Paul Mercurio ‘I WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD!'

The Strictly Ballroom star has taken a step back from film and TV... for politics

- Phillip Koch

He’s been a beacon of positivity on the big and small screen and now Paul Mercurio has reinvented himself as a politician to help fix the problems in his own backyard on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

“You can call me a shire councillor, just don’t call me a celebrity,” says the father-of-three, who last year won a seat on the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. “Who knows where it will lead? Prime minister, then leader of the world!”

He lets out a belly laugh over the jest, but if he threw his hat in the ring in either federal or state politics, Paul may just surprise himself.

“Never say never,” he tells Woman’s Day. “I don’t know where this experience is going to lead to, but then again, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be on my local council a year ago. I just thought I could make a difference if I got involved and I needed a new challenge.”

The move into local politics is a major pivot for Paul, 57, who touched the hearts of millions around the globe when he burst onto the big screen playing the sexy lead in Baz Luhrmann’s romantic comedy.