Paul Hogan reveals his greatest role
Wrangling crocodiles may have made him the most famous Australian in Hollywood, but Paul Hogan has revealed the greatest role of his life is being a dad.
In an exclusive Sunday Night interview with Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Paul has spoken candidly about the challenges and joys of being a father at the age of 77, raising his youngest son, Chance, in Los Angeles.
“I love it, always did,” Paul says in the episode to air this Sunday.
The Aussie larrikin rarely opens up about his personal life, but told his long-time friend Kerri-Anne he loved “having his own tribe”.
“I had my kids young and grew up with them and, you know, never had great parenting skills. You have ‘em, you love ‘em and you do the best you can and that’s sort of how it works out.”
Paul had five children with his first wife of 30 years, Noelene Edwards, before he left her for his Crocodile Dundee co-star Linda Kozlowski.
The separation caused a national scandal that to this day still upsets Paul.
“It only annoyed me that there was (focus on) leaving my five children behind, like there was five little kids standing weeping. I mean, the children were grown up and moved on,” he said.
“It wasn’t five kids going ‘don’t leave us dad’, it was only one kid left at home when I left and he was fourteen and he handled it alright.”
In 1999, forty years after having his first child with Noelene, Paul and Linda welcomed their child, Chance, (Paul’s sixth) into the world.
“I enjoyed it the second time around too,” Paul says, admitting he’s “had more time” to fine-tune his parenting skills.
But raising a teenage boy is not always a walk in the park.
“They know everything and you’re stupid. Then the amazing thing, as they get older you get wiser,” Paul laughed.
Paul and Linda divorced in 2014 after 25 years of marriage, leaving him a single man for the first time in since 1958.
“Are you looking for love again?” Kerri-Anne asks.
“No,” Paul says. “But you know, I’m not rejecting it either!”
Watch Paul Hogan’s full interview: Sunday 8:30pm
