Paul talks about his life in La-la Land!
You went to LA during the production break – what did you get up to?
I was just a big tourist! Took lots of photos, got a rent-a-car, drove on the wrong side of the road - that was freaky. I got off the plane and jumped in this car and I was just going ‘What am I doing?’. The indicators were on the other side, even the fact you’re sitting on the other side of the car - I’ve never driven like that!
You hadn’t been to the States before?
I haven’t been overseas since I was ten-years-old, I’ve been too busy trying to be an actor. It was sensory overload!
What was the biggest surprise?
That I’ve seen America before. In every comic book, and every movie… I kept thinking to myself, ‘This is just like The Simpsons’. The buses are the same, the taxis are the same. I’d even seen the palm trees before!
What did you get up to?
I went to Venice Beach for a day with Sharni and her friend. We hired bikes and rode along the beach, and bought sunglasses and wristbands and headbands and had some lunch. That was very cool, a great experience. Rest of the time I ended up hanging out with Chris Hemsworth and one of the guys from the crew, Liam. Chris is house-sitting for a girl who’s an actress. She’s in Hollywood so I slept on her floor the whole time.
And what did you and Chris get up to?
We bummed around, went and watched some comedy, went and saw Jay Leno. We sat in the front row and got to shake his hand! Went to a party at the Playboy Mansion – that was pretty surreal.
Wow, was it crazy?
At the end of the day it’s just another party, but it was pretty impressive, all the ooh-la-la of being there. We even got see some of the Playmates!
Did you stock up on greasy American food?
Oh yeah, for sure! I haven’t eaten hamburgers in a long long time, close to a year. They were amazing, they had sugar in the bread, it all melts in your mouth - lots of cheesy goodness. I put on guts in two weeks! Chris took us to some very fancy restaurants where you had to know someone there to get in. We indulged in some nice meals and a few drinks, absolutely hammered my pay packet.
Did you check out Vegas?
Went to Vegas for a night and stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel, checked it out, walked around. The thing about LA and Vegas is, it’s a desert and all of sudden they’ve just made it green, it looks like Lego, as Chris kept referring to it. It’s this colourful thing that’s just been plonked there. Bought heaps of clothes, cuz clothes there are really cheap.
Were you looking for some work too?
I didn’t really do much work stuff. It was more just to see if I could live there and also just to say hi to Chris. To have an excuse to check out somewhere.
Could you live there?
It kinda reminds me of Sydney as far as traffic, and I thought a lot of it was really pretty. Nice architecture, beautiful gardens, all perfectly mowed and trimmed. It seems like a fun kinda place, but I found Sydney full-on when I moved here from Melbourne. It was kinda that transition. But I was missing home! I missed my place, my unit, the idea of the beach, seeing the ocean again, the familiar faces of home.
Did you get recognised?
When I landed in LA, the doors opened and this girl came up and asked for an autograph, and I was like, ‘Oh no’! But it was the only time it happened! And then on my way back at the airport, I was asked again and they were Australians. I’d been hearing American voices the whole time and suddenly there were these Australian accents, it was so Aussie! And I was like what language is that? But it was really sweet to hear it.
Sounds like Paul had a pretty good time...check out his holiday snaps.
