WHEN he was starting out in entertainment, JR Reyne never sought to ride on the coat-tails of his famous musician father James.
But people inevitably made comparisons, with one reviewer of his debut record wondering if the youngster was deliberately imitating the Australian crawl front man’s singing style.
“A big reason for moving to America was to remove myself a bit from all of that,” JR admits.
“But there are a lot of Aussies in LA and New York, so I’d be playing a gig with my band in West Hollywood and someone would scream out: ‘Sing Reckless!’ I’ve never done that — cover his songs. I’m genuinely a huge fan of his work but we keep it separate.”
It no longer phases him, perhaps because The Secret Daughter star has more than proven himself. JR talks life, love, fatherhood and staying put.
Congratulations on your role. Tell us about your character.
It was the gig of a lifetime, an absolutely perfect role. I play Dan, the boyfriend of Billie (Jessica Mauboy). We’re in a pub band together in a country town. It was lots of fun to play and the chemistry between the cast was instant.
It’s been 12 years since you starred in Neighbours. What inspired your return to the screen?
At the same time I was acting back then, my band took off and I wanted to tour and play records. I focused on music for most of my 20s. It was always a conflict though, deciding which to pursue — acting or music. Opportunities would arise but I was overseas, on tour or recording and writing, so I’d have to say no. I loved my lifestyle but I’d miss out on these acting gigs.
Was it a tough decision to return to Australia?
After a while of flying back and forth between LA and Sydney or Melbourne, I wanted a firm base — that’s why I moved back. It’s allowed me to focus on both acting and music for the first time in a long time.
When did you realise you were musical?
I’ve been obsessed with music for as long as I can remember. Obviously dad is a muso, but my mum is a big lover of music too. Her brother and sister were in bands too and they introduced me to Triple J when I was six. My father gave me a mandolin when I was born — this beautiful, sentimental gift. I started picking at it as a toddler — I did a bit of damage to it actually. When my son Roosevelt was born (earlier this year), I gave him a mini guitar. He was instantly drawn to it. He grabbed it straight away. I guess it’s in the blood.
How’s fatherhood treating you?
It’s heaven. I’m not just saying this and I don’t want to be one of those parents, but he’s just gorgeous. He’s so great and very chilled. Roosevelt means ‘rose field’ in Dutch — (my fiancee) Louise is Dutch and we thought the name was a bit different but not crazy.
Your partner Louise Van Der Vorst is a busy model. How do you two juggle work priorities and parenthood?
We’re a modern family. We both have jobs that require travel and definitely aren’t nine-to-five but so far it’s working out really well. Maybe we need to get a big family tour van and just drive around the country.
How did you meet?
It was about five years ago and I was in the audience of a fashion show with my best bud, and out walked Louise. My heart stopped. The first time I ever saw her, I knew there was something special. But we were both seeing other people. Like clockwork, we’d run into each other every year … the last time we were both single, and the rest is history.
What’s next for you?
I’m putting out a record over summer. Jess has mentioned that she’d love to do a tour of the music in the show, and I’d love that to happen. And of course, I’m really proud of The Secret Daughter and would like to see the story go on next year.
THE SECRET DAUGHTER, CHANNEL SEVEN, MONDAY, 8.40PM
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