This is the second part of Star Weekly’s chat with Shaun Micallef about his new memoir ‘Tripping Over Myself’.
Renowned Australian comedian Shaun Micallef is known for his exaggerated characters, but in his new memoir, he has looked back at the narrative of his life and career, as he tells Matthew Sims.
Micallef also addresses the low points he experienced whilst filming the Channel 10 show Mr & Mrs Murder, which he balanced along with seasons of Mad as Hell and Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation.
The book details the madness which ensued with him rewriting the scripts and directing new scenes.
“I had no time really to devote what it deserved,” Micallef said.
“The whole book is full of stories of why things have fallen apart.”
Micallef said the things which fell apart were often as a result of not having love for the project.
“One hundred and ten per cent of your energy has to go into it,” he said.
“I do think you have to be in love with it and with the people you are working with.”
“I don’t see how else people can do it, I don’t think you can fake it.”
Coming off a 15-season run of Mad as Hell, Micallef said he was enjoying some time to settle back in to family life before setting a course towards a new project.
“I haven’t regretted it yet,” he said.
“I would like, with whatever time I’ve got left creatively, to be able to do things that involve a bit more time and crafting.”
Micallef said he hoped the ABC would give younger comedians screen time into the future.
“Part of the reason that I’ve decided to hang up my gloves for Mad As Hell is so that other younger comedians can have a chance to use the resources at the ABC,” he said.
“I am interested in seeing what someone else is going to be doing.
“I tend to just keep my head out of other people’s comedy, unless it’s very, very different comedy.”
During his time with the ABC, Micallef said he met and collaborated with a number of young and up-and-coming comedy acts, such as Aunty Donna and Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan.
Reflecting on his life as a whole, Micallef is humble about his accomplishments.
“Actually putting something down in writing makes you be a little bit more honest about it and it invites a certain amount of analysis,” he said.
“At the end of it, I thought to myself, well, I haven’t really done anything.
“I’ve learnt things about myself, but that’s such a solipsistic way of looking at life.”
However, Micallef said he is hopeful he still has time to work for the good of others.
“It’s not ever yet, I can actually turn myself around a little bit and be a little more thoughtful and helpful to other people.
“That’s a project that I’ve got, I think in my time left.”
Micallef said he is not alone in becoming absorbed in work.
“I think that’s a problem we all have,” he said.
“I think we’re all distracting ourselves … so we don’t think about death.”
“We allow ourselves to be get a bit too absorbed by the minutiae of our work or our day-to-day life.”
Micallef said he hopes he is a better person than he was 30 years ago and the ink has not yet dried on his tale.
“We’re all involved in the act of becoming, aren’t we?” he said.
“We’re all a work in progress.”
