Humphrey IS NOT a d***head!
If I asked you to name an Australian icon or cultural figure, your answer would greatly depend on where you live now or where you lived as a child.
My friends in the UK would all say Kylie Minogue. I’m sure of it. Kylie would be the first pick for most Brits. The pop singer and soap opera veteran is just about as famous as an Australian could hope to get in the UK. I mean, Kylie even sells a wine bearing her name in the largest supermarket chain in the country. I’ve consumed a few bottles myself.
If I ask my friends in North America to name a famous Aussie, they might opt for Nicole Kidman or Hugh Jackman. Is it just me or is their a disproportionate number of Australians working in Hollywood? Of course Nicole and Hugh are probably the first to spring to mind (because we don’t talk about Mr Gibson anymore in polite society) but the list of antipodean actors excelling in Hollywood is staggering. Russell Crowe. Toni Collette. Rachel Griffiths. Cate Blanchett. Chris Hemsworth and some other members of his family. Guy Pearce. The gone (but not forgotten) Heath Ledger. The impeccable Judy Davis.
It never ends. If you have a theory as to why so many Southern Hemisphere humans are able to grab fame and money in the movie industry, send me your thoughts. Perhaps there is a conspiracy theory about the phenomenon. Does Bill Gates know? Should we ask Q?
I suppose some people around the planet might think of sportspeople when asked to name famous Australians, but that’s not really in my wheelhouse…