Shane Crawford has teased a surprising new career move in showbusiness after his elimination on Dancing With The Stars.
The AFL legend, 49, was sent packing alongside fan favourites Ben Cousins and Adam Dovile on Sunday night in a brutal triple elimination round.
But despite being their dancefloor rival, Home and Away star James Stewart, 48, positioned himself as a mentor for the other men in the competition, according to Crawford.
‘James was giving acting advice to myself, and Ben [Cousins] and Adam [Dovile],’ he told told Daily Mail Australia.
‘”This is what I’d do if you’re playing up to the camera, this is how you go about it advice,’ Shane said. ‘He’d done all his research on all the dances and the previous shows. He was an amazing person to go to from a knowledge point of view.’
‘I loved that, so much so, that by the end of it he said: “I’m going to get you a role on Home and Away”.’
James, who joined the cast of Australia’s longest-running soap opera in 2016 and recently confirmed his on-screen to real-life romance with co-star Ada Nicodemou, propositioned the footballer with a one-way ticket to Summer Bay.
‘At first I said I don’t think I’m up for it,’ Crawford said.
Football legend Shane Crawford gave his best in his final performances on Dancing With The Stars.
The 49-year-old said he took on the TV gig because he wants to show his four sons that it’s worth giving things a go.
Home and Away star James Stewart and his dance partner Jorja Freeman have advanced to the Monday night’s finale of Dancing With The Stars.
Shane Crawford said that James Stewart has been giving himself, Ben Cousins (pictured), and Adam Dovile acting coaching…which turned into a unique job offer.
After mulling over the offer, Crawford said he’d take up the role with a few conditions.
‘But I told him, “If you can write me in as a character that I might be familiar with, such as a football coach of some style, then I’m in!”‘
‘As long as there’s not too much acting and not too much talking, maybe my guy is the stoic type, then no worries!’
Over its 36 years on television, Home and Away has launched the careers of Hollywood royalty like Heath Ledger, Chris Hemsworth, and Isla Fisher.
A short but esteemed list of celebrities have made cameo appearances since 1988, with other famous names to have merited a short stint in Irene’s Diner including John Farnham, Sia, Ian Thorpe, Lleyton Hewitt, Ed Sheeran, Jessica Mauboy, Atomic Kitten, and most recently Sunrise presenters Matt Shirvington and Natalie Barr.
Producers rarely allow outsiders on set of the Seven soap, keeping the circle tight.
James Stewart and Ada Nicodemou are two of Home and Away’s longest-running stars, with James telling Shane Crawford that he’s going to ‘get him a role’ on the Aussie soap.
The football icon, who won the prestigious Brownlow Medal in 1999 and captained Hawthorn from 1999 to 2004, said he always keeps his sons in mind when accepting TV roles.
After years of keeping fans entertained on Channel Nine’s The Footy Show and exploring various entertainment ventures, Crawford decided it was time to waltz his way back into the limelight.
However his last acting experience was not met with widespread acclaim.
Crawford’s 2022 performance as the jovial Pharaoah in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in the musical got a lashing by Melbourne’s theatre community, who said that it robbed young actors of an opportunity.
As for Dancing With The Stars: ‘I didn’t care if they were laughing at me or with me. As long as people can focus for a minute or two and say: “He looked like he had a go, didn’t he?” I’m happy,’ Crawford said.
‘I’ve got four boys and they’re teenagers. It’s that awkward age where you don’t want to do things that can embarrass them – which I’ve done plenty of that in the past.’
The retired athlete was gracious in defeat, profusely thanking his professional dance partner Ash-Leigh Hunter.
‘I admire anyone who’s willing to give something a go,’ he said, jokingly comparing his own dance-off salsa efforts to Aussie Olympic break dance Raygun.
No one likes negative feedback, but we’re all going to get it,’ he said. ‘Hopefully my boys didn’t get too much stick for it at school.’
Salsa dancers that take to the floor of Merivale’s The Establishment on Tuesday nights were Crawford’s inspiration for number.
The father of four said that he’d often enjoy watching Sydneysiders take to the floor and thought they looked like they were having a great time.
‘I tried to learn as much technique as I could, but my focus was entertaining and on making people in the audience, and at home, feel like I felt watching the salsa: Like “That’s someone having a great time!”‘
Lisa McCune, Ant Middleton, James Stewart, Nikki Osborne and Samantha Jade are set fight it out for the 2024 Mirrorball trophy in Monday night’s finale of Dancing With The Stars.