By Josephine Agostino
This rock chick wants it all — and just might get it, now that she and her man have set up house in Hollywood.
It wasn’t that long ago that Natalie Bassingthwaighte was saying goodbye to her Neighbours on Ramsay Street. Now the 32-year-old singer of electro-pop band Rogue Traders is making the big move to the bright lights of Hollywood, to try her luck as an actress and solo artist. Boyfriend Cameron McGlinchey, Rogue Traders’ drummer, will be keeping her company.
On the eve of her first TV hosting role, for the Australian version of So You Think You Can Dance, Natalie invites Woman’s Day into her sleek LA pad.
You were based in Melbourne for a long time while you were on Neighbours and you’ll be based in Sydney for SYTYCD. Have you given up Melbourne now?
Well, the funny thing is, I’ve decided to keep my home in Melbourne because we just want a place where it feels more homely. I can literally leave Melbourne without any notice, because I’ve got everything here. I’ve got a whole new make-up kit, you know, blow-dryer, all that stuff, so that if I have to go at the last minute, I don’t need to pack anything. But I can go home and it’s the same as well. I think if I’d actually packed up my house, I’d be like, “Oh, my God, I’ve really done a big move!” But because my house is still there, I’m like, “Oh, yeah, I can go back any time.” Also, we’re really close to our family, so we didn’t just want to kind of pack up and leave.
Do you and Cameron find that you make sacrifices for each other?
Yeah, I think you do on a day-to-day basis, but I think that’s what makes a great relationship. You have to make sacrifices for each other. I just think that if something comes up we’ll sit there and talk about it and evaluate it, and then go, “Okay, what’s going to be the best for us?” We want to be together, so we’re going to work it out.
Does it make it easier because you’re both in the industry?
Yeah, we both know what it’s like and we both have dreams and goals that we want to achieve and we’re happy for each other. So it definitely works for us.
Where are your shopping hot spots?
Robertson Boulevard is a really great strip and also the Beverly Center. They’ve got, like, Roberto Cavalli, Dior, Diesel, all the lush brands and the casual brands, so it’s a pretty great place to get anything. I just bought two pairs of Christian Louboutin heels and Balenciaga boots. I have the biggest shoe fetish! Luckily, my wardrobe is enormous. You could put a queen-sized bed in there.
Do you hit the clubs in your brand new clothes?
I don’t usually go out much. I like going to really nice restaurants and we have a couple of our favourite bars.
Did any of the auditions for SYTYCD make you laugh?
We had a lot of people dress up as Michael Jackson! It’s incredible the passion they have for such a man — I mean, Michael Jackson’s an icon, but it’s way beyond what you thought was possible. Then there were people dressed up as fruit. I don’t think they did that intentionally, but I kept telling them they looked like that, and they kept saying, “No, we’re not tomato and grapes!” What I loved was those who came in and did cultural dances like Hawaiian dancing. There was a guy who was Aboriginal and he was doing this insane dance with white paint on his body. It was just beautiful!
Is Cameron a fan of the show too?
We both love the show. My girlfriends and my friends — guy friends — we all really like the show because it’s inspiring and fun. Cam came to some of the auditions and I think he was one person who initially said, “Are they going to be as good?” but I think he now agrees and is very excited about it.
Can you see yourself on stage with him when you’re old and grey?
Oh, my God, if I’m still on stage at 60, someone shoot me! Actually, no, that’s not true, you know what I’ll be like, I’ll be up there for sure, so why not!
Is your new book based on personal experience?
Yeah, it’s a journal, so I tell my stories, some of which are really embarrassing. It celebrates our differences, so it’s really cool.
You have an intimate scene with a female in a movie coming out this year called Prey. How was that?
I’m not really allowed to say anything, because I’ll get in trouble. I’m just going to leave it at that!
Are you looking forward to seeing yourself on the big screen?
I think it’s going to be really great. You never know what anything’s going to be like, but we’re really excited about it. We can’t wait to see it when it comes out. Hopefully, it’ll be in the next six months.
How do you feel about living in a place where everyone is a wannabe celebrity and is always on a diet?
The funny thing as well is that there’s this perception that it’s all fake and everyone is so skinny and everywhere you go you see that, but I don’t surround myself with that. If I did, then I would be very paranoid about how I looked and what I ate. I think you are what you surround yourself with, and I hang around with positive people who like food. I used to worry about that stuff a lot, but now I think that would make me unhappy, and I don’t ever want to be like that.
Would you like to buy one of those sprawling LA mansions like all the celebs there have?
We’ve been talking about purchasing something here. I would love to, but I don’t know. It depends what happens — whether I keep my place in Melbourne or keep both. I think it’s silly to waste money on rent, but I didn’t want to jump in the deep end as soon as I got here. I just wanted to be here for several months and then decide whether I’m going to stay here or not.
Read more of this interview in Woman’s Day (on-sale January 28, 2008)
So You Think You Can Dance screens Sundays and Mondays from February 3 at 7.30pm on Network Ten. Rogue Traders’ single ‘I Never Liked You’ is out now.
Listen to the latest Rogue Traders album here.
Watch the video interview with Natalie.
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