Paul Hogan still gets recognized for his role as Michael Dundee in the independent classic, Crocodile Dundee. At 82 years old, he no longer possesses Michael’s athleticism but is still cashing in on the iconic character. In 2020, Hogan starred in The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee as Paul.
The film, a critical flop, showed Hogan’s connection to a character he created 35 years ago. Hogan is primarily a secretive character with few acting credits to his name since the turn of the century. His public appearances have dwindled since the start of the pandemic as he prefers to stay in his Venice mansion.
Hogan hopes to return to Australia after the pandemic subsides
Paul Hogan has had enough of life in Los Angeles. Hogan moved from Sydney’s western suburbs to reside in the United States permanently in 2005.
At the time, Venice was a star tourist attraction, with its famous Venice boardwalk attracting wealthy homeowners. Now, however, Venice faces a homelessness problem that has encouraged a rise in temporary shelters in the city’s streets.
It has also spurred an increase in crime, making it difficult for homeowners to enjoy living in the area. Long-term residents are afraid to leave their houses after for fear of experiencing violent attacks.
Paul deals with the rise in crime by refusing to leave his house. In May 2021, he placed a sign outside his mansion, emphasizing that he owned the property. ‘THIS IS MY HOUSE NOT YOURS,’ the sign read.
Hogan remains in Los Angeles as he waits for the pandemic to end. However, he told Today that he would be in Australia for Christmas. “I’m surviving. I’m homesick, but I’ll be back for Christmas… Looking forward to the end of this stupid disease,” Paul said.
In a May interview with Sunrise, Hogan bashed the coronavirus situation in America, including some people’s resistance to getting vaccinated. Paul stated he would leave one Australia lifted its two-week mandatory quarantine period. He said:
“You’re living in the country, alongside New Zealand, that’s the light of the world. And I’m living in LA County, which is 10 million people and half of them have got Covid. So am I homesick? You bet your life. [I’m] bored in lockdown, and the minute I can get on the plane without being locked in a hotel for two weeks, I’m back.”
However, Paul’s departure hinges on his son’s acceptance to join him in Australia. If Paul’s son, Chance, opts to stay, then Hogan will remain in LA. “I’m here out of parental duty because my kid is an American,” Paul said. “My kid is a ‘Yaussie,’ a yank Aussie, he went to school there, his friends are here, his band is here.”
Paul retired mentally after the unprecedented success of Crocodile Dundee
Michael J. Dundee is more famous than Paul Hogan, Paul told Yahoo Entertainment in 2020. Paul gets recognized as Dundee in many places, though with less frequency now that age has caught up.
Crocodile Dundee should have promoted Michael to greater heights, but it didn’t, mainly because Hogan didn’t bother pursuing other projects. Paul said that he didn’t bother with anything else because it would inevitably flop. He explained:
“I became typecast, which didn’t bother me in the least because I never thought myself as a moving actor for hire, anyway. And because of the ridiculous success of Dundee, which is still the most successful independent film ever made, it’s sort of like, ‘Oh, whatever I do next will be a flop by comparison. So why bother?’”
Hogan has no regrets about his acting career stagnation in the years after Crocodile Dundee’s release. The film’s unprecedented success forced Paul into early retirement. He said:
“I’ve always said it was like going to the Olympics and rolling up your jeans and saying, ‘Can I have a run in the 100?’ And then winning the gold medal. It was that unlikely. So, mentally I sort of retired after the first one.”