september-2011

STAR STRUCK
others. He was the mayor in Adelaide for
a while and was also a jazz singer and had
a furniture business. The most important
memory that I hold close is him singing. He
had a big band in Adelaide and he’d pull me
up on stage to sing with him… mainly songs
by Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel. He was very
well known around town. They called him
the ‘singing Mayor’. I feel very lucky to have
grown up in a big close family.”
Sheridan was accepted into the prestigious
Sydney acting school NIDA on fi rst audition
at 18 after spending two years in Melbourne
at the Victorian College of the Arts and
previously studying at the Unley Youth
Theatre (which he is now patron of) .
It was at NIDA that Sheridan met one of
his best friends and fellow Packed to the
Rafters cast mate Jessica Marais. “Jess and
I had become great friends at NIDA. Our
whole year auditioned for Packed to the
030
LEFT/RIGHT: A scene from
episode two of Packed
to the Rafters; Sheridan
with co-star Zoe Cramond
BOTTOM (L to R): The
show’s lads, actors
Angus McLaren, Ryan
Corr, Hugh Sheridan,
George Houvardas
and James Stewart
Rafters. We both got the roles and
had to leave NIDA to shoot the
pilot. It was a crazy journey and
I feel very blessed to have shared
that journey with her. By the time
we came to acting in Packed to the
Rafters Jess was like a sister to me
and our relationship on the show
was part of the success because
there already was a family-like
bond. It’s very hard to act that.
“After the very fi rst pay check I
got from Packed to the Rafters — I
was still at NIDA — I went to New
York for two weeks on my own
and crashed on my cousin’s couch.
And last year I took a play I did at
the Sydney Opera House to New
York. I performed it at the Snapple
Theatre right on Times Square. I
had a standing ovation; it was so
HUGH SHERIDAN’S
FAVOURITE PLACES
TO HOLIDAY
FIJI: I love Fiji. I think it’s
awesome and beautiful — a really
cool destination to get away to.
HAMILTON ISLAND: I went to Audi
Hamilton Race Week on Hamilton
Island last September. It’s such
an amazing place. We stayed at
the luxury hotel qualia. It was
so cool I couldn’t believe I was
actually in Australia.
HONG KONG: It’s wicked! It’s such
an amazing city with so much to
offer with the restaurants, the
races and the beer.
ADELAIDE: I grew up surfi ng
and boogie boarding at a South
Australian beach called Aldinga
Beach (45 minutes south of
Adelaide). Sometimes if I’m really
stressed, I close my eyes and
imagine myself there on a hot day
and everything’s okay again.
PHOTOS: SEVEN NETWORK FIJI PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES