something’s cooking

From fancy footwork to fine food, the multi-talented Paul Mercurio is still dancing to his own beat

WORDS STEPHANIE GREEN
PHOTOGRAPHY SERGE THOMANN

Once an acclaimed principal dancer, Paul Mercurio now focuses his energies on creating dishes, cooking and even selling his own home brew, Merc’s Own

I half expected Paul Mercurio to arrive for this interview with a twirl and a flourish, at least a bit of swagger. After all, he’s one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television, not to mention the star of the hit movie,

Mercurio’s Menu takes viewers
on a tour of some of the country’s
best produce, chefs and their
most delicious creationsStrictly Ballroom. But there’s nary a sequin or a soft shoe shuffle in sight. Just a guy strolling casually up the bayside Melbourne street looking like a family man on his summer break. Which is, of course, exactly what he is – for the moment. After a busy year filming the hit TV show, Dancing with the Stars,

Mercurio is enjoying some time off with his wife and three daughters before it all starts again in May.

While other reality shows are losing viewers faster than they can vote off the contestants, Dancing is going from strength to strength. So what’s its secret? “People are sick of being manipulated by reality shows,” says Mercurio. “Dancing is not a ‘reality show’ in the sense that we don’t edit it in such a way as to influence the perception of the viewers or how they see the contestants.

“People know what they’re going to get – music, dancing, fun, entertainment. It’s not negative or nasty – there’s no real villain, although Todd occasionally comes close! I also think people like to see the contestants rise to the challenge and improve.”

And as if that wasn’t enough, Mercurio’s also in the middle of filming on location around Australia for a new food and travel show, Mercurio’s Menu, which debuted on Channel Seven in February. “Mercurio’s Menu is a food and travel show with a bit of a twist,” he explains. “We start the show describing a menu, then work backwards, taking the viewers to the places and meeting the people who created the meal and the produce that went into it.”

It’s eclectic in its destinations and in the menus themselves. A trip to the Hunter Valley sees him whipping up a tandoori goat, as well as dropping into the boutique Potters Brewery. In Sydney, he visits a smallgoods maker and samples his “wonderful salamis”. In Queensland, you’ll see him discovering how to make a mango and crocodile curry.

As we talk, a delivery van pulls up with a load of produce for the café. The driver greets Mercurio like an old friend and proffers free-range eggs from Kangaroo Island. He’s hoping the host will give them a plug on his food show.

Doesn’t he get a little tired of strangers thinking he’s their new best friend? “No, I love the fact people stop and say g’day,” he insists. “Although my wife finds it amusing that I take three times longer than anyone else to do the shopping. I’m lucky that it’s easy to meet and talk with a whole range of people – I think I’m spoilt.”

It’s something he repeats frequently – how lucky he is. You get the feeling he means what he says. “Happiness is a choice – the way to be happy is to figure out who you want to be and how you want to be.” Following that philosophy has led Mercurio down some unforseen paths.

A former choreographer and principal dancer with the prestigious Sydney Dance Company (SDC), Mercurio was already a well-known performer before his role as Scott Hastings in 1992’s Strictly Ballroom thrust him into the world spotlight. While most actors in his situation would be on a flight to Hollywood quicker than you can say “I can do an American accent”, Mercurio chose to stay. He and wife Andrea preferred to raise their family in Australia.

And then, in what many said was a career killer, he turned down the lead role in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Why? “I didn’t want to be a dancer in drag. When I was at SDC I’d often get a hard time at the pub. After Strictly Ballroom, the same blokes would buy me a beer. It was ok to be a bloke and dance after Scott Hastings. I just didn’t want to perpetuate the stereotype of the gay, male dancer.”

Instead, he took a role in Exit to Eden, a film with all the hallmarks of a sure-fire hit – great script, award-winning director (Garry Marshall of Pretty Woman fame) and a stellar cast. It bombed at the box-office.

Tara Morice and Paul Mercurio
in 1992’s Strictly Ballroom
Photo: Miramax/Everett/
Rex Features

Since then, Mercurio has had a string of well-regarded roles in Australian TV dramas, plus the occasional film both here and in the US, but has never found a role to equal that of Scott Hastings. At times, work was thin on the ground and he sold computers to support the family he so clearly adores. “For an artist, the most frustrating thing about not working is not having a creative outlet,” he grimaces. But he was lucky (that word again) when an anniversary gift from his wife led to a new passion – home brewing.

Mercurio’s experimentation culminated in the commercial release of a fruity peach ale under his own label, Mercs Own. His love for a quality beer continues: “The Mercurio’s Menu crew know that if there’s a boutique brewery nearby I’m going to want to film there,” he chuckles. He still dreams of opening a brewery café, with a premium beer list and food to match. “I’ve already planned the menu,” he reveals.

Given the perception that dancers exist on cigarettes and chocolate, isn’t Mercurio the last person you’d expect to see on a food show? “I’m a retired dancer,” he laughs. “Anyway, I’ve always been interested in food – both cooking and eating it. I left Perth at 17 to study in Melbourne and had to cook for myself. I was always testing out new concoctions. Some were terrible, but I learned what worked and what didn’t.”

Mercurio’s friends and family can vouch for his culinary prowess. The day we meet, he’s keen to tell me about his latest creation, “an amazing rabbit terrine”. He also develops many of the recipes showcased on Mercurio’s Menu. “Cooking is a nourishing art – you feed your soul when you feed others.”

Holiday havens

We asked Paul Mercurio for his top picks for an Aussie getaway:

• Noosa, Queensland – “It was magnificent. We relaxed, went out for breakfast, took the ferry to the markets and swam.”
• Goolwa, South Australia – “A little town on the Fleurieu Peninsula. It has a fabulous beach where you can collect cockles.”
• Apollo Bay, Victoria – “The Great Ocean Road is a spectacular drive.”
• Melbourne – At home, he likes to chill out at the beachside Bridge Hotel in Mordialloc. “It has great pizzas and the beer list is good, too. Sit outside looking out over the boats – you’ll feel like you’re in Europe.”

Stephanie Green says:
After a decade living in Asia, Stephanie Green’s return to Australia coincided with the media hysteria and political angst over ‘Australian values’. Fascinated by the navel-gazing, she jumped at the chance to interview Paul Mercurio, the star of ‘quintessentially Aussie’ movie Strictly Ballroom to discuss another Australian obsession – food.