Speaker 1: It's in the news today, but it was actually on
Speaker 1: TV Reload the podcast last week. They might welcome back
Speaker 1: guys to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris and on
Speaker 1: this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest
Speaker 1: players in television. Each episode you will get a front
Speaker 1: row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors
Speaker 1: and casting agents, plus the talent that we see on
Speaker 1: our screens. TV Reload reloads the shows that you are
Speaker 1: currently watching and gives you a better insight into our
Speaker 1: television industry and our streaming services. Today on the podcast,
Speaker 1: I have the latest unmasked celebrity from Channel tens, the
Speaker 1: mass singer Australia. And while we have wiggled with this
Speaker 1: guest for many years, you may not have picked her
Speaker 1: as the zombie.
Speaker 2: That's right.
Speaker 1: Today's guest is Emma Watkins. Emma was the first woman
Speaker 1: to ever be a part of the Wiggles and while
Speaker 1: we've been in her audience for so many years, I
Speaker 1: believe we really have only touched the tip of the
Speaker 1: iceberg when it comes to what I think Emma is
Speaker 1: capable of. Whilst being an actor, singer, dancer growing up,
Speaker 1: she had no idea that being a children's entertainer was
Speaker 1: going to be what would propel her to global status.
Speaker 1: Kids love her, parents love her, grandparents love her, and
Speaker 1: let's face it, who hasn't wanted to buy their own
Speaker 1: Emma doll. It is absolutely no secret why Australia loves her,
Speaker 1: and in this chat you'll get some great insights into
Speaker 1: the magic of her appeal. We will talk her likeness
Speaker 1: to Anne Hathaway, why people are obsessed with her, whether
Speaker 1: she studied zombies to take on this role, and if
Speaker 1: she knows who else is behind the rest of the masks. However,
Speaker 1: let's get started with Emma Watkins as I welcome her
Speaker 1: to TV Reload.
Speaker 3: I really tried to come in.
Speaker 1: Confident last time on Australia's Strangest Singing Show.
Speaker 3: Even I didn't know that I was going to be
Speaker 3: a wiggle. Oh celebrity hiding in finesight will sing for
Speaker 3: us right here on stage. I just happened to be
Speaker 3: the first female in the group.
Speaker 2: At the end of.
Speaker 3: The show, one of them will have to show us
Speaker 3: who is behind the mask. I never thought I would
Speaker 3: do a show like this, So Emma, you were hob
Speaker 3: I'm eyeing people's body language. I've got no idea.
Speaker 2: Hi, Emma, how are you good?
Speaker 3: How are you?
Speaker 1: I'm really well. Congratulations on the mask Singer Australia. You
Speaker 1: really look like you had a lot of fun with this.
Speaker 3: Oh I had a ball, and it's something that's so
Speaker 3: out of my comfort zone. But I grew up doing
Speaker 3: lots of different types of suit work. I feel very
Speaker 3: comfortable hidden in the suit, and for some reason I
Speaker 3: had forgotten that you have to sing outside the suit.
Speaker 3: So I think they've cut out in the edit the
Speaker 3: dread on my face. When they're like, here's microphone. I'm like,
Speaker 3: oh no, I just I don't know. It was in
Speaker 3: the moment I kind of was like, oh no, I
Speaker 3: have to actually sing.
Speaker 2: It's my favorite part. That's what I love.
Speaker 1: I love when they when the mask comes off and
Speaker 1: we get to see your face with the rest of
Speaker 1: a costume on. It's the terror, that's what we're here for.
Speaker 3: It is the terror. And it's not because I just
Speaker 3: wanted to do a good job and I don't normally
Speaker 3: sing like that or at all, So it was a
Speaker 3: thrill to be able to have the chance to do
Speaker 3: something like this.
Speaker 1: For sure, if you ask me, I think that you
Speaker 1: have been the most famous Wiggle that has ever existed.
Speaker 1: What is it about you though, that has made such
Speaker 1: an impact on audiences, children and adults alike? Like, what
Speaker 1: do you think it was about you that made such
Speaker 1: a big impact on us?
Speaker 3: I think probably has a lot to do with context too,
Speaker 3: because I just happened to be the first female in
Speaker 3: the group after such a long time, and at that
Speaker 3: time it was like that was considered taboo. It was
Speaker 3: it was almost a surprise to people that you know,
Speaker 3: that would even consider having a woman in the group.
Speaker 3: And it was always the Wiggles intention to have somebody
Speaker 3: that was female as part of the group a lot earlier,
Speaker 3: but it just they hadn't found the right person, or
Speaker 3: they were still trying to figure out who that was.
Speaker 3: Whatever it was at the time. But I think that
Speaker 3: was really the point of change, or it was a
Speaker 3: catalyst for this a new generation, whereas now people are
Speaker 3: more accepting and you know, ready to be flexible about
Speaker 3: who can be on screen and performing with children, whereas
Speaker 3: when it was I think it was just at the
Speaker 3: time it was such a shock.
Speaker 1: I remember walking through a shopping center and I saw
Speaker 1: like five dolls of you the Yellow Wiggle like it
Speaker 1: was so weird. It was everywhere, and I was like,
Speaker 1: oh my god, I'd never seen that happened before with
Speaker 1: any of the other Wiggles. Maybe less people wanting to
Speaker 1: carry around a man doll, and maybe it was more,
Speaker 1: you know, but it was just it's crazy.
Speaker 2: It was boys and girls.
Speaker 1: They were walking around carrying you, and you were so
Speaker 1: iconic with your red hair, and I just was like,
Speaker 1: that must have been so surreal to have a doll
Speaker 1: made of you and then have it be adopted like that.
Speaker 2: I don't know, it just seems strange to me.
Speaker 3: And a lot of children would bring them to the
Speaker 3: shows or to the meet and greets, completely disheveled, like
Speaker 3: the dog it had to made, put it in the
Speaker 3: washing machine. It had lost half of its hair. It
Speaker 3: was quite endearing that they like Mum and dad would
Speaker 3: say me like I just saw the leg back on,
Speaker 3: and they'd like soda together like pink stitching. And you
Speaker 3: know that there is a certain I like the use
Speaker 3: of the word adopt. It was definitely children adopting it
Speaker 3: as a friend or I don't know, but it was surreal.
Speaker 3: It doesn't feel like it was me. It definitely felt
Speaker 3: like it was a character or something else. For sure.
Speaker 1: I'm just picturing you saying, now look after me. Now,
Speaker 1: you know, like you don't treat me like this? You know.
Speaker 1: The Master Singer was an interesting choice for you because
Speaker 1: we really got to see different side to you without
Speaker 1: attaching you to that wiggle. We got to have a
Speaker 1: relationship with you before we saw that iconic image. Is
Speaker 1: that how you felt about saying yes to this?
Speaker 3: And I think just to try something completely different and
Speaker 3: to challenge myself, but also to see how people connect. Yeah,
Speaker 3: without a costume or without a certain type of character.
Speaker 3: It's really interesting because people have been so engaged in
Speaker 3: the show. People really do follow along and get involved
Speaker 3: and try and work out the clues, and they're really specific,
Speaker 3: and people will correct each other if they think that
Speaker 3: their gas is not correct, or they will try and
Speaker 3: correct the clues as well and like, oh, well I
Speaker 3: know this clue because of this. It's amazing what you
Speaker 3: find out about people that are watching the show because
Speaker 3: they know so much about your life and you just
Speaker 3: you don't get that kind of connection every day. It's lovely.
Speaker 3: I just never knew that people knew so much of thatly,
Speaker 3: my mother would say that I'm very boring, So I'm
Speaker 3: not sure why anyone knows any of it, Tiff.
Speaker 1: We're obsessed with you, Like I always thought that of you.
Speaker 1: Magazines you were so you were so often talked about
Speaker 1: and in the press as well. Like I think as
Speaker 1: much as kids loved you, I think you sold magazines
Speaker 1: because people wanted to hear more about your life. Like
Speaker 1: it's kind of surreal, it's kind of weird that you're
Speaker 1: a children's entertainer and then all these people know the
Speaker 1: intricate details, you know, while I'm wearing that at my
Speaker 1: wedding because that's what she wore, or you know, you know,
Speaker 1: I just.
Speaker 3: Children's entertainment is not really known for that kind of
Speaker 3: you know, that sector of investigation or curiosity, but parents
Speaker 3: and grandparents because they are watching it on repeat constantly,
Speaker 3: and I think now in a technological age, they have
Speaker 3: a means to be able to find out more about people.
Speaker 3: So people have become so invested in performers, and actually
Speaker 3: that connection is a good thing because it makes the
Speaker 3: relationship so much stronger, and people then excited about what's
Speaker 3: happening next, and really, you know, wanting to know the
Speaker 3: new projects, and you know about your life and how
Speaker 3: you got there. And I think in general people are
Speaker 3: very curious beings. They want to know more about a
Speaker 3: person so that they can be well informed about a
Speaker 3: personality and make that decision for themselves.
Speaker 1: Do you think that as amazing as the Wiggles were
Speaker 1: and ah, that it's hard to be seen as someone who.
Speaker 2: Can do more.
Speaker 3: It's interesting because even I didn't know that I was
Speaker 3: going to be a Wiggle as well, Like I didn't
Speaker 3: embark as the Wiggle being like a goal. I can
Speaker 3: understand from out there people have assumed that that was
Speaker 3: the goal or that yet that's my one stop shop,
Speaker 3: that's the lane, stay in the lane. But I did
Speaker 3: so many other things like everybody before I even had
Speaker 3: the opportunity to even audition. And when I auditioned, I
Speaker 3: auditioned for a very specific role as a ballet dancing fairy.
Speaker 3: I have fairy hair, I like ballet, and that was it.
Speaker 3: But I never knew that I was going to be
Speaker 3: at Wiggle. So now I feel like, all of a sudden,
Speaker 3: I'm able to share some of my other passions with
Speaker 3: people that I was doing and studying and working in
Speaker 3: before I even saw The Wiggles and just continued over time.
Speaker 3: So now feels like a really special chapter because it's
Speaker 3: all the things that I've loved to do across the time,
Speaker 3: and all the things that I've learned in the last
Speaker 3: twelve years with the Wiggles and applying my new knowledge
Speaker 3: to a new project.
Speaker 1: I like the idea of a Wiggle academy though, you know,
Speaker 1: someone who leaves high school and once that's their goal,
Speaker 1: you know, and there's a whole lot of them. They're
Speaker 1: all going through university to become the next Wiggle, but
Speaker 1: in a way.
Speaker 3: Like I spent my entire twenties there, so for me,
Speaker 3: it really was that. And the relationships and friendships that
Speaker 3: I formed were like being at UNI for twelve years
Speaker 3: with the same set of classmates, you know. It was
Speaker 3: such a significant chapter of my life that I will
Speaker 3: never forget. And so yeah, I feel like now I'm
Speaker 3: onto my next degree and literally too. But also, you know,
Speaker 3: like a new chapter, which is really exciting. And I
Speaker 3: never thought I would do a show like this, so
Speaker 3: I'm thrilled.
Speaker 1: There was huge success with The Hottest one hundred, you know,
Speaker 1: the likea version with Tame Impala with that song by
Speaker 1: tam Im Paler.
Speaker 2: I mean it was massive.
Speaker 1: I was sure that we would see an album of
Speaker 1: music similar like that. Seemed like there was so much
Speaker 1: money in that. Is there something on the cards? Can
Speaker 1: you help us out, because I can't just have that
Speaker 1: one song from you guys.
Speaker 2: A lot more looks good.
Speaker 3: It's a good concept. I would really need to practice
Speaker 3: because I had to practice a lot to play the
Speaker 3: drums in the song, and my husband taught me the
Speaker 3: drum pattern and I had it written out on a
Speaker 3: piece of paper so I could make sure that I
Speaker 3: was doing the right thing. And so in the video
Speaker 3: you can I didn't know. I don't know why I
Speaker 3: didn't think that there was an overhead camera, but as
Speaker 3: I'm playing, you can see all my notes on the
Speaker 3: on the on the top film like stay in Time,
Speaker 3: Stay in Time. So I would need a lot of practice,
Speaker 3: Ben and luck. With the mass singer, I had to
Speaker 3: practice three songs. I've never even really thought about singing before,
Speaker 3: so give me some time.
Speaker 1: Well, you talked about the fact that you were a dancer,
Speaker 1: not a singer, and that singing was really a challenge
Speaker 1: because of your your confidence. You felt like you know,
Speaker 1: you didn't have the confidence, but listening back or watching
Speaker 1: the show back for you, you could really you have
Speaker 1: something to be really proud of. You have an amazing voice.
Speaker 1: People thought you were Natalie Bassingthwaite, you know, who has
Speaker 1: one arias you know, and it's in a musical that's
Speaker 1: touring the world, well, touring Australia. You know, has this
Speaker 1: experience changed you? Could you maybe have a little bit
Speaker 1: more confidence and believe in that voice that you've got
Speaker 1: buried away there.
Speaker 3: I really tried to come in confident, and when I
Speaker 3: got given the songs, I was like, and I'm like, okay, okay,
Speaker 3: And then you'd sing along with the net like with
Speaker 3: the original track, and then as soon as they take
Speaker 3: the vocal away, you're like, oh, that's exposing and it's
Speaker 3: different because it's not a song. It's not a song
Speaker 3: that you wrote or you created, and it's not doesn't
Speaker 3: feel like it's part of you. But I loved being
Speaker 3: able to try and approach this in a more confident space.
Speaker 3: But honestly, when I took the head off, I was like,
Speaker 3: hah no, put the.
Speaker 2: Head back off, Hana.
Speaker 1: There was a point where you sort of pointed back
Speaker 1: at the head and referred to the head like as
Speaker 1: a person.
Speaker 3: This way, look this way, she's this one.
Speaker 1: You gave her a sense of like real person, you know,
Speaker 1: you were like, you know, she helped me. You know,
Speaker 1: I can't remember the exact words. And I thought that
Speaker 1: was great. But you know, the choice of zombie was
Speaker 1: super fun. But what sort of research did you do
Speaker 1: to make her come alive? Did you start watching like
Speaker 1: zombie movies or did the choreographers help you out with that?
Speaker 2: Like what what happened there?
Speaker 3: I so wish I'd done more research.
Speaker 1: Hey, this is what I'm saying. You were a great zombie.
Speaker 1: Like we don't have in zombies inside of us, or
Speaker 1: maybe we do it don't.
Speaker 3: That's the scary thing. I feel that I was attempting
Speaker 3: for a sweet zombie, so I wanted to make her sweet.
Speaker 3: And some of the conversations that have been happening with
Speaker 3: the costume designer and the producers was that this zombie
Speaker 3: is so sweet she doesn't even know she's a zombie.
Speaker 3: And I was like, oh, okay, I understand that. So
Speaker 3: there were elements of zombie esque ness movements of her,
Speaker 3: but I think most of it was just me having
Speaker 3: a bit of fun. The best part about it was
Speaker 3: the times Witch was in the rehearsal and we didn't
Speaker 3: have a lot. You know, I would have loved to
Speaker 3: just get in the suit more and try and figure
Speaker 3: out how she moved. But by the time I figured
Speaker 3: it out, I was gone. But you know, once you're
Speaker 3: in it, you can figure out how to move it.
Speaker 3: Like I can see in the first code, I couldn't.
Speaker 3: I was trying to figure out how to balance her
Speaker 3: head because as soon as you tip over, that's it.
Speaker 3: She's very top heavy, so you really have to brace
Speaker 3: your Irish dancing thought and make sure your cause together
Speaker 3: before you start to do this with her. She can't
Speaker 3: do that. I in the first song my now watching back,
Speaker 3: my sister makes fun of me because I tried to
Speaker 3: copy the choreography of the dancers. If I really wanted
Speaker 3: to beat the dancer, I try to do the choreography exact,
Speaker 3: and they did this. They do a head roll. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and in the in the vision, I got my I've
Speaker 3: got my hand and I do and it's not good.
Speaker 2: You have to watch it.
Speaker 3: I wanted to do this, Yeah, that's what they were doing.
Speaker 3: I couldn't do this. So in the all you say
Speaker 3: is this, ma, mam, mama. And so now my sister
Speaker 3: sends me videos of her going like this, my mama,
Speaker 3: I couldn't do anything.
Speaker 2: Do me try.
Speaker 1: It's so good to have family that will pull you
Speaker 1: out on this. You know, look for a podcast if
Speaker 1: people are listening to this right now. We got to
Speaker 1: see some really really funny dancing, but definitely go back
Speaker 1: rewatch that episode ten plus because it's amazing. I need
Speaker 1: to know, though. I feel like I know every single
Speaker 1: one the mask. I feel like I've guessed them. I
Speaker 1: did guess you, and so the only one I don't know,
Speaker 1: and I've got no idea, like no idea is Popcorn.
Speaker 1: And you got to be in Popcorn's company. Do you
Speaker 1: have any idea who Popcorn is? Please help me?
Speaker 3: No, And you know, I don't know who any of
Speaker 3: them are. And what's hard for me, which I'm going
Speaker 3: to ask you, is I was so close to the
Speaker 3: mirror ball that I got to touch her shoulder, but
Speaker 3: I didn't want to like hurt her, so I had
Speaker 3: to put my hand. Corey was put your hand on it,
Speaker 3: and I said, I said, I'm your backup I just
Speaker 3: want She's at the front of absolutely everybody and Blowfly,
Speaker 3: and I like, we're like, no offense to Blowfly, but
Speaker 3: he and I were the supports, let's be honest. And
Speaker 3: so she's at the front absolutely nailing this massive note
Speaker 3: and we just they're like, come to Mirrorble and connect.
Speaker 3: And I was like, I'm going to touch her shoulder.
Speaker 3: I just touched the shoulder. I don't know who it is, and.
Speaker 2: You've touched her.
Speaker 3: He's very kind, She's very she moves in a very
Speaker 3: kind way. I'm eyeing people's body language. I've got no idea.
Speaker 3: Who do you think is the Mirrorble?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 1: It is the pussycat doll. What's her name? Oh my god?
Speaker 3: I love that You're so established it is.
Speaker 1: It is No, No, No, I know. And last night
Speaker 1: I was sitting and I was angry at the TV.
Speaker 1: I'm like, that's Shannon No, the Blowflies Shannon. Who are
Speaker 1: these people that don't know what Shannon No? What's going on?
Speaker 1: And the weird thing was I saw an episode filmed
Speaker 1: live and the one that I saw, Blowflies sung it
Speaker 1: did not sound like Shannon No. I didn't pick it
Speaker 1: up at all. I was like, oh, it's Grant Dania.
Speaker 1: Oh it's this person. And then now I've watched it.
Speaker 1: Now I'm I'm watching it. I'm like every performance he's done.
Speaker 1: I haven't seen the episode I was there for yet.
Speaker 3: Oh it's a bit later, you know, because obviously you
Speaker 3: don't get to see people and you're not really in
Speaker 3: contact at all. But when you have these le ear
Speaker 3: pieces in and you're trying to sing, and because it
Speaker 3: was a group number, I was like, I don't want
Speaker 3: to see it because I want to try and figure
Speaker 3: out who at the time, because you only get about
Speaker 3: ten seconds of people's voices. You don't get a four thing.
Speaker 3: You don't even see how they're moving or anything, because
Speaker 3: it's just so hard to see and hear and everything.
Speaker 3: And I thought that blowfight was Troy Cassa Daily because
Speaker 3: the voice in my ear was so yeah, so Troy.
Speaker 3: Now I don't think that's the case. But I have
Speaker 3: no idea who the mirror Ball is.
Speaker 1: The mirror Ball is definitely the pussy Cat Job, but look,
Speaker 1: I don't want to look I now sound like a
Speaker 1: crazy person. One thing I've always wanted to ask you,
Speaker 1: and you know, being in an audience for so long,
Speaker 1: I think if Anne Hathaway ever says no to a role,
Speaker 1: that your agent should jump in and say you could
Speaker 1: be there. Could you ever see yourself in a movie
Speaker 1: with Meryl Streep? If Anne Hathaway says no to the
Speaker 1: Devil Wears Prada?
Speaker 3: If I could be the Zombie Bears prog suit with Meryl,
Speaker 3: I could cope. So yes, but in the suit Okaye,
Speaker 3: as a person like I just can't cope with that.
Speaker 1: It is in you. I can see it happening. I
Speaker 1: have to ask you this question, is everyone get so
Speaker 1: has to be short and sweet? What is something from
Speaker 1: behind the scenes, something that we didn't see that we
Speaker 1: won't see, kind of a deleted moment from your experience
Speaker 1: of being on the mask singer.
Speaker 3: At the end of the episode last night, I sang
Speaker 3: I don't belong here, which I actually thought was quite fitting,
Speaker 3: and then I did a little bit of an Irish dance,
Speaker 3: a bit of a shutcher. It was just cut off,
Speaker 3: and I was like, you know what, that's absolutely fine,
Speaker 3: but that was very mean. You kind of see a
Speaker 3: little bit, but you don't get to see them. And
Speaker 3: I was like, I don't belong here because I like this.
Speaker 3: I went there and maybe I think I think the
Speaker 3: producer was like, oh, what did she do.
Speaker 1: No, they knew the Irish gig, they knew the Irish
Speaker 1: jig could give it away.
Speaker 2: They thought it was a clue, you know. They thought
Speaker 2: it was bad.
Speaker 1: I have loved chatting with you and like the rest
Speaker 1: of Australia, I will always be in your audience. I
Speaker 1: will be there for you after your Wiggles experience as
Speaker 1: a zombie.
Speaker 2: Whatever you want to.
Speaker 3: Do, you please please wait for Zombie and maryn Street
Speaker 3: and I'll let you know how it goes.
Speaker 2: There's money in that there's money in that chore. Your
Speaker 2: agent