From WWI to the Swinging Sixties and The Gilded Age, Thomas Cocquerel has travelled through history. Now he’s in Y2K working with a girl group in Paper Dolls.
Tell us about your character Teddy, in Paper Dolls.
Thomas Cocquerel: He’s been overseas and arrived home to fight for his place. Certain things have happened behind the scenes and he’s trying to prove himself while vying for a position to manage the girl group Harlow. The character has his vices but what I enjoy is the balance between being caught up in the industry machine while trying to get the job done. He has a moral compass within a crazy industry wanting to churn and burn talent. The story’s fictitious but based on pop bands of the time. It was a tough industry in the Nineties!
What’s your memory of the Y2K era?
I remember Britney Spears’s massive first single (…Baby One More Time). I lived in Houston Texas with my three younger sisters, and we were massive fans of The Backstreet Boys, The Spice Girls and such. They were special years. I did miss out on a lot of the Australian stuff though. I didn’t know anything about Bardot and missed a big chunk of Australian culture because I didn’t move here until I was twelve.
Thomas Cocquerel Photo: Julie Adams
Who’s your favourite music diva?
I’m a big Dua Lipa fan but I’ll stand by Adele, as I know I said her last time.
What about an irresistible burn-the-floor song?
I’m a die-hard Foals fan and anything by them will get me onto the dance floor. Mountain at My Gates is their big one for me. I’ve travelled the world to see this band and attended about nine concerts. They’re coming to Australia for Lost Paradise and I’m going just for them!
Have you been out clubbing with your gay mates?
I’ve got a lot of gay mates and I’ve been back to Arq nightclub on Oxford Street since it’s been redone. It’s always a good time there and I’ve also been to The Flinders in Darlinghurst, but Oxford Street has changed a lot. I finished off my birthday party this year with all my mates at Arq. That was a fun ride! I was disappointed there weren’t any drag queens dancing on the bar!
Thomas Cocquerel Photo: Tony Mott
Have you ever played a gay role?
I haven’t yet. I’ve tested for some roles but never got the opportunity. They’re yet to come! I had a fair crack at auditioning for Holding the Man. I really wanted that role. It’s such a beautiful film and I was blown away by what those boys did. Ryan Corr is a talented boy!
Who would you turn gay for?
Ryan Gosling. He’s a hot commodity. I like everything he’s done and I’ve just rewatched The Ides of March. The Place Beyond the Pines and Lars and the Real Girl are my favourites. I love how in The Nice Guys he channels both comedy and drama. Ryan’s got real acting chops and he’s someone I look up to in many ways. He’s got a magnetic presence!
“I finished off my birthday party this year with all my mates at Arq nightclub. That was a fun ride!”
Who’s your current inspiration in the industry?
Joel Edgerton not just for his acting but also for film producing. I met him years ago before he really cracked it when he was doing A Streetcar Named Desire at the Sydney Theatre Company. I admire his career in terms of how he’s navigated the industry in the United States. Another inspiration is Chris Hemsworth.
Thomas Cocquerel Photo: Tony Mott
What has been the biggest pinch-yourself moment so far in your career?
Working on The Gilded Age was very special. It’s set in the 1880s and is recreated on studio sets, but one day I was lucky enough to shoot at the Bethesda Fountain in the middle of Central Park New York. I remember doing a 360-degree turn and every person was in period costume. There were about one hundred extras, and it was absolutely stunning. I wished I had family and friends there to see it, but it was during Covid, so it was only the actors, extras and crew. It’s also quite special working with Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon. Christine Baranski is so funny!
Thomas Cocquerel Photo: Tony Mott
You’ve also starred in In Like Flynn, Celeste, ANZAC Girls and Love Child. Are period dramas something special for actors?
For me, it’s been the luck of the draw, but the cool part is the research you get to do and the history you learn – all the contextual stuff in terms of the time period and how they lived. Even the details of how they dressed themselves on a day-to-day basis were mindboggling. It would take an hour just to put a suit on. They put so much detail into how they looked after themselves, right down to what they ate for breakfast!
“I had a fair crack auditioning for Holding the Man. I really wanted that role.”
So, it was quite the gilded age?
(Laughing) Exactly!
Do you have a favourite quote?
I have a favourite poem that I recite to myself nearly every day. It’s titled If by Rudyard Kipling and I love and live by it. Every year, different parts of the poem speak to me more. There’s one I’ve read a lot recently because of the industry and the writer’s strike. Kipling says, “To meet with triumph and disaster, treat those two imposters just the same”. So, whatever the ups and downs are, always stay in a place of balance, and that’s something I find quite comforting.
Do you have a grooming tip?
I love a good comb. I surf a lot and one of the best parts is that when I take my wetsuit off, I have my comb ready in the side of the door! I love to have combed hair. I feel like a boy in the Fifties! Swimming in the ocean also gives your hair a nice natural texture.
Thomas Cocquerel Photo: Julie Adams
What has been your most memorable onset wardrobe malfunction?
Not so much a malfunction, but I did a horror film (Alive) in Calgary, Canada where I was strapped down to a gurney and cut open! (Laughing) I had my lips sewn shut in a sort of mould of my mouth. So, it was glued on, and I couldn’t speak for about six hours. Because I was strapped down, I couldn’t move my arms or legs and it was freezing cold. I was in bandages and blood while being tortured! I don’t know how I got through that day. There wasn’t much acting because not being able to communicate was actual torture! (Laughing). In hindsight, it’s quite funny. In terms of wardrobe, there wasn’t much going on. I was in undies and bloodied bandages. We shot all that in an abandoned hospital which was haunted! That was one for the books!
Are you a briefs man, a fitted boxers or a free baller?
Fitted boxers. I like the support. I can’t do loose boxers and I’m definitely not a commando guy.
Paper Dolls is on Network Ten and streaming on 10 Play
Follow Thomas on Instagram @thomascocquerel
