Childhood photos are awkward at the best of times – all embarassing hair, toothy grins and forced smiles. So when we asked the Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation team to share some snaps from their past, we expected a polite but firm “absolutely not”.
Luckily, they agreed and we’ve unearthed a treasure trove of hilarious childhood shots of the team captains, as well as host Shaun Micallef.
Enjoy the blast from the past!
The cast of Talking Bout Your Generation head back to school…
ANDY LEE
Team captain, Gen Y
Long before he was one half of Australia’s favourite comedy duo, Andy (right) fancied himself as a rebellious teenager.
“As you can see, I was clearly the coolest guy at school,” the 37-year-old jokes. “I’d ride my motorbike in, wear a leather jacket and have a cigarette hanging from my mouth at all times.
“I was kind of like Danny from Grease.”
LAURENCE BOXHALL
Team captain, Gen Z
Laurence has been the breakout star of this Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation reboot. But his gift for performance isn’t exactly a fluke.
“I got involved in every school musical or play I could,” the 20-year-old (below) says.
“But it wasn’t until I played Monsieur Thenardier in our production of Les Miserables that I really convinced myself I could do this as a career.
“I was lucky enough to have some fantastic teachers, who encouraged me to pursue acting as a serious option – but also made sure I kept up my studies.”
ROBYN BUTLER
Team captain, Gen X
Talking is part of the job description for each team captain (it’s even in the title of the show!), so it seems Robyn was a good pick to lead Gen X – she’s a confessed chatterbox from way back!
“At school, I was nerdy, enthusiastic and smart,” Robyn (above) explains. “But I was always in trouble for talking.
“My friends and I were terrible gigglers; I drove my teachers nuts. I was also really annoying, because I tried to turn every class assignment into a play – even maths.”
SHAUN MICALLEF
Host
Sure, Shaun is the main man on TV now – but once upon a time he was just a nervous schoolkid in an awkward jumper.
“On my first day of school, I wore a hand-knitted school jumper courtesy of my grandmother,” Shaun (right) recalls.
And as a bespectacled teenager at high school in the 1970s, Shaun wasn’t exactly rad as hell, was he?
Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation airs Monday, 9:10pm on Nine Network.
