Paul Hogan’s “homesick” plea falls on deaf ears
Aussie actor Paul Hogan appeared on Sunrise complaining that he’s “desperately homesick” in Los Angeles and eager to return to Australia - without much sympathy from Sunrise viewers.
The Crocodile Dundee star appeared emotional as he was being interviewed by hosts Natalie Barr and David Koch on Tuesday, May 11, speaking from his $4.5 million mansion in Venice Beach.
“I’m desperately homesick. You’re living in a country right now, alongside New Zealand, that’s the light of the world,” he told the program hosts.
“I’m living in LA county which has 10 million people, and about half of ‘em got COVID. So am I homesick? You bet your life.”
Kochie also noted that the 81-year-old, who regularly appears on Sunrise, was the “most down” they’d ever seen him. Hogan said he was trying to stay positive despite taking steroids for a kidney issue that resulted in his face bloating. He also said he barely left his house in California, as the pandemic has seen the area spike in homelessness and crime and the wider Los Angeles area being hit hard by COVID-19.
Kochie pointed out that many celebrities entering Australia had managed to skip hotel quarantine and isolate privately. But Hogan dismissed the idea, insisted he and his youngest son, Clance, would have to complete hotel quarantine together and would “strangle each other”.
Despite his visibly low spirits, many Sunrise viewers were unsympathetic to the star’s situation, questioning how “desperate” he really was if he refused to undergo hotel quarantine for two weeks.
“Quarantine like everyone else … or stay in America,” one viewer wrote.
“Desperately homesick … won’t quarantine for two weeks to get back. Must be reeeeal bad,” another tweeted.
Some viewers did show their support for the actor on the show’s Facebook page, with one user writing: “Lot of mean people here. He is an elderly 81-year-old fella obviously homesick. A bit of compassion wouldn’t hurt.”
This isn’t the first time Hogan has expressed his desire to come home either.
In an October 2020 interview with the Courier Mail, he said of his LA home, “I’m like a kangaroo in a Russian zoo - I don’t belong here.”
Image Credit: Channel 7