It won’t come as much of a surprise to hear that Shane Jacobson is just as hilarious, engaging and passionate off the screen as he is on but what may surprise you is his inherent passion for celebrating the time to embrace one’s space. Justin Felix catches up with him to find out about his passions and a very exciting project on the horizon.
From humble beginnings, Shane Jacobson always dreamt of being an entertainer and the ‘born to do it’ adage certainly rings true in his case.
He grew up in a family of seven – mum, dad, stepfather and three siblings. His mum and dad separated when he was young but unlike plenty of kids who can go astray during similar situations, Shane took it in his stride and adopted the best bits and pieces from all of his parents.
“Each of my parents taught me love and respect but a large portion of those teachings, the ones that affect the heart, came from my mum. She was a dancing teacher and taught me how to tap dance but I grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne – a place where they’re not too keen on guys’ tap dancing,” Shane jokes.
Thankfully, Shane’s father Ron owned a boxing gym and has continued to do so for 50 years, so he could instil some self-defence in his son, should he have ever needed it.
“My father taught me how to defend myself. He told me that if I was going to tap dance and have my ears pierced that I would have to learn to fight. It’s funny because I was taught respect, honour and how to treat a lady but at the same time, dad taught me how to protect myself against anyone who wasn’t sending the right vibes my way.
“Ron wasn’t great with his hands but my stepdad, David was. He was a fitter and turner which meant he was really good with his hands and as a result he would bring me into the shed to teach me things. So I sort of got the best of all worlds in that regard.”
As a kid, Shane lived next door to a family whose kids loved to tinker. Flashes of weld went off in their shed at night and it drove Shane’s stepdad mad because it kept Shane up later than he should have. He was intrigued.
“He was right to be angry too. It kept me awake because I kept wondering what they were building. It was magic, like living next door to Willy Wonka. I couldn’t help but wonder what they were building. The more welding I heard, the more I knew it was getting bigger. They were always building cars and slapping more metal together to create roll cages and whatever else they could add on,” Shane explains.
Perhaps this is where his passion for motorsport begun. A passion that has seen him host the Australian version of Top Gear and one that has led to him owning a small collection of cars and motorbikes.
“As well as entertaining, I have a passion for motorsport and cars in general. I’m not a petrol head but I consider myself a motoring enthusiast. I’ve got an EH Holden and a HK Kingswood which was shot in the film Charlie and Boots which I featured in with Paul Hogan.
I’ve had that fully restored and my EH is currently at a mate’s body shop. I don’t hot them up or anything though, I just love the classics. I also own a Victory Jackpot as motorbikes are another passion of mine.
“I love the fact that nothing really enters my mind when I’m going for a cruise. On a bike, you can smell the air coming into your helmet. It’s not always great, sometimes you can smell the roadkill as well which you don’t notice in a car but you know what I mean,” Shane jokes.
In terms of physical spaces, Shane admits that his is nowhere near big enough.
“I have two shipping containers filled with all of my stuff. I’ve got my cars and a few motorbikes stored at home. I’ve also got a Polaris Razor buggy sitting at my brother’s place. The toys are there but they’re everywhere and it’s my dream to eventually house them all in one big space because there’s something exciting about having all of your toys in the one room.
“But in my street, there are a few blokes who have garages and spaces and we tend to stand around someone’s car from time to time and stare at our reflection in the duco while having a beer. The truth is, it’s not even about it being a garage, it’s having a neutral space to stand and talk about like-minded things and I think a man space is just a space out of the house. It’s a change of scenery… somewhere else to go.”
Finding that time to go somewhere else, is perhaps the hardest thing for Shane to do at the moment, as his job is not only demanding but his desire to continually reach new goals burns as bright as ever. I was curious to know whether being stereotyped as a comedian was good, bad or impartial and how he dealt with the knock backs that many aspiring actors go through during their career.
“I consider myself an entertainer or performer rather than just a comedian, but by the same token I understand why people first and foremost think of me as a comedian because Kenny was my most memorable performance.”
Shane doesn’t believe it’s the public’s job to know how to place him or where to file him, instead, he believes it his job to take the work to them.
“It’s not their job to follow me around, it’s my job to take them new work all the time. So I have to push myself to take up new roles. In saying that though, if after five years, people still think of me as that guy who played Kenny then that’s fine too because it’s nicer to be remembered for something, than forgotten for everything you’ve ever tried.
“To work in this industry, the one thing you need to have is a thick hide. You won’t get every part you go for. Most people would agree that one of the most nerve racking things to do in life is to go for a job interview. As an actor you can go for a job interview five times in a week and get knocked back for every single one of them. And sometimes it’s not because you weren’t good enough – and that’s the hard thing, you’ll never find out. It could be because you just didn’t look right. In any other job that would be considered sexist or racist or whatever.
“As my dad says, it’s not about life or the attitude you adopt to cope with it. It’s not about whether you do or don’t get punched out, it’s how quickly you pull yourself up off the canvas and get back in the fight.”
Like most actors, starring in Hollywood films is the ultimate goal and Shane has recently appeared in the latest Bourne installment, Bourne Legacy. It’s taken 40 years to reach that goal and he explains that not every dream takes that long.
When he spoke of dreams I couldn’t help but be inspired. His eyes lit up and the passion envoked was clear to see. I couldn’t help but feel drawn to his every word… I guess that explains why he’s an entertainer. It was hard to turn away.
“My dream is to get as far as I can. Sometimes the bus drives through the town of hope and you just have to hope your name is on the front of it. Acting for me is an incredible drug – and I get plenty of joy out of it. I love being creative with likeminded people. I think in any pursuit in life, be it sport or whatever it is, you can’t help but enjoy being with likeminded people who find some sort of thrill or joy and that’s what I get from acting. There are a million roles I haven’t played and a thousand projects I haven’t been in yet so I’ve got plenty of work to do. I think it’s just like drinking beer. Just because I’ve got access to the beer now, doesn’t mean I want to drink less of it,” he laughs.
Despite Shane’s hectic schedule and before embarking on his quest to conquer Hollywood, there is an upcoming show that he’s been involved in, that will appeal to each and every reader of this great magazine. I am of course talking about ManSpace TV.
“I had an idea for a TV show that would involve me visiting people’s private car collections and meeting some interesting folk along the way. Then, out of the blue, Harvey Silverspoon rang me about this show, ManSpace, and I told him about my idea – needless to say, the conversation kept going. I’m really pressed for time with all of the projects I’m doing at the moment but this one was so close to my heart that I just couldn’t say no.”
Shane loves to celebrate the things that people do in their backyards, especially private projects that resemble something like an 18th century tower.
“Those people should be celebrated, not labelled as outrageous or crazy,” Shane says.
“It’s like when people judge and exclaim that someone is having a mid-life crisis. I say the people who are having the mid-life crisis are the people that aren’t doing it. Like when people talk about older people who buy bikes and go on highway cruises. People say they are having a mid-life crisis but I say they are… someone needs to get this man a motorbike!” Shane jokingly says.
“If someone wants to build a 100th scale model of Noah’s Ark then why not? I think it’s brilliant. If someone has a dream to build, collect or restore something with such passion and enthusiasm, I love that and this show, like the magazine, celebrates that. It celebrates people who have gone on a mission that makes their life that much better. Everyone puts garnish on a meal, so why can’t we add garnish to our lives?”
ManSpace TV will be for everyone – not just blokes. For women that are curious about what happens in the man cave, it will open that door for them. Like the pages that fill this publication, it will demonstrate that man caves and sheds aren’t just private places for men to hide in and drink beer.
“The show is really is about the everyday man who has followed a passion, no matter what it is, and I love the fact that people are going to meet great characters and see amazing collections, which in itself is just great television to be honest. You meet anyone that is really passionate about something and it’s really hard not to be inspired in some way,” Shane explains.
“My dream would be for people to watch the show, learn stuff, laugh and be entertained. But wouldn’t it be great if someone watched the show and decided that it was time to restart that project that they kept putting off?”
“With the show, people don’t have to justify why they collect, but they do get an opportunity to tell people just how happy it makes them and that’s what we want to focus on. No one has to apologise for their passion here because it’s a very good disease and I really hope we spread it!”
