His near-two-decade career in entertainment has made him a household name in Australia, and yet Hamish Blake still laughs off his success.
“It’s funny, you’ve got to laugh. It’s surreal,” the LEGO Masters host tells TV WEEK of his second Gold Logie nomination in 10 years.
“I feel like I’m a bit of an imposter, because I don’t feel like I do that much on TV – I just rock up to a shed and yell out times while people build LEGO.
Hamish acknowledges that his career – and personal life – has charged on since last winning Gold in 2012.
(Image: TV WEEK)“I look at someone like Ray [Meagher], he’s been doing that show [Home And Away] for 37 years; Karl [Stefanovic, co-host of Today] is up every morning; Sonia [Kruger] is hosting 25 different shows; MasterChef is on for 900 episodes a year. I feel like I’ve kind of snuck in.”
Hamish, 40, acknowledges that his career – and personal life – has charged on since last winning Gold in 2012.
He’s married skincare entrepreneur Zoë Foster and had two children – Sonny, eight, and Rudy, four – starred in several successful TV projects with best pal Andy Lee and now fronts one of the most successful reality TV shows, LEGO Masters.
Yet he still remains humbled by it all.
“My life has changed, but whose life hasn’t changed dramatically in 10 years? Imagine if I was like, ‘I’m still the same, still living in a share house – nothing’s changed,'” he says with a laugh.
“But that’s the fun part of our industry. I love that you never know what’s going to happen down the track.”
And whether that track includes him reuniting with Andy for another Gap Year project, Hamish admits there are “no solid plans”.
“To be honest, Ando and I have never had so much fun doing the [LiSTNR’s Hamish & Andy] podcast,” he says.
“We’ve been doing it for five years and it just gets more fun. Radio was great, but in the world of podcasting we get to build something that’s our own, and we see more of each other now than we ever did.
“So, no grand plans, but that’s partly because we’ve never been in a better place. We’re in our dream position.”
“I love that you never know what’s going to happen down the track.”
(Image: TV WEEK)Talking of the staying power of LEGO Masters, Hamish says the show resonates with viewers because of its contestants.
“It’s so fun to see people be great at something and creatively problem-solve under pressure,” he enthuses. “And they always come through with the goods.
“I love the feeling of the show. My little man [Sonny] plays AFL. The competition isn’t nasty and ferocious, and nobody wants it to be.
“LEGO Masters does kind of feel like junior sports a bit.”
(Image: Nine)“LEGO Masters does kind of feel like junior sports a bit – where they’re going hard, but at the end of the day, LEGO is the real winner and everyone is able to celebrate everyone else.”
The star admits it’s something not dissimilar to his industry, and in particular his fellow nominees for a Gold Logie.
“Everyone is a fan of each other,” Hamish says. “It’s why I do this job. I just want to see everyone thrive.”
