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Without a Doubt
Bold, ballsy and married to a Hollywood heart-throb, Deborra-lee Furness is ready to reassert her
identity - this time as a director
by Katherine Tulich

'Will this story be about Deborra-lee and her film or Deborra-lee and Hugh?" asks the actress's worried assistant. The question is understandable. After all, through the 1980s and '90s Melbourne-born Deborra-lee Furness was a name with some pulling power in Australian television and film. But in the past few years her career has been eclipsed by her marriage to Hugh Jackman and his comet-like ascent through the Hollywood hierarchy.

These days Furness is most likely to be seen on Jackman's arm at a Tinseltown premiere and mentioned in some affectionate jibing by her heart-throb husband on American talk shows, when he refers to "the wife".

Of course, when it comes to Deborra-lee Furness, the subject of her husband is almost unavoidable - not only because he happens to be one of the sexiest men in showbusiness, but also because, by all reports, the Jackman marriage is so idyllic. As we talk in a West Hollywood cafe, Furness receives two calls from Jackman in the space of an hour, all cooing and lovey-dovey. It feels like eavesdropping on a pair of love-struck teenagers.

The family (including three-year-old son Oscar) is getting ready to hit the road. Furness and Oscar are off to Australia for two weeks to attend the premiere here of the short film she has written and directed, Standing Room Only, at the Melbourne International Film Festival, while Jackman heads to New York to start rehearsals for the Broadway production of The Boy From Oz.

Furness has arrived for our interview in casual black T-shirt and pants, no make-up and her long blonde hair tied back haphazardly. "I just came from a facial, that's why I haven't got any make-up on," she says by way of an apology. Her seasoned face with its broad, toothy smile stands out as brazenly natural in a city of plastic and botox. But Furness is not one to rush off and get the Hollywood make-over. "This is the package, so there is no point trying to change it. I am who I am," she says confidently.

Confidence is what strikes you most about Furness. She is ballsy and matter-of-fact in her manner. In an industry riddled with fragile egos, hers seems iron-like. "I guess that's true," she agrees. "When I used to go to auditions and they didn't want me, I'd wonder what was wrong with them. I wouldn't crawl away and think it was me."

The Jackmans have been renting a house in LA ("It's not somewhere we would live permanently, its too much about the industry," says Furness) and doing the rounds of Hollywood premieres in recent weeks, including the LA opening of Standing Room Only. With cameras rolling and paparazzi flashing, the couple has perfected the red-carpet sortie. "It's just fun," says Furness. "But to be honest I'd rather slip into a matinee than go to a flashy premiere . they are so much hard work, the hair, the make-up, getting dressed."

She and Jackman have been married for seven years and in that time it seems Furness has put her career on hold while his star has soared. "I get annoyed that people think that. I'm Hugh's wife and Oscar's mum and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm having a wonderful life. I'm having the life I always dreamed," she says. "Hugh and I had an agreement, even before Oscar was born, that neither would work at the same time. We haven't been apart for more than two weeks since we met. It just so happens his career tended to take off into the stratosphere, and with all the travelling it was hard for me to pursue any acting jobs."

Instead, she is now fulfilling her directing ambitions. Standing Room Only has garnered enough attention that Furness has feature film offers piling up. The short film has already screened at the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, been bought by cable conglomerate BSkyB in the UK, will be screened on Qantas flights and soon, Furness hopes, will be seen in a cinema near you, as a prelude to a main feature. "It's an old tradition I'm doing my darndest to revive," she says.

The idea for the story - about a kaleidoscope of people who spend hours queuing outside a box office to get standing tickets at a sold-out show - came to Furness six years ago when she and Jackman did the very same in New York, trying to get tickets to an Al Pacino performance. "We got there at six in the morning and we waited for hours to get the tickets. I was so tired I fell asleep through the performance," she says. "But what was fascinating to me is the rapport you develop with this diverse group of people you meet while waiting in line."

It's an accomplished piece shot almost as a silent movie, with minimal dialogue rounded out by an emotive score by Australian composer David Hershfelder. Furness gathered an impressive cast, including Sophie Dahl, Joanna Lumley, Michael Gambon and, of course, husband Hugh.

For her directorial debut, Furness was given a head start that would make any Tropfest hopeful green with envy. The first to sign a cheque was Sting's wife, Trudie Styler. "I told her about the idea at a party and she wrote a cheque and gave it to me," says Furness. Miramax Films heavyweight Harvey Weinstein filled out the remainder of the $250,000 budget. "He rang me and said, 'Kid, you are making a movie'. If people think I only got the money because of Hugh, fine. I believe in using whatever advantages you have. But at the end of the day, I had to be able to do it. They weren't going to give money to someone who couldn't pull it off," she says defensively.

After her Australian visit, Furness says the family will settle down, at least temporarily, while Jackman completes his 15-month contract with Boy From Oz. "We have been on the road for years. That's our life. We don't really have a home anywhere, although we own an apartment in London. Every few months we are packing up and moving on," she says. "I'm looking forward to just being in one place for a while."

Furness was schooled early in the gypsy lifestyle. Raised by a single mother (her father died in a car accident when she was eight months old), she attended 12 different schools by the time she graduated. "I moved around a lot, but my mum worked as an executive, so I grew up with the idea that women can be movers and shakers," she says.

Her mother, Fay Duncan (who re-married when Furness was 11), was, until recently, a director of the Bone Marrow Donor Institute in Melbourne. It was Fay, Furness says, who instilled in her the no-nonsense confidence she exudes. "She made me believe I could do anything I wanted. My healthy self-esteem definitely comes from her."

Furness speaks with rapid-fire speed, so fast sometimes it's hard to catch the whole sentence. She describes her life in crib notes, as though there's a reference book somewhere else to fill in the details. "I'm not good with details and I'm hopeless with dates," she admits. "I started working as a secretary in the news department at Channel Nine, then I worked on a current affairs program, so I guess my first ambition was to be a journalist. But the acting bug was always there."

In her 20s she went to New York to study acting, and had a brief marriage ("It was more a quickie one for a green card, so we don't talk about that one," she says). After four years she returned to Australia where she worked non-stop, typically cast in "tough cookie" roles, until a car crash in 1985 put her out of action for nine months. "I really thought I wasn't going to walk again, let alone ever act again," she says.

On crutches, she auditioned for her landmark cinema role in the 1988 Australian film Shame, in which she played a feisty lawyer riding a motorbike through the outback. When the film was released in the US, she returned to join the other Aussie hopefuls (she shared an apartment with Tom Burlinson) battling to make it in Tinseltown. But the breakthrough role never came, and she returned to Australia for the role that would change her life, in the 1995 ABC TV series Corelli. "A psychic told me if I go back to Australia everything will work out, and she was right," says Furness. "I met the man of my dreams."

Jackman, fresh from his role in the musical Beauty and the Beast, was getting his first chance to exercise his acting chops for the cameras on Corelli. It didn't take long before the two fell in love. "There was an immediate connection, a feeling of just knowing, but at first I was so busy I didn't think of it romantically," she recalls. So did Hugh pursue her? "Oh, come on, we are not talking about this," she says abruptly, quickly curtailing any inquiries into their courtship.

Talking about her husband clearly makes Furness uncomfortable, and she offers only clipped responses to questions. I ask her whether their age difference was ever an issue? Furness is several years older than 34-year-old Jackman, but has consistently refused to reveal by how much. "I've managed to sidetrack my age for some time now, so I've become very good at it," she smiles. "To be honest I never thought I would end up with a younger man, but Hugh is more mature and worldly than most 40-year-old men I know."

Is she bothered by the countless women who consider her husband a heart-throb? "And the men, don't forget," she laughs. "After Boy From Oz he will probably be a gay icon. It's nothing we take too seriously. Hugh does have a much higher profile since X Men 2, so we get countless kids coming up for autographs, which can be a little hard to explain to Oscar who just wants daddy to come and play."

The couple adopted their son in 2000. Both were present at his birth. "We always wanted children. We thought we'd have one of our own and adopt one, but when we had difficulty having our own, we adopted. People seem to think, 'Oh, you adopted', but it's just different DNA, so what? He's our adorable son."

While family remains her priority, Furness says it's time to get back to work. "I love directing, but I am also exploring acting opportunities. All my decisions will put family first, but I feel Oscar is now at an age where I am able to explore my career again."

She adds that Jackman would be content to play Mr Mum. "We've discussed it, and he's definitely willing to take time off while I work." But Furness scoffs at suggestions theirs seems an enviable and equal partnership. "I don't want people to think we're some white bread perfect couple. We have bad days, but we are always there for each other. What can I say? It just works."

So any tips on finding that perfect man? "Make a list of what you want. Write it down. Be specific. Believe me, it works," Furness offers. "Mine ended up much better than the list."