Trailer author and performer Courtney Act, also known as Shane Jenek, is once again taking her focus on the ABC’s One Plus One series for a second round of in-depth conversations with eight celebrities.
The theme is “fame” and the first episode stars the much-loved Australian comedian Mark Trevorrow; is his first full-length interview in 40 years like himself.
“One of the first cracks in the strange”
Most Australians would know Bob Downe, one of the most beloved and enduring comedy characters created by Trevorrow.
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“One of the first weird outbursts I saw on Australian television was when Bob Downe was at Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton in the ’90s,” Courtney recalls.
A young Shane Jenek was looking for Trevorrow when he first moved to Sydney from Brisbane at the age of 18, where they ended up performing on the same stages and becoming friends.
“I think Spicks and Specks was kind of the first thing he did as Mark,” Courtney says, “and that was a really liberating thing for him to do like himself without Bob’s costume.”
Where do I end up, where do I start?
One of the themes of this season of Courtney Act’s One Plus One is navigating identity under focus.
It’s something Courtney has dealt with as much as Shane as Courtney, and something Trevorrow has also pondered: where does Mark end up and Bob begin?
“Maybe they both started out as characters, but then over time they merged with our own personalities,” Courtney says.
“At first, Courtney was a way for me to express femininity and dress up in wonderful outfits in a socially acceptable way, but it’s really me.”
More than on the skin
The guest list for the show is carefully selected by Courtney.
Other interviewees who have struggled with gender, sexuality and identity in the public eye include transgender actor and activist Georgie Stone and gay Australian professional football player Josh Cavallo.
Courtney Act interviews trans actor and activist Georgie Stone in a new season of One Plus One. (Supplied: One Plus One)
Then there’s author Renee McBryde, who shares a deeply personal story about being the daughter of a convicted murderer, a secret her mother made her keep.
“One Plus One is a great opportunity to select a list of people with different stories that I love and that I think are great to expand on,” says Courtney.
How to talk to “Tom Nash about his experience of being a DJ and also having a disability” or “Jay Laga’aia, famous for Playschool but also for so many TV shows we know and love, and listening to his racial experience. the entertainment industry. “
Going deeper is not a challenge for Courtney.
“I don’t like talking,” he says. “Actually, having a real, proper conversation with someone is something I prefer.”
Capturing the essence of someone
One of the things Courtney appreciates about the One Plus One format is that it’s not a very produced show, so viewers can see a real conversation.
Renee McBryde opens in Courtney Act about her father, a convicted murderer. (Supplied: One Plus One)
“There’s no time, there’s no agenda,” he says.
“It’s just a nice conversation with someone. And in a cycle of news that produces anxiety, it’s a little lovely to just see two people enjoying the company.”
“All the people I’ve talked to for One Plus One are really atypical, because they’re all people who didn’t accept the status quo and defined who they were and who they really were,” Courtney added.
“I think there’s something really exciting, empowering and beautiful about it.”
Accepting our differences
Courtney is passionate about spreading awareness of difference, which leads to acceptance.
That’s something he hopes to achieve with these conversations.
“I’ve been an advocate of being yourself and expressing yourself as it can manifest in you,” he says.
“The ABC tells so many wonderful stories that are different from the experience that many people have had, and I think through that we can foster a sense of empathy, more patience and more acceptance of people who are different and have experiences. different.
“I think that’s so important right now because there’s something lovely about understanding that our similarities are bigger than our differences in these situations.”
Courtney Act’s new One Plus One season premieres this Thursday, June 2 night on ABC.