Justin ‘Jus’ Hill is like a cross between Joan Rivers and Graham Norton, intelligent and witty and the person that gets called on to interview everyone from Kim Kardashian to Mariah Carey.
He is also a huge supporter of his community. While Hill spends his days doing very high-profile work, he also supports his local community; for instance, he is currently set to host the Mardi Gras Edition of The Beresford’s Dog show.
So it makes sense that while Mardi Gras is important to him, Hill is a big believer in celebrating his community all year round, “It’s something we should celebrate and champion all year round, but during the festival, we just increase the volume and the glitter, a little,” Hill told B&T.
And while Hill has an incredibly successful career and is someone that is obsessed with his work, he’s also aware that the media industry he loves isn’t perfect in terms of representation, “While it feels like we’ve come a long way, I still think we’ve got plenty of work to do when it comes to representation.”
Hill is also concerned that LGBTQIA+ people in the public eye are lumped with a ton of pressure regarding representation and activism. Hill explained: “It warms my heart to see my community represented on screen, in podcasts and in cinemas, but I long for the day that being gay or trans is, yes, an important part, but a normal part of our lives.
“Sometimes some incredibly talented people get swallowed up by the expected activism, overshadowing their amazing skills. I think we all rally, but in our own way, and we should start looking at how amazingly talented these people are and start watering that flower.”
So, how do we make the industry more accepting? Hill thinks it is about putting less emphasis on peoples’ sexuality, “Give us a chance based on what we can do, not based on filling a quota of LGBTQIA+ people.
“Someone’s gender identity or sexual preference is a private matter. We’re moving into a world where labels are becoming less and less relevant. Let’s work with that, not against it,” Hill explained.
Of course, Hill is also open about the discrimination he faced in his own industry, “I’ll never forget the heartbreaking moment I caught two celebrities talking about me at an event. It was heartbreaking… and no, I won’t tell you who it was. I’m saving that for my book.
“But here’s the thing, if you have to stoop that low, to make fun of the thing that makes me (in my eyes) fabulous. Then you must have a pretty sad life.”
And then of course there are the added pressures of being a gay man in the industry, “The media industry is also in a weird place when it comes to people like me.
“On the one hand, you’re being told ‘don’t be too camp, don’t be the sidekick or butt of the joke’ and then the next minute you’re losing gigs because you’re not ‘wild or headline-grabbing enough’. Finding your integrity in showbiz is a real challenge sometimes.”
But some moments do make it all worthwhile. Hill said: “I honestly still see myself as that chubby little kid from Tasmania who somehow found himself interviewing the likes of Angelina Jolie, Chris Hemsworth and Kim Kardashian. I often pause and think to myself, how did I get here?
“But if I’m 100% honest with you, it was the moment I got to interview Mariah Carey last year. She was a diva; she was poured into her dress like a melted ice cream… it was everything I hoped it would be and more!”
