The screen and stage legend John Waters has been in the limelight for decades. Photo: Supplied “Living life the same way must be dull,” says this well-loved face of Australian stage and screen.
What is your strongest memory of your childhood home?
It was a flat in Teddington in south-west London which became very congested as more children were born (five in all) and was freezing in winter as there was no heating. We had to stoke a boiler and sometimes had no coal. But my siblings and I loved it anyway. Our mum and dad did their best!
What do you remember about buying your first home?
I was surprised to be a home owner. It felt quite alien to the life I’d led up to that point. I was in my mid-30s and thought I’d pay rent all my life.
Have you ever house-shared with flatmates (when you were younger or a student)?
Yes. Both as a young man and for a period as a man in his early 50s – divorced and homeless through bad management. But it was fun. Living the same way all your life must be very dull.
Do you have any tips for organising your home?
None whatsoever. I have never organized a home. Just lived in it and managed on a daily basis.
Do you have a favourite room?
A little sitting room with bookshelves, a fireplace and comfy armchair. My children walk in one door and out the other while I’m there and I like that. I don’t feel isolated but I do feel comfortable.
What’s the worst piece of furniture or household item you have ever bought?
I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything bad. Others may disagree!
If you could live in a dream house, anywhere in the world, where would it be?
On an island in the Caribbean; maybe St Lucia. Overlooking the sea.
John Waters is performing in the 25th anniversary tour of Lennon: Through a Glass Onion, with shows at the Sydney Opera House Playhouse Theatre until February 12 and a performance in Wollongong, NSW, on February 18.