From Moulin Rouge and Sunset Boulevard to currently playing amongst Cats, Jarrod Draper is breaking new ground, including as a voice to his people. I spoke with this talented pussycat!
Were you an entertainer as a child?
Jarrod Draper: Yes, I used to dress up and do concerts for my family, but they didn’t think much of it (Laughs). I grew up in a big sporting family, and my dad (Brad Draper) played for the Roosters in the NRL. Growing up in a country town like Orange, NSW, you play every sport to keep occupied. But I fell into theatre when the Orange Theatre Company did a production of The Boy from Oz. I had friends whose family members were auditioning for the role of the young Peter Allen. I’m quite competitive, and I told my mum I wanted to audition. My parents weren’t too sure, but they said to go for it, and I got the part.
How did your parents react to that?
Mum was driving me to State Representative Basketball training one night, and she got a call that I’d gotten the role. She pulled the car over and asked them if they had the right child! I think they thought it was just a hobby thing, but when they saw me perform, Dad said, “What the fuck? Did you know he could do that?”
Jarrod Draper
What was it like growing up gay?
Being in a country town was quite difficult, so I was never going to be openly gay. I left Orange at fourteen and went to Barker College in Sydney. I had to leave because I was bullied so badly. It was one of those circumstances where people bully you for something you don’t yet understand yourself. It was all because I was a young boy interested in the Arts, but my parents, God bless them, looked after me.
“I’ve grown up very proud of being Aboriginal my entire life, and it’s never wavered.”
That bullying sounds quite intense.
It was so bad that I didn’t go to school for six months. Being a small town, Orange was heavily driven by the church. At school, everyone was inextricably linked in some way with the church. Parents were teachers and principals, and so on, which made it difficult for me to do what I wanted. But my parents made the executive decision to send me to school in Sydney. They made many sacrifices so I could thrive. Orange was never my place. My energy was bigger, and my parents knew that. They gave me a chance of survival.
Jarrod Draper as Munkustrap in Cats
Did you also get bullied for being Indigenous?
Not really because there’s quite a big Indigenous community out that way and Dad, being Aboriginal, is quite a prominent figure. He grew up in the country, and it’s instilled in me to be proud of my heritage. That’s always been a part of my identity. Finding my gay identity was the hard part. I went through a tough time in 2019 when I got very sick with an infection. It took over my entire nervous system, and my life kind of flashed before my eyes. To be dead honest, I thought I was going to pass away at some point, without doing all the things I would have loved to have done. When I got my life back, I looked at everything completely differently.
A brand-new chapter?
I began doing Moulin Rouge and got into my first relationship.
I told my parents about who I was dating, and they were cool with it. The same with my brother and sister. It was never a thing to them, and I never felt scared to believe in that part of myself, knowing that I had a strong family unit that was completely fine with everything, which is rare.
Tell us about your First Nation heritage.
I grew up in Wiradjuri country. My grandparents were from Caloundra and Cowra and are part of the Wiradjuri country too. Mum grew up there as well, but of Irish heritage. Wiradjuri is an important part of my foundation. I still go back to Orange and plant my feet and reset in that cultural and spiritual experience. I’ve grown up very proud of being Aboriginal my entire life, and it’s never wavered. It was instilled in us by my dad to never be ashamed of it. But of course, you run into trouble when trying to assimilate.
“Finding my gay identity was the hard part.”
Can you explain a bit more about that?
So that maybe people don’t see you as different. Being a mixed Aboriginal kid, where Dad’s black and Mum’s white, my colouring is sometimes different. In the winter, I can be fairer, and in summer, I’ll be dark. But having to explain that can sometimes be a challenge. It can be an identity crisis in thinking, “Do I fit here, or do I fit there?”. And to be honest, I never really felt that way until I got into this business, where I can be too black for some things and too white for others. Sometimes you don’t fit anywhere, especially in an industry where they try and put you in a box.
Jarrod and the Cats cast in rehearsals
That’s an interesting aspect that many would not think about.
Since coming into this business, my goal has been to try and kick down those doors, not only for myself but for people who come through afterwards. I want to use my platform for that kind of representation, in a good way and have the critical and fruitful conversations.
What does NAIDOC Week mean to you?
It’s a celebration of our culture. There’s so much political noise around being Aboriginal in this country, which can be very difficult, especially around January 26 (Australia Day) and what that date means with the Australian Indigenous Voice referendum. That was a tough period, but NAIDOC Week celebrates what it means to be Aboriginal It shows the innate storytelling ability that Aboriginal people and how lucky this country is to have one of the longest living cultures. For me, I feel the guard drops a little bit because you can feel safe to be who you are. That’s not to say I don’t do that daily, because I’m strong-minded about my identity, but when you come up against the other fifty-one weeks of the year, it can sometimes be difficult.
And NAIDOC Week was uniquely celebrated at Moulin Rouge!
Yeah, the producers, Global Creatures, were incredible. They allowed me to speak the entire week after each show, which was in the lead up to the Voice Referendum. We were in Brisbane, Queensland, at the time, where people predominantly weren’t as on board with the Voice referendum, so it was a tough crowd. I got heckled and screamed at quite a few times, but it was interesting to see the reactions of my cast members. I don’t think they’d ever been around something so openly racist. A lot of them cried. For me, it was a moment to show composure and be strong in my identity.
“I got heckled and screamed at quite a few times. It was interesting to see the reactions of my cast members.”
As an Indigenous person and actor, do you think the Australian entertainment industry is making a strong attempt to tell more Indigenous stories and include Indigenous actors?
There’s been a big shift in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go. I’m very much of the mindset, “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it”. What’s important is having a seat at the table, especially on Aboriginal Land. There’s a shift in the film and television world with the stories being told. If you go in with the mindset that there’s no end goal but that it’s always ongoing, that’s the best way to win.
Jarrod Draper
You’ve had roles in such shows as Moulin Rouge, RENT, Sunset Boulevard and currently Cats. Is there a future role you have your eyes set on?
I would love to be the first Aboriginal Simba in The Lion King. That show is such a cultural experience, and being in it is right on my radar. Usually, that role is played by a Māori man, but to switch the narrative to an Aboriginal man would be quite incredible. It’d be a win/win for everyone.
Your current feline role as Munkustrap in Cats is of another interpretation altogether!
It’s such a physical show, and I was very intrigued by the challenge. It takes a lot of work. It’s like the early stages of drama school, where you need to release your inhibitions, go balls-to-the-wall and become a cat. Cats is so interesting because it’s a fusion of being a human and a cat. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done and will ever do. I’ve had to learn about the sensory differences of a cat. Even the elongation of my neck as a cat has been a game changer. It’s a tricky thing, but once you immerse yourself, it suddenly clicks.
Did the clicking moment come when you coughed up a furball?
(Laughing) That’s the in-joke on stage, if one of us coughs. It’s cat euphemisms all the time.
You studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). What’s your advice to anyone wanting to enter the industry?
You must want it and know what you can bring to the table. Institutions like WAAPA are incredible stepping stones for getting into the industry, but you must know what your skill set is, work hard and above all, you’ve got to love it. There’s a difference between getting into the business and then doing the work. It’s all fun and games to start with, but you need to do it eight times a week. I was the first Aboriginal student in the musical theatre course and wanted to be that representation, but above all, I just had a love for musical theatre.
Who has been your greatest inspiration in the industry?
The first show I ever saw was Wicked at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, and Patrice Tipoki played Elphaba. She’s a beautiful Māori woman. It was so innate, even the quality of her voice seemed different. I remember as clear as day watching her sing Defying Gravity, and it changed my life. But the full-circle moment came when she played opposite me as Satine, when I made my debut playing Christian in Moulin Rouge – at the Capitol Theatre!
For more visit: catsthemusical.com.au
Follow Jarrod on Instagram @jarrod_draper
