| 1 | 1 | | Even though he is already a national star in Australia, his quick success in Britain |
| 2 | | came to Jason Donovan as a real surprise. He not only became Britain's second best- |
| 3 | | selling singer last year, but also picked up a few titles on the way - Best New Talent, Best |
| 4 | | Male Singer, Best Actor, Best-Dressed Person - and all this by the age of 22. |
| 2 | 5 | | So what's it like, being this young superstar? 'H's crazy, because people treat you like |
| 6 | | someone extraordinary,' explains Jason. 'They're picking up your bags, making your tea. I |
| 7 | | have to fight against that all the time, saying, "I'm just me! I'm a normal person! Let me |
| 8 | | pick up my own bag, please, and carry my own suitcase".' |
| 3 | 9 | | The reason for this modest attitude lies, he thinks, in his background. Although the |
| 10 | | last few years have been very successful for him, Jason wasn't just spotted in a |
| 11 | | supermarket and turned into a star overnight. But it was especially insecurity at an early |
| 12 | | age that keeps his feet on the ground now. |
| 4 | 13 | | His parents divorced when Jason was five and he was brought up by his actor father, |
| 14 | | Terence. 'He was a single parent, trying to maintain a career and bring up a child, and |
| 15 | | there were periods when I felt unsure where my dad's work was coming from next. So it |
| 16 | | makes me realise that I'm now extremely lucky.' |
| 5 | 17 | | So, unlike some other pop stars, Jason has thought his career through very carefully. |
| 18 | | Realising that he and his young fans will in the end outgrow each other, and because he |
| 19 | | wants to develop as an actor, he has chosen roles to appeal to a new, older audience. |
| 6 | 20 | | Jason is modest about his acting, stressing that he still has a lot to learn, despite the |
| 21 | | fact that he took his first acting job at the age of 11 and grew up in an acting atmosphere. |
| 22 | | But he says his father didn't teach him much. 'Only every now and then, between the |
| 23 | | shower and the bedroom with a towel around his waist, when he'd read his lines,' says |
| 24 | | Jason. |
| 7 | 25 | | Jason's interest in acting does not mean that he has stopped singing, though. In |
| 26 | | September he will meet his fans in great numbers when he starts a British tour. 'I think I'll |
| 27 | | be pretty nervous,' he admits, 'because this is sort of a new experience for me.' The |
| 28 | | 'experience' will be thousands of hysterical fans, all screaming in appreciation. |
| 8 | 29 | | But, while he can do no wrong in their eyes, or ears, music critics haven't been that |
| 30 | | kind about Jason's singing or his choice of pop tunes. 'I honestly don't care what they think |
| 31 | | of me,' he says. 'If the public are enjoying what I'm doing, well, one person's opinion |
| 32 | | doesn't really matter. My main aim with the tour is to improve. I don't claim to have the |
| 33 | | most amazing voice, but I think I'm getting better.' |
| 9 | 34 | | While he decorates the walls of many fans' bedrooms, Jason has no special girl in his |
| 35 | | life. He says, however, that his single status isn't by choice. 'It's not that I don't want to go |
| 36 | | out with anybody. I just haven't met anyone recently. People expect me to be able to go |
| 37 | | out and choose the ideal woman, but it doesn't happen like that.' |
| 10 | 38 | | He admits his parents' divorce has influenced his views on marriage. 'It's made me |
| 39 | | very careful,' he says. 'So many people get divorced and I disagree with it. I think marriage |
| 40 | | is for life, particularly when there are kids.' |
| 11 | 41 | | Perhaps it 's his parents' divorce that's given Jason the goal he has now. 'My ambition |
| 42 | | is to find a relationship I'm happy in, find someone who 's right for me and spend time with |
| 43 | | that person. I know everyone says that,' he admits, 'but it's true!' |
| | | |
| | | from 'Womans Own', June 4, 1990 |
