A Jolly Fine Cuppa and a Chat

David Hartnell may not be one to gossip, but is a jolly fine chap to sit and have a natter over a cup of tea with! On a grey an otherwise uninspiring day, he’s an absolute ray of sunshine; polite, positive and so entertaining.

As one of GrownUps (and New Zealand’s) favourite columnists, we’ve all heard of him. The good news is, he is a genuinely lovely human being, who has managed a 50 year career working with celebrities, without making enemies along the way. This is in no small part due to his personal principles, and the fact that he prefers to comment on situations, using his wealth of celebrity knowledge, rather than break scandals and embarrass people.

He is no member of the paparazzi and has forged lifelong friendships with some amazing people. “I don’t out people,” he says, “and I never comment on pregnancies, because things can change by the time the stories go to print. Marriages are a different story – they are adults.”

He has an enormous bank of celebrity knowledge. “The very worst thing for a celebrity is that no one talks about them,” he says. “Despite all their protestations, their agents often tip off the press about where they are going to be, and with whom. If they want to have a quiet dinner, there are places they can go, but they usually don’t! Rent-A-Crowd is a very busy bunch in LA!”

At 70, he has no regrets, but does think people should be warned about what happens as you age – the unexpected aches or loss of agility, but otherwise, he’s happy. “I have a wonderful doctor and I always say just to fix me, but not to get too lecture me about diet or exercise too much – I am who I am!”

“I love my life, but if I went back to any other time, it would probably be to my 40s,” he says, “I’d never want to be 20 again!”

David feels it is important to be true to yourself. “I mix with whomever I choose to, and I just don’t care what other people think.”

He quotes actress Lauren Bacall, who was photographed for a famous black mink coat campaign in the  late 1960s/early 1970s campaign called What Becomes Legend Most. When the shots were published, and she saw herself on a billboard, several stories high, with her lines airbrushed, she was scandalised. “I’ve worked my whole life for those,” she told executives. “Use the original photograph!”

David’s house is full of photographs of himself with some of the world’s most recognisable faces, and he has never really had any trouble being a member of the press. He speaks to people as he’d like to be spoken to, and always promotes New Zealand. When he says what you see is what with you get with him, it rings absolutely true. In some ways, he’s tricky to write about, because he is so full of interesting anecdotes that it’s hard to put them concisely and choose the best ones.

There’s only two stars he found hard to deal with, and they were both men. “Women have always been second class citizens in Hollywood,” he says. “It’s still true today. That’s why they are so much more interesting.

“Elizabeth Taylor never took herself too seriously. She was always late, always. So much so, that it was written into her will that she was to be 25 minutes late to her own funeral – and she was!”

Apparently, despite being famous for her violet eyes, they weren’t actually violet and she  swore ‘like a wharfie.’

One famous woman he would still love to meet is Her Majesty the Queen. “She is always so dignified,” he says.

Consistent with his good manners, when David was awarded the Order of NZ (the only gossip columnist to ever be awarded it), he wrote to the Prime Minister to thanks him for the recommendation. He also asked if there was any chance the two could meet. “No point in being in the 17th row of the chorus!” he says, “if you want something, you should just ask.”

Eventually, after several emails and a few years, their schedules allowed time for breakfast, as published on GrownUps recently. It seems they got on famously, and David was delighted to have the chance to have just a relaxed and private meeting.

Incidentally, another one of his favourites from Parliament is Judith Collins, who has appeared on David’s Best Dressed list – he loves her collection of jackets! “She’s absolutely charming,” he says, “very different from her public persona – not at all what I expected.”

Ms Collins is a fellow movie buff who used to have to take a permission note from her mother to be able to buy the movie magazines from the dairy as a child.

Next time you read David Hartnell’s column, enjoy. He may know Hollywood and its inhabitants like the back of his hand, but he is one of the nicest and most down to earth people around. No airs and graces. Just a twinkle of mischief in his eyes and a photograph library to die for!