‘I know what it is like to have everything stop’: Casey Donovan on fame, finding herself and life after Australian Idol

The former Australian Idol winner talks fame, finding herself and life after reality TV, as she details how she came back from tough times.

When Casey Donovan was crowned the winner of Australian Idol 21 years ago, she was just an awkward teen with dreams of a future on the stage.

Those dreams may have come true, but even today, she marvels at how far her star has risen. “I never looked into the future and saw where I would be today,” Donovan tells Stellar.

“It’s a really beautiful thing.”

But reaching this point has hardly sated her desire to achieve more. In fact, the singer and actor, who turned 37 last month, says she is keen to try her hand at something more serious.

“I haven’t really stopped in the last six to seven years,” says Donovan, who has become a regular presence in a raft of Australian stage productions.

“I’ve just kind of jumped from show to show to show. I’ve done the eight shows a week.

“It certainly does take its toll on your body and your mental health, but I don’t take this for granted.

‘I’m very grateful!’ Casey Donovan has found her voice in musical theatre. Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar

“Because I know what it is like to have everything stop, and what it is like to never stop.

“I’m very grateful and thankful and honoured to be able to do what I do for a living: to work hard, play hard and enjoy.”

Despite the fact she’s had tough times where work has been more sparse – in 2017, she revealed she had taken part-time work as an Uber driver to supplement her income – Donovan has never stopped hustling.

She just wrapped a months-long run touring the country in the lead role of Sister Act: The Musical, playing the role of Deloris Van Cartier (made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in the 1992 film and its sequel), and is now in the final weeks of rehearsals for the Australian premiere of Kimberly Akimbo, a local production of the Tony-winning Broadway musical that will launch in Adelaide next month before making its way to Melbourne.

“I always get to do the comedic roles,” Donovan tells Stellar.

“I certainly think I’d like to try something more dramatic. I’d also love to challenge myself with a play – so no music, just straight acting – and sink my teeth into something like that.

“I don’t think I’ve really tried that, to be honest. I think the closest I got was even Luna Keys on [the Network 10 series] How To Stay Married. She was funny, but she also had a very serious side to her. I think I’d really like to do something a little bit more serious.”

‘I know what it is like to have everything stop.’ Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar

Kimberly Akimbo, which is set in the US state of New Jersey in 1999, tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who ages rapidly due to a genetic condition and has to navigate the difficult world of high school while grappling with a physical appearance that makes her look like a woman in her 70s.

Aussie stage mainstay Marina Prior will play the title role, with Christie Whelan Browne playing her mother Pattie and Donovan appearing as her aunt Deb, a character she says is “this ballsy, beefy kind of scammer, basically.

“She’s always looking for a quick fix. She’s been in and out of jail and decides to scam some teenage kids into washing checks.

“I don’t know what on earth I am going to bring to aunt Deb! She is going to challenge me. She is just crass, out there, a real go-getter. And I love that about her.”

Pictured on the set of Australian Idol in 2004. Picture: Supplied

But, she is quick to note, “It is a beautiful story. One thing I love about the character is that she loves Kimberly, and she’s coming from a place of kindness and love.

“She just wants Kimberly to have the best 16th birthday, because she also doesn’t know how long Kimberly is going to be around.”

Later this year, in October, Donovan will again hit the stage on a national tour with Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines – offering her a chance to step out of character and back into the role she plays best: herself.

See the full shoot with Casey Donovan inside Sunday’s Stellar. Picture: Stellar

“I’ve certainly played an array of characters,” she reflects. “They’ve all kind of had a maternal role in some way, shape or form.

“I guess I’ve worked quite hard to get to where I am today. I always forget that; I always feel it is that impostor syndrome, where you forget you’ve worked really hard to get there.

“Because a lot of people think I just get given things, which is not the case at all.

I’ve auditioned for every role I have ever done, and I’ve been knocked back for lots of things like many of my peers.

“But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed acting, singing and dancing, just opening new doors and finding my joy in musical theatre.”

Kimberley Akimbo is playing in Adelaide from 8 July, tickets available via statetheatrecompany.com.au and in Melbourne from 26 July, tickets available via mtc.com.au.

Read the full story and see the shoot with Casey Donovan in Stellar tomorrow, via The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA).

For more from Stellar and the podcast Something To Talk About, click here.

Originally published as ‘I know what it is like to have everything stop’: Casey Donovan on fame, finding herself and life after Australian Idol