Speaker 1: Careers over since you did this in the he said,
Speaker 1: you know this is a fake. Richard R. W. Would
Speaker 1: never be seen in baggy jeans like that.
Speaker 2: For those listening at home, Richard exclusively wears jeans so
Speaker 2: type that leggings.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, when you've got legs like that, it's
Speaker 1: a good way to ensure that there's no more Wilkins children.
Speaker 3: Hi, and welcome to separate bathrooms. We would like to
Speaker 3: acknowledge the Gadigal people of the e Or nation, the
Speaker 3: traditional custodians of this land, and pay our respects to
Speaker 3: the eldest, both past and present. I'm Cam Daddo, I'm
Speaker 3: Ali Daddo. We are the Dados and you and us
Speaker 3: collectively what we're in for a treat today.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Obviously we're a relationship podcast, you know that. And we've
Speaker 5: been really fortunate to speak with people in all sorts
Speaker 5: of relationships and about relationships and how to be better
Speaker 5: in relationships.
Speaker 3: So as far as people in relationships go, we've had
Speaker 3: all manner of lovers and marriads, working relationships friendships. Today
Speaker 3: is a first a father son relationship.
Speaker 5: Yeah, chances are you will know them. We're really really
Speaker 5: excited to have them on It's Ozzie TV icon. Richard
Speaker 5: Wilkins and his fabulous son Christian.
Speaker 3: Rich has been in the industry for over four decades.
Speaker 3: He's interviewed the world's biggest movie TV music stars. He's
Speaker 3: an author and weekend announcer on the top rating FM
Speaker 3: station Smooth, A little Bit.
Speaker 5: Familiar, a little Bit and his son Christian is making
Speaker 5: his way very nicely too. He's been acting and MCing.
Speaker 5: He's made a major run at the Mirror Ball Trophy
Speaker 5: in Dancing with the Stars and worked his way into
Speaker 5: the hearts of Australians when he participated in the SBS Dooco, Filthy,
Speaker 5: Rich and Homeless.
Speaker 3: He's charitable, he's passion and building a reputation as one
Speaker 3: of Australia's most well connected, informed and well liked individuals.
Speaker 3: Together they're hosting a brand new podcast called The Apple
Speaker 3: and the Tree.
Speaker 5: Maybe we'll find out who is the apple and who
Speaker 5: is the tree. Please welcome Richard and Christian Welkins.
Speaker 3: Welcome men to the bathroom.
Speaker 1: Thank you very much. Hi, Christian, Butler's in here. I
Speaker 1: love that.
Speaker 4: Gorgeous special stuff.
Speaker 3: You are our first father and son relationship, so a
Speaker 3: good thing. It is a great thing.
Speaker 4: We don't have to ask how you met and proposed
Speaker 4: he was in the hospital love at first sight.
Speaker 3: Was he there when you were born? Were you there
Speaker 3: when Christian was born?
Speaker 1: I was there when he was born. Yeah, it's funny.
Speaker 1: He said something quite deep the other days, said, you know,
Speaker 1: I've known you for all my life, but you've only
Speaker 1: known me for the last twenty nine years, which is
Speaker 1: quite amazing.
Speaker 4: That is right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, kind of weird to think of your parents having
Speaker 2: a life before here like now, I'm obviously the center
Speaker 2: of his universe, but I just assumed that it was
Speaker 2: always that way.
Speaker 1: Good luck with that.
Speaker 5: You're always just the dream that he was having and
Speaker 5: you arrived. That's what I tell about my kids. It
Speaker 5: was like you were the sparkle in my eye before
Speaker 5: you were born.
Speaker 4: You're always there.
Speaker 1: He often walks into a room and introduces himself to people,
Speaker 1: say Hey, I'm Christian. I'm Richard's favorite child. I don't
Speaker 1: know if you're so so not, Well, you did it
Speaker 1: my my dad.
Speaker 3: My dad had a great ada. It is untrue, by
Speaker 3: the way, So my dad had a wonderful answer to
Speaker 3: body our youngest daughter, because she said to him Parpy,
Speaker 3: I'm your favorite granddaughter, and Parpy said, well, body, if
Speaker 3: you're in front of me right now, you are my
Speaker 3: favorite granddaughter.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 4: There's eleven grades.
Speaker 3: Eleven of them, and he makes them all feel like
Speaker 3: he's their favorite. Yeah, they are their favorite. Well, Christian,
Speaker 3: you mentioned that you know about your dad and knowing
Speaker 3: well that he had a life before you were born.
Speaker 3: How was it growing up with a famous dad.
Speaker 2: I always loved it because I always had that like
Speaker 2: entertainer inside of me too, and I always found what
Speaker 2: he did so exciting and I love following him around
Speaker 2: and he'd be like, do you want to come to
Speaker 2: this like Kate Hudson premiere And I'm like seven years
Speaker 2: I'm like yes, like adult things that I would have
Speaker 2: no real interest in, But I just I was always
Speaker 2: so inspired by him, and I loved the fact that
Speaker 2: he loved what he did so much, and that really
Speaker 2: motivated me to do the same thing with myself.
Speaker 5: Did you know that Christian was going to head into
Speaker 5: the entertainment industry early?
Speaker 1: I think so because he's very talented and he's very
Speaker 1: He was always interested in the business and knows more
Speaker 1: now about social media and about everything to do with
Speaker 1: it with the business. You know, he's like a little
Speaker 1: Wikipedia or a Google there. You know, he knows so
Speaker 1: much about so much of the business. But I think, yeah,
Speaker 1: he was always very theatrical when he was a youngster,
Speaker 1: and I did used to drag him off to things.
Speaker 1: But you know, if he was with me and I
Speaker 1: had to go to London for a Harry Potter premiere
Speaker 1: or something, or to do some interviews, you know, I
Speaker 1: use up some points and take him along with me
Speaker 1: sort of things. Many many, many many times, right.
Speaker 5: Were your mates or jealous of you that you were
Speaker 5: able to go do that, go meet Daniel Radcliffe?
Speaker 1: And yes or not?
Speaker 2: I feel like I was good at sharing the good
Speaker 2: times around. But I also think I was so grateful
Speaker 2: and had so much like admiration for Dad getting to
Speaker 2: do this that I think people just kind of liked
Speaker 2: the positivity that came with it, you know, Like I'd
Speaker 2: like to think that I was never kind of like
Speaker 2: a snotty, arrogant kid that was kind of bragging about it.
Speaker 2: It was always sort of in a very genuine, loving place.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Of course, was there a moment, Christian where you realized
Speaker 3: that maybe your dad was not like the other dads
Speaker 3: at your school.
Speaker 2: I remember being in kindergarten and someone coming out to
Speaker 2: me and being like talking to me a lot because
Speaker 2: my dad was on the Today Show, and like, obviously
Speaker 2: I knew that, but that was just like what my
Speaker 2: dad did. And I like went and told my older
Speaker 2: sister and she was like, well, you should have seen
Speaker 2: what it was like in the nineties when he was
Speaker 2: on MTV, because that was crazy. And I was like, oh,
Speaker 2: maybe this thing is not like the other.
Speaker 5: Do you have a favorite memory together? Is there something
Speaker 5: that out of your childhood or when Christian was little
Speaker 5: that or younger. Maybe it was you know last week.
Speaker 5: Is there a favorite memory that you have with each other?
Speaker 1: We've spent so much time together. Yeah, you know, we
Speaker 1: really have. It's hard to isolate any one thing. I
Speaker 1: think we've become incredibly close because we've just spent so
Speaker 1: much time together. You know, he moved into to my
Speaker 1: place when he was at school. His mum and I
Speaker 1: used to you know, we never argued because we both
Speaker 1: wanted him all the time. But you know, he's lived
Speaker 1: under my roof from the age oild were. I think
Speaker 1: when you moved in seventeen something like that full time,
Speaker 1: but always stayed, you know, the house, So we've become
Speaker 1: very very very close love it. I don't know, is
Speaker 1: there any thing that stands tall? Probably straveling around, I
Speaker 1: don't know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, we were planning a big family holiday
Speaker 2: last year and it kind of got a little railroad
Speaker 2: some other things, but Dad and I ended up going
Speaker 2: and spending a couple days in Santorini and then going
Speaker 2: to Sweden for a friend's wedding. And there was one night,
Speaker 2: I think it was our last night in Santorini, where
Speaker 2: I just ran down to the local stock, got some
Speaker 2: euros and we just sat watching the sunset plane Jim Rummy,
Speaker 2: and that was a pretty beautiful moment.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Then we got on a plane the next day
Speaker 1: and flew from Santorini to Finland and then flew again
Speaker 1: to Oslo, rented a car and went to his best
Speaker 1: friend's wedding in Sweden, which was quite the trip, just
Speaker 1: him and I hanging out, trying to work out, trying
Speaker 1: to work out how to plug in the bloody electric
Speaker 1: car over that that was the favorite moment of the trip.
Speaker 3: Can I ask you, Richard, you know, as you know,
Speaker 3: we're both in the entertainment business, I spent a lot
Speaker 3: of time away from home.
Speaker 1: It was always a.
Speaker 3: Challenge for me to stay present in the kids' lives
Speaker 3: when I was away.
Speaker 1: How did you do that? How have you done that
Speaker 1: through your life? Well, I've got to touch wood, because
Speaker 1: the kids are all so wonderful and we have fantastic
Speaker 1: relationships with each other and them with each other and
Speaker 1: all that stuff. So something worked along the way. And
Speaker 1: even if I was away, I would always talk to
Speaker 1: the kids every day. I would always make a point
Speaker 1: of ringing, even if I'm in LA for a week
Speaker 1: or New York or something, always try and wring them
Speaker 1: on their time, just to even if it was just
Speaker 1: a thirty second conversation, how I'm thinking of your how's everything?
Speaker 1: How did the exam go? And just love, you know,
Speaker 1: and when you are together, just giving them the time,
Speaker 1: you know, really just connecting. I think that's not a secret,
Speaker 1: but that's I hope what I've done along the way.
Speaker 1: Just really invest in the relationship and in them, be
Speaker 1: interested in their lives and generous and loving and caring.
Speaker 1: It's clearly worked. Yeah, definitely, Well it's not there yet,
Speaker 1: still worked.
Speaker 4: It's always a work in progress.
Speaker 5: Yeah, where we're constantly working without older kids as well,
Speaker 5: Like you're still parenting them, you're still working on the
Speaker 5: changes in their relationship like that just sort of never
Speaker 5: gets put down in a way, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1: Like how do you connect when you're away with the kids. Yeah.
Speaker 3: Well, again, Alice helped me a lot, especially when they
Speaker 3: were little, little kids, because I worked was working on
Speaker 3: the other side of the country. I was in Toronto
Speaker 3: a lot. I spent a lot of time in Canada
Speaker 3: working in al was with the kids in Los Angeles,
Speaker 3: so she had pictures of me on the fridge. I
Speaker 3: would call when I could. It's difficult if you're on
Speaker 3: set and there's set hours and they're on LA time
Speaker 3: and it was just all messed up. So but there
Speaker 3: was one thing that I did do when they were young,
Speaker 3: and that was I traced my hand on a piece
Speaker 3: of paper and I'd send that for facts that paper
Speaker 3: through back in the day. But I'd send the paper
Speaker 3: through with my hand and they would color it in.
Speaker 3: That was that was one thing. And then books on tape.
Speaker 3: I'd read, read the book and send the cassette tape
Speaker 3: with the book. Yeah, but the funny thing was one
Speaker 3: time I came home and I said to Ali, where's Lolo?
Speaker 3: And she said, she's in her room. And I stood out.
Speaker 3: The door was closed, and I stood outside the door,
Speaker 3: and I could hear my voice and if she was
Speaker 3: listening to the tape and reading the book. And I
Speaker 3: knock on the door and I said, hey, Lola, and
Speaker 3: she said not yet until she was finished.
Speaker 1: That's beautiful, beautiful I did was ring them. You did
Speaker 1: all that stuff.
Speaker 3: Well, sometimes I couldn't ring them though, And I'm having
Speaker 3: a bit of like right now, when you said I
Speaker 3: rang them every day, I didn't do that every I
Speaker 3: couldn't do it every day. And sometimes I go, I
Speaker 3: just I'm so deep in my own whatever, you know,
Speaker 3: actory stuff that sometimes I didn't ring every day. And
Speaker 3: and I think, I see how it's worked with you two,
Speaker 3: the relationship you have, and I know that. Like I've
Speaker 3: just gotten back from overseas and I haven't spoken to
Speaker 3: River yet. You know, I've been back a couple of
Speaker 3: days and I haven't spoken to him in probably a
Speaker 3: week and a half, and I'm like, oh, I want to,
Speaker 3: you know, And it hasn't wrung me either, So I'm like,
Speaker 3: I want to ring me, but I realized that I
Speaker 3: have to. If I want it, I've got to take
Speaker 3: the action.
Speaker 1: Of course. Yeah. Yeah, I've seen you two interact together.
Speaker 1: You might be talking about separate bathrooms, but you really
Speaker 1: are best friends, aren't you.
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Yeah, do you have bathrooms?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Currently bathroom.
Speaker 4: It's nice.
Speaker 5: We've not had it many a time we've not had it,
Speaker 5: and it's much better for the relationship.
Speaker 2: Absolutely being able to take your time as you get ready,
Speaker 2: like I want my little makeup, count of my little beauty,
Speaker 2: count of.
Speaker 5: Nasty smells, no nasty smells.
Speaker 3: But also it's nice to have that that bit of mystique.
Speaker 4: I had to.
Speaker 5: Teach you that because you were always about like.
Speaker 4: Just poe in front of men't mind. I'm like, I'm
Speaker 4: not going to do that. I don't want to.
Speaker 3: I said those words.
Speaker 1: I don't care.
Speaker 3: So I grew up.
Speaker 1: I grew up in a he just poo in front
Speaker 1: of me, just pooh in front of me.
Speaker 3: I don't know that was might have meant that, but
Speaker 3: but my brothers and I we had because there were
Speaker 3: so many kids in our house growing up. In order
Speaker 3: to get through the routine of the morning, had to
Speaker 3: be sitting on the duney one was shaving and one
Speaker 3: was one was showering and the other one was each
Speaker 3: other off cycle through the bathroom like that.
Speaker 1: So not all of be cycling through the bathroom.
Speaker 4: No, but that's the way it was.
Speaker 3: It was like it was like a locker room. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and so it didn't My sister had her own place.
Speaker 3: So I'm not sure that I won't want you to
Speaker 3: put in front of him. I don't know that is important.
Speaker 5: Speaking of podcasts, how whose idea was it to come
Speaker 5: up with the podcast that you too have launched, The
Speaker 5: Apple and the Tree?
Speaker 4: Whose idea? How did it come about?
Speaker 1: Yeah? Why? I love working with Dadda.
Speaker 2: I personally present company excluded think that he is, you know,
Speaker 2: the best in the business. And it's any opportunity that
Speaker 2: you get to work with someone that's not only incredible
Speaker 2: in their field and you can learn from, but also
Speaker 2: someone that you genuinely enjoy spending the time with, that's
Speaker 2: an amazing opportunity that you know, very rarely comes up.
Speaker 2: And I wanted to create something that we could do together,
Speaker 2: and I really wanted to create as well, like an
Speaker 2: opportunity for Dad to be seen in a different platform
Speaker 2: as well, because I think that he is so incredible
Speaker 2: at what he does and he should be seen and
Speaker 2: heard by as many people and be recognized for that.
Speaker 2: And it's you know, it's kind of a combination lux
Speaker 2: of situation that we've been able to do it all.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and there was the actors and writers' strikes going on,
Speaker 1: so you know, he moved to LA a week before
Speaker 1: the writer's strikes started, so yeah, timing was everything there.
Speaker 1: So you know, it's become a passion project that's really
Speaker 1: done well, is doing well, and it's open ended.
Speaker 4: We love it's really doing well.
Speaker 5: And the fact that you to get to still like
Speaker 5: you're in separate countries, but you're getting to see each
Speaker 5: other and interact each other. I'm sure that's a beautiful
Speaker 5: way to keep in contact as well.
Speaker 1: It's very cool. Yeah, we did the first few at home,
Speaker 1: which is we both love working at home. I do
Speaker 1: as much as I possibly can.
Speaker 2: There despite appearances, we're both actually introvert, so we love
Speaker 2: to be.
Speaker 1: Like, oh what if we did this at home? Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know, staying at home is a pretty good option.
Speaker 1: Mixing it out there in the mean streets wherever you
Speaker 1: are yeah.
Speaker 3: I love this idea of I hate to say it
Speaker 3: because the word's been used for me and my brothers.
Speaker 3: It's like a reverse nepotism happening with you guys, but
Speaker 3: the Christians actually come up with an idea on how
Speaker 3: to involve his.
Speaker 1: Dad in a job situation.
Speaker 3: But I do understand that you guys or Christian you
Speaker 3: particularly have a thought about that word nepotism.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's I find it a kind of
Speaker 2: funny word. I find it this people label it like
Speaker 2: it's this big slight. Personally, I'm like, if I'm a
Speaker 2: nepo baby, which I a Napo baby, it's you know,
Speaker 2: it's and I fully acknowledge that, you know, dud was
Speaker 2: in the industry and definitely helped me get my start
Speaker 2: and get sort of awareness, and people were interested in
Speaker 2: me because I was going to stuff with ad. But
Speaker 2: I'd also like to say that I would like a
Speaker 2: bit of a napper baby refund because they also want
Speaker 2: to be like a Burbery model or like a Kardashian.
Speaker 1: Ideally, please, I'm a neo data now.
Speaker 3: I'm a daddo.
Speaker 5: But you would have liked Kate Master have been your mom,
Speaker 5: and ye.
Speaker 2: Can Kardashian be my sister, you know, like or like
Speaker 2: Dennis Quaid's incredible son who's in the Boys, you know,
Speaker 2: like one of those things would have been ripped off. Sweet,
Speaker 2: but I'm doing pretty okay.
Speaker 5: They never use that term though. If your dad's a
Speaker 5: plumber and your son becomes a plumber, they never go,
Speaker 5: oh you nepo baby, look at you getting into the
Speaker 5: same industry. Like it never sort of crosses into that
Speaker 5: sort of world.
Speaker 1: But why wouldn't you want to help your kids?
Speaker 3: Exactly?
Speaker 1: Absolutely your siblings, you know, it's like anybody's like, you
Speaker 1: want to you want to do that?
Speaker 3: Let me see what I can do?
Speaker 2: Of course, of course, And I think, you know, if that,
Speaker 2: if that's the worse that they can really say, than whatever.
Speaker 2: It's I'm proud to be Dad's son, and at the
Speaker 2: end of the day, I'd like to think at least
Speaker 2: that I'm sort of proving what I can do myself
Speaker 2: as well.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you can help someone or teach them how
Speaker 1: to knock on a door, but.
Speaker 3: He's got to walk through it and.
Speaker 1: Be charming on the other side of it, you know.
Speaker 1: And I've got jazz hands.
Speaker 5: How do you find trolling and you know, what is
Speaker 5: the best way that you found that you deal with them.
Speaker 2: I like to go back with indifference or agreeing. Like
Speaker 2: one time someone told me that I should audition for
Speaker 2: the Muppets because I had a big nose. And then
Speaker 2: I tagged my manager and I was like, I'm going
Speaker 2: to fire you. This man's out here trying to get
Speaker 2: me jobs. What are you doing?
Speaker 1: Like, like where else do they go with that? Then?
Speaker 2: Like, if you start agreeing to be honest, it's I
Speaker 2: feel like, at least at this stage in my life,
Speaker 2: I have a pretty good sense of self and I
Speaker 2: like me, and I feel like you can't really water a.
Speaker 1: Seed that isn't there. Yeah, so yeah, whatever, And don't
Speaker 1: read the comments ever, you know, I mean people go
Speaker 1: down rabbit holes, said, but people go down rabbit holes
Speaker 1: and get you know, we all know people who How
Speaker 1: do you guys deal with the comments?
Speaker 5: My favorite thing is block and delete, Like they're my
Speaker 5: two favorite things. Is just I've clapped back a couple
Speaker 5: of times and it's never gone well, so it's just
Speaker 5: it's just delete, block, delete block.
Speaker 4: They're my favorites.
Speaker 1: I reckon James Blunt sets a good example. I was
Speaker 1: going to mention him. You know, James Blunt has no
Speaker 1: talent and no good songs, and he'll come back and
Speaker 1: say and no mortgage. Like indifference is fantastic humor.
Speaker 4: I love that.
Speaker 5: I know I don't sometimes I just don't have the
Speaker 5: wherewithal to do that. I've clapped back on some of
Speaker 5: the trolling that can scott those boxes.
Speaker 4: That's actually upset me more.
Speaker 1: When they when they attack your family, it does help
Speaker 1: much more.
Speaker 4: Yeah, right, and then it's harder to be indifferent than
Speaker 4: and I.
Speaker 3: Just like, I can't imagine anybody trashing Richard Wilkins.
Speaker 1: Just people that are jealous of his hair.
Speaker 3: What ahead of hair?
Speaker 1: You've both come on readable those things of me being
Speaker 1: arrested in parks and things all around the world, which
Speaker 1: his career is over since he did this, and then
Speaker 1: he came up with the best thing could he's he
Speaker 1: put one up somewhere and said, you know, this is
Speaker 1: a fake Richard R. W would never be seen in
Speaker 1: baggy jeans like that, which.
Speaker 2: Of those listening at home, Richard exclusively wears tape that leggings.
Speaker 1: Well, you know when you've got legs like this, children.
Speaker 5: That Yeah, and Christian you have been so beautiful and
Speaker 5: vulnerable and open about being bullied in your earlier years.
Speaker 5: And I know again you know, talking about when someone
Speaker 5: that you love is being attacked in some way. I
Speaker 5: guess the question for you is, actually, Richard, how was that?
Speaker 5: Did you know that that was happening? And how did
Speaker 5: you feel?
Speaker 1: No, I wasn't so aware of him being bullied at school,
Speaker 1: like physically bullied. I remember coming home from work one
Speaker 1: day when he was there and telling him about an
Speaker 1: article in the paper about him being the spoilt little
Speaker 1: whatever who had gone along to a function that I
Speaker 1: was hosting, the Mother of All Boars, with Brian Brown
Speaker 1: and Rachel Watt and their kids, and one of the
Speaker 1: gospel columnists wrote this hideous article and it broke my heart. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and I didn't want him to hear about it from
Speaker 1: anybody else. So, sitting on the end of his bed,
Speaker 1: I was disgusted by that, because that really is bullying public.
Speaker 4: And picking on children.
Speaker 3: So how did how did you? How did you do that?
Speaker 3: What did you say to Christian in that moment? I
Speaker 3: started from telling him about it.
Speaker 1: I'm doing I'm sorry, there's a horrible piece in the
Speaker 1: paper today, but I want to tell you about it.
Speaker 1: Do you want me to read it to you or
Speaker 1: I just want to ignore it? He's I can't even
Speaker 1: remember where we went from them. But you know, I
Speaker 1: don't think you read it to me. I don't know
Speaker 1: if I needed to be read it. Well, whatever, I
Speaker 1: think I read it, I wanted you to be aware. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so that's pretty awful. You hate seeing you know, people
Speaker 1: you love, you know, child or anybody being treated badly.
Speaker 1: It's just as simple as that. And for a person
Speaker 1: to attack a kid in such a public forum, I
Speaker 1: think I just hated that pretty much. But I wasn't
Speaker 1: aware of what was going on at school. I think
Speaker 1: he pretty much kept that to yourself, didn't you know?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I told mum because I guess teachers knew.
Speaker 2: I think it's just I think it's sometimes easy to
Speaker 2: actually forget how far we've come in quite a short
Speaker 2: period of time. You know, I'm only twenty nine, and
Speaker 2: sure we have lots of representation and diversity now, and
Speaker 2: it's you know, people are very encouraging and they're very
Speaker 2: aware of the language that they use. But still, when
Speaker 2: I was in you know, year three or four, I
Speaker 2: remember girls teasing me and telling me that I was gay,
Speaker 2: And you know, that's at an age that I knew that
Speaker 2: I was different, but I didn't necessarily know why I
Speaker 2: was different. And it's definitely far beyond any sort of
Speaker 2: sexual feelings develop and you know, it's still being pointed
Speaker 2: out that you are different because of this thing. It's
Speaker 2: it definitely that planted a seed for a while, you know,
Speaker 2: and it's kind of plants that seed of you're wrong
Speaker 2: for this reason and that's a bad thing. And I
Speaker 2: think that that kind of often develops in a lot
Speaker 2: of queer people to be a sort of self hating
Speaker 2: thing because that's what they're told as kids.
Speaker 3: And how do you think you've evolved that or how
Speaker 3: did you evolve that? Because clearly that's you don't seem
Speaker 3: to lack confidence or value in yourself.
Speaker 2: I definitely think a large part of it is my
Speaker 2: family and my parents. You know, they always very much
Speaker 2: encouraged me to be whoever I wanted to be. The
Speaker 2: conversation was always very open. I never needed to come out.
Speaker 2: I never needed there was never this straight until proven
Speaker 2: otherwise kind of mentality. And because they gave me space
Speaker 2: to sort of explore who I was, and small things
Speaker 2: like dyeing my hair and wearing different clothes and stuff
Speaker 2: like that without question or judgment kind of allowed me
Speaker 2: to resettle my feelings and kind of discover who I was.
Speaker 2: And I'm forever very grateful for that.
Speaker 1: We just let him be who he is and what
Speaker 1: a great result.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's right, that's right. We talk a lot about
Speaker 4: our son and very similar mind.
Speaker 5: He's a beefcake now, you know, in short shirts, loves gym,
Speaker 5: but when he was a little boy, like he just
Speaker 5: really loved to wear women, his sister's clothing, and was
Speaker 5: if it was Halloween, it was Lady Gaga, it was
Speaker 5: the Good Witch of the North, like he always chose.
Speaker 1: The West. He did hang out all love him.
Speaker 4: He's awesome.
Speaker 5: But what I remember so vividly is, you know, someone
Speaker 5: asked him he had this big twirly skirt that he
Speaker 5: loved to wear, and someone said, why why are you
Speaker 5: wearing that? Reven He goes, because it just feels so
Speaker 5: good on my legs, and I went, yeah, like that
Speaker 5: makes so much sense to me, like why can't he
Speaker 5: wear this?
Speaker 4: You know, not that he didn't.
Speaker 5: We never ever, ever said no to any of that,
Speaker 5: and you know, and my mum and dad God loved them.
Speaker 5: They just thought it was delightful. And you know, they
Speaker 5: take him shopping at the costume store and it was straight.
Speaker 4: To the princess, to the princess outfit.
Speaker 5: It fells outfit, yeah, just better like it was just yeah.
Speaker 4: And I think that's really huge to hear.
Speaker 1: That he was very fond of. Really are the best
Speaker 1: to dress up in and the scotsmen have been doing
Speaker 1: it for centuries.
Speaker 4: Yes, and they're as sexy as Helen. That is kill.
Speaker 1: You went on that family trip to.
Speaker 3: Dudes in their to me, it was more about the pipes.
Speaker 3: What's Richard? Give us an idea of some of the
Speaker 3: things that you've you've learned from Christian.
Speaker 1: Wow, I've learned a lot about myself from watching the
Speaker 1: way he operates. I mean, even with our podcast as
Speaker 1: recently as the last few weeks hearing him. He's just
Speaker 1: got such an open, inquiring mind which I just admire,
Speaker 1: and his sense of humor is second to none. I've
Speaker 1: learned how to be a good friend. He is the
Speaker 1: most wonderful friend to his friends, who are mainly mainly
Speaker 1: girls he went to school with who were such a
Speaker 1: great bunch. He got lucky there. He's a very very
Speaker 1: good friend. He's very generous, he's very carrying, he's a
Speaker 1: very good cook. I've learned the value of family, I
Speaker 1: think through my kids, you know, because when they're born,
Speaker 1: as you know, this whole set of emotions develops or
Speaker 1: pears that you didn't know you were capable of. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I agree with that, And suddenly you're not so selfish anymore,
Speaker 1: and there are other people to care for and look
Speaker 1: after and nurture and protect and advise and teach. So
Speaker 1: I think, you know, I've learned to be a better person.
Speaker 1: My parents were beautiful people. I never saw them have
Speaker 1: a fight. I never saw them have a cuddle either.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so it was very It.
Speaker 1: Was a very straight You talked about sending things in
Speaker 1: the mail. My dad used to send me when I
Speaker 1: was at boarding school. He used to send me letters
Speaker 1: with long division on them. There was no dear rich
Speaker 1: or anything. It was just long division to practice practice.
Speaker 3: I guess that's the way. He just making sure you
Speaker 3: knew how to add up all the numbers of all
Speaker 3: the money you're going to make it down the line.
Speaker 1: So it was kind of it wasn't tough love, but
Speaker 1: it was just sort of strict sort of love. But
Speaker 1: they were really good people. And I've often said I
Speaker 1: want to be more like my dad because he was
Speaker 1: just a just a good, decent person. So that's what
Speaker 1: I don't send me long division though, please, Yeah, I've
Speaker 1: already posted it there. I want to be a better
Speaker 1: make myself a better person all the time, to be
Speaker 1: when I fall off the perch. You know, I'd like
Speaker 1: people just to say he was a great guy.
Speaker 4: I'm sure they will. I'm sure they do it. I
Speaker 4: know they do already.
Speaker 1: I'm not sure you're talking to That's the same for everyone.
Speaker 5: For you, Christian, is there anything an equality in your
Speaker 5: dad that you hope to emulate?
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I think from both my parents, I've learned the value
Speaker 2: of authenticity and being genuine to who you are. I
Speaker 2: feel like both of them are very unapologetic in their existence,
Speaker 2: and I think that that's a wonderful way to be.
Speaker 2: And I think that they're both extremely loving and they're
Speaker 2: genuine with their love. You can I feel like you
Speaker 2: can feel their love and the people that they love
Speaker 2: around them, and I think that that's it's a beautiful
Speaker 2: space to grow up in and I feel very grateful
Speaker 2: for that.
Speaker 1: It's nice. Thank you though you're welcome.
Speaker 3: Is there a favorite way that you guys support each other.
Speaker 1: I think we just show up for each other. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's just unconditional you know, yeah, can we do this? Yeah,
Speaker 1: of course, let's go sort of thing. Yeah. Yeah, it's
Speaker 1: just unconditional love. There's no secret to that. I don't
Speaker 1: think we just we're just there for each other totally.
Speaker 1: And we almost have like a shorthand now where we
Speaker 1: can be at a situation and something can happen and
Speaker 1: we can look at each other and we both know
Speaker 1: exactly what they are the ones thinking. I know one
Speaker 1: of them is asking a question.
Speaker 2: I'm like, no, no, that's fine. Like it's there's so
Speaker 2: much unspoken that I kind of I love that almost telepathic.
Speaker 1: I know we'll go soon, I know.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you just feel the energy come up towards you.
Speaker 5: Is like, yeah, I have that with my eldest daughter.
Speaker 5: She's been away for over a year now. But it's
Speaker 5: I love that language where there's actually just an eye
Speaker 5: roll or like you just say say one word and they.
Speaker 4: Immediately get it. I love that. It's so good.
Speaker 3: Now it's not just with lotus because when I so,
Speaker 3: I've just come back from overseas and and last night
Speaker 3: we're sitting there and body and you shared an eye
Speaker 3: roll at each other, and I've caught it and gone,
Speaker 3: what's that? What are you doing?
Speaker 1: You?
Speaker 3: I know? I was like, what have I forgotten.
Speaker 1: About you?
Speaker 3: What have I missed? And for both just goes Dad.
Speaker 3: I'm like, am I supposed to know that you're on holidays? Still?
Speaker 5: Yes, we've told you a few times.
Speaker 1: Yes, just remember stuff.
Speaker 3: Then I have to write it down.
Speaker 1: Do you have to write it down? Yes? I have
Speaker 1: a diary.
Speaker 3: Remember I have an old school diary. I write it
Speaker 3: down in my diary.
Speaker 1: And if it's not in the diary, it doesn't happen.
Speaker 4: Oh my god, you guys are twins.
Speaker 5: Seriously, all I hear Itch is like, is cam go
Speaker 5: is it in my diary?
Speaker 4: I don't know.
Speaker 5: I didn't read my diary. Where's my diary? Like it's
Speaker 5: the running joke in the family. It's like, is it
Speaker 5: in the diary?
Speaker 4: Honey? Did you put it in the diary? It's not
Speaker 4: in the diary, so yeah, it doesn't exist.
Speaker 3: I do just exactly right, diary. I can't believe it
Speaker 3: missed it.
Speaker 1: I take my diary everywhere.
Speaker 2: One of my girlfriends is a dialist at Channel nine
Speaker 2: and she was trying to organize for dad to go
Speaker 2: out and buy some new suits and stuff. And she's like, okay,
Speaker 2: well you've organized the state. And I was like, did
Speaker 2: you see him write it down? And she's like, no,
Speaker 2: I didn't, And I was like, go back, get him
Speaker 2: to write it down. Otherwise it's not happening exactly.
Speaker 3: But the question is how many black suits can one
Speaker 3: man own?
Speaker 1: Well, that's a good point. We're going for a bit
Speaker 1: of a cover change nice and trying to expand the horizons.
Speaker 4: Right Ryan Gosling change, Well.
Speaker 1: Not quite as radical as Ryan, but you could rock
Speaker 1: a Ryan though. We're going for some grays and light
Speaker 1: blues and right dark blues.
Speaker 3: Color.
Speaker 1: Mate, you've got blue eyes, Well yeah, I quite like blue.
Speaker 1: But you know, in the television world, when so much
Speaker 1: of what you do is pre records and blah blah blah,
Speaker 1: I just wear the same thing for continuity. So you
Speaker 1: can throw it to an interview you did two weeks ago,
Speaker 1: and you're going to be wearing the same clubber smart.
Speaker 5: See, what are some dreams or aspirations that you have
Speaker 5: in the future, whether it's together or.
Speaker 4: On your own. I'm sure Christian, you've got some thing.
Speaker 4: Is that your way over there in La I do?
Speaker 2: I mean acting has always kind of been the goal,
Speaker 2: and that's that's why I'm here. But things that I've
Speaker 2: always wanted to do together. I've always wanted to host
Speaker 2: an award show, ideally the Arias together. I'd love to
Speaker 2: do that with data or even present something with data
Speaker 2: the Arias, And I've always wanted to when I ideally
Speaker 2: make it whatever that looks like, I've always wanted to
Speaker 2: do it, like proper sit down interview with data. I
Speaker 2: just think that would be so much fun. Well with
Speaker 2: me interviewing you or you interviewing me.
Speaker 1: Oh you're interviewing me? Now you like me to interview? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Would you really?
Speaker 2: I mean not now, I haven't got much to say.
Speaker 4: I love that.
Speaker 5: Yeah, that would be awesome, wouldn't it. There's Christian, how
Speaker 5: was it you know when you one year Emmy or
Speaker 5: what was.
Speaker 1: It like getting up there and accepting your second Oscar?
Speaker 3: Yes?
Speaker 1: Was it as satisfying as the first one? Stuff like
Speaker 1: that exactly?
Speaker 4: How about for you?
Speaker 5: I mean you've you've hit so many goals, it seems
Speaker 5: is there more that you want?
Speaker 1: Oh look, part of me would have loved to go
Speaker 1: to the States seriously and give it a crack as well,
Speaker 1: you know, But I became a parent at a fairly
Speaker 1: early age, and coming to Australia was a big deal
Speaker 1: at the time. I came here in nineteen eighty with
Speaker 1: my little band. You know, part of me wishes I'd
Speaker 1: kept going to la or London or something, but I
Speaker 1: fell in love with this country and I can't imagine
Speaker 1: living anywhere else now. But you know, I would have
Speaker 1: loved have had a sliding doors opportunity to go over
Speaker 1: there and see what would happen in the world. In fact,
Speaker 1: you know, when your brother started working at MTV, I
Speaker 1: was hosting MTV here and I went over and did
Speaker 1: some stuff in New York and they offered me a
Speaker 1: job over there. At the time I was in nineteen
Speaker 1: eighty seven, I said, I've only just started back in Australia,
Speaker 1: you know, and I can't come and live here anyway.
Speaker 1: But I worked for I think two months or a
Speaker 1: month or six weeks or something. Over the Christmas break
Speaker 1: when all their regular vjays were off, and I love that,
Speaker 1: and I think they liked having an Aussie there and
Speaker 1: I think that's maybe part of the reason that your
Speaker 1: brother got to start over there and did really well. Yeah. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: so I would have quite liked to have done that.
Speaker 1: Someone said to me the other day, what's your big regret,
Speaker 1: And I said, well, I stopped writing songs, And then
Speaker 1: they said, well, that's just a stupid thing to say,
Speaker 1: because you can start again, you know, because I stopped.
Speaker 1: Some of them are getting quite good. But also in
Speaker 1: recent times, I'm really looking forward to taking some more
Speaker 1: time out for me and the family because I've always
Speaker 1: worked so bloody hard. Yeah, never took holidays because you're
Speaker 1: sort of protecting your patch of ground there. You don't
Speaker 1: want a dato filling in for you because it might
Speaker 1: be too bloody good.
Speaker 3: So I've realized in the last seven years, so I.
Speaker 1: Want to spend more time, you know, and take some
Speaker 1: more family holidays stuff like that. That's definitely on the
Speaker 1: two do list.
Speaker 3: Love that well, I mean, you've done an amazing job
Speaker 3: throughout the years and so consistent, you know, and.
Speaker 1: Might look that way, it doesn't necessarily feel like that
Speaker 1: all the time.
Speaker 3: No, it doesn't.
Speaker 1: It doesn't.
Speaker 3: It doesn't feel like that, and I understand that though
Speaker 3: the truth of it is, and the reality is is
Speaker 3: that you've been part of the Australian landscape for forty years.
Speaker 1: I know I've worked hard. I do know that consistently. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know, work hard at doing a good job and
Speaker 1: enjoying it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's excellent. All right, guys. We do a thing
Speaker 3: called a two minute shower. You ever had a two
Speaker 3: minute shower? Christian? No, who spends more time looking after
Speaker 3: their hair?
Speaker 1: Him? Oh? Actually? Him? Oh come on, I washed my
Speaker 1: hair last Wednesday. It stinks yuck. I watched it every
Speaker 1: second day. Seat eager.
Speaker 3: Okay, well, well, we do a two minute shower. So
Speaker 3: it just basically means keep your answer short, if possible,
Speaker 3: far away honey.
Speaker 5: Okay, what's something that you love about yourself that you
Speaker 5: wished more people noticed.
Speaker 4: Or saw in you?
Speaker 1: Long pause?
Speaker 2: You finally came up with a question that shut us up.
Speaker 2: I feel like I'm smarter than people give me credit for.
Speaker 2: Ah yeah, even yeah. I even said that to Dad
Speaker 2: when we're on holidays. I was like, enough with the
Speaker 2: Christian stupid jokes, now, thank you.
Speaker 1: I don't think you're stupid, silly thing. I think I
Speaker 1: wish people knew how much I care about them sometimes.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you have a very very very kind heart, and
Speaker 5: I don't know if people know.
Speaker 1: That, if they only heart. Thank you, Thank you for that. Ali.
Speaker 3: By the way, if they made a movie of your relationship,
Speaker 3: what genre would it be and who would play you?
Speaker 1: Romance?
Speaker 2: And I want Laura down interesting choice. She's tall, she's lanky,
Speaker 2: she's got weird movements, she is funny.
Speaker 3: I did do a film with her, and she's funny,
Speaker 3: funny lady. And she's right, she is very tall.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've always thought I'd like Whoopy Goldberg to play
Speaker 1: me in a movie.
Speaker 4: Okay, not my first choice, but.
Speaker 3: Hey, what's the genre?
Speaker 1: The genre would be a love story.
Speaker 3: A love story between Laura Dern and Whoopy Goldberg class.
Speaker 1: I said in a Formula one motor racing circuit, it's
Speaker 1: got oscar written all over.
Speaker 3: It does directed by Rennie Harlan.
Speaker 4: I said something directed by him the other day, and
Speaker 4: I was like, I know that. Note it was a really.
Speaker 3: Bad film too, the Pirate movie.
Speaker 4: No, he's done something recently, I sho Cliffhanger.
Speaker 1: Was that him?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 4: I get better ones, wasn't it?
Speaker 1: Yes?
Speaker 4: All right, sorry, the shower is still running. Okay, last question.
Speaker 4: Can you describe each other in one word?
Speaker 1: Magnificent? Oh cute.
Speaker 2: I'd say lover, but not in like a weird sexual
Speaker 2: way and like a kind of like he spoke to
Speaker 2: He's a big lover of people and has a big heart.
Speaker 1: That's more than one will. That's okay, that's in the
Speaker 1: world with an explanation.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Christian and Richard Wilkins. You are our first
Speaker 3: father and son on this relationship.
Speaker 4: Podcast, our favorite father and.
Speaker 3: Our favorite fund. Thank you so much for being here
Speaker 3: with us.
Speaker 1: What a great chat. It's well, we've loved you so much.
Speaker 1: I've loved it. If you loved it, Christian, I have,
Speaker 1: I have. I can't see anyone. I wish that I could,
Speaker 1: but and listener.
Speaker 3: That's because Christian is in a studio in Los Angeles
Speaker 3: living his best life and his dream and mate, go, well, yeah, thank.
Speaker 1: You so much. I appreciate it.
Speaker 5: What's just just quickly, what would be your absolute dream role?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 2: I love I would love to do something with Ryan Murphy.
Speaker 2: I just think that his representation of diverse voices is
Speaker 2: so spectacular. And it inspired me when I was younger
Speaker 2: and continues to do so, and the opportunity to work
Speaker 2: with him would be a real dream come true.
Speaker 4: Okay, it's out, it's out in the universe.
Speaker 1: Maybe that's manifest that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Now go splash some water in Santa Monica Bay
Speaker 3: over yourself down at.
Speaker 1: Ocean, Hannah, I'm making a splash. You go and wash
Speaker 1: your hair.
Speaker 2: Thanks, thank you, love you guys, Thanks so much.
Speaker 3: Did that surprise you in any way, shape or form.
Speaker 5: I mean, I knew that they were fabulous, both of them.
Speaker 4: There's just a.
Speaker 5: Warmth there that really comes across in person, like I said,
Speaker 5: you know, with Richard. But what didn't surprise me is
Speaker 5: the love between the two of them that comes across
Speaker 5: all the time to me, the way Richard always talks
Speaker 5: about Christian and vice versa in the public arenas, always
Speaker 5: with so much love and respect. So that didn't surprise me.
Speaker 5: I love that about those two.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it didn't surprise me because I know them and
Speaker 3: I've seen them together in Richard's house. I see how
Speaker 3: they are, how they relate to each other, and how
Speaker 3: supportive they are of each other. And as we sort
Speaker 3: of talked about or we did talk about people don't
Speaker 3: know he's firing questions. Mostly when we see him on
Speaker 3: TV is just how lovely and warm he is.
Speaker 4: That really comes across.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I love sitting with him at events, and that's when
Speaker 3: we first started working together at Smooth. I didn't really
Speaker 3: know Richard, but over ten years or more now working
Speaker 3: together at Smooth and spending time with him, I always
Speaker 3: look forward to seeing him and hanging out with him.
Speaker 5: You know what did surprise me is when Christian said
Speaker 5: that we're both introverts, and that always it's always amazing.
Speaker 5: We're people in the public eye and often people who
Speaker 5: are you know, Christian's very exuberant, and you know, to
Speaker 5: say that he's an introvert, it's like Grant Danya. I
Speaker 5: remember when we had him and Chezi on that He's like,
Speaker 5: I am actually an introvert and like to be home
Speaker 5: and be quiet, and you're like, wait, what you know?
Speaker 5: And it's interesting when people have that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess they're in public. They expand so much
Speaker 3: energy and then that's got to be that yang to
Speaker 3: that yin and its need to recharge and I know
Speaker 3: that or Richard's home is like a I was going
Speaker 3: to say, Fortnits is not a fortress, but it's like
Speaker 3: a retreat and it's a beautiful retreat he has there
Speaker 3: and he's really generous with that too, with his pals. Yeah,
Speaker 3: so that's great. Father and sons love it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a great relationship to explore it is.
Speaker 3: We'll have something new and exciting for you on the
Speaker 3: next episode of Separate father Rooms.
Speaker 4: Thanks for listening.