REVERED Australian actress Noeline Brown would rather be loved than famous.
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Those were some of the words of wisdom she imparted to a fortunate group of Year 10 Oxley High School drama students yesterday afternoon.
She’d just flown in to town to open last night’s 28th Annual Tamworth Antique and Collectables Fair and her first port of call was Oxley High.
When asked about all the famous people she’d met by one of the students, she dismissed fame for what it is – fleeting.
“I could never walk down the street in the 1960s and ’70s without being mobbed. Don’t laugh,” she said.
“Helicopters would fly over my house ... but not now. Fame is fickle. The best thing you do as an actor is aim to be respected, admired, liked and loved. I’d rather be loved than famous.”
After telling students how she entered the acting profession as a 19-year-old with the greatest of ease, she warned them that would never happen to another person in the room.
There were no colleges or acting schools around when she first took the Pocket Playhouse stage in Marrickville, playing the lead role in The Sleeping Prince. It garnered critical acclaim and her career took off.
“There weren’t as many actors then as there are now,” Miss Brown said.
“There’s a book called Showcast, which is the bible of Australian actors.
“This was one book when I first started. It’s now seven books, so you can just imagine how fewer opportunities there are available today.
“Of the many thousands who go through NIDA and other colleges, they won’t get the opportunities to work on radio, stage and television, because the jobs just aren’t there.
“I don’t want to discourage you from entering the profession. Acting is a wonderful life, but it’s also a life of disappointment and you need to be prepared for that.
“All the young people I know who are successful in any show business area go out and do stuff for themselves; they write their own material, make their own movies.
“It’s all very well going to college and learning how to do things their way, but you’ve still got to do stuff your way; you’ve got to have that special quality that’s different from anybody else.
“If you can’t dance or sing, learn how to do it.
“Jobs are out there in musical comedy.
“If anybody asks you to do a touring play, say yes; go out on that tour and you’ll find it a most wonderful experience.”
Miss Brown had some great advice for the group, all of whom were keen to become actors.
“Be healthy. Get enough sleep. Think of your body as your instrument and take care of it,” she said.