mr Dundee, his first starring role in 11 years. Hogan plays a fictionalised version of himself in the comedy, shot in Melbourne and LA in 2018, which will stream on Amazon Prime from July 17.

“All of the film is fact, except for the bits we totally made up,” said Hogan, who has also completed an autobiography, due out later this year. “We know some of it is true and some is utter lies, but we’ve forgotten which is which ... People ask what is true and what is not. What I do know is that fact is certainly funnier than fiction.”

MORE ENTERTAINMENT

[e-mail]

Originally published as Why Paul Hogan wants us all to lighten up and laugh