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Credit Elvis.
It was The King's energetic moves in Jailhouse Rock that sparked nine-year-old Paul Joseph Mercurio's passion for dance. His mother, Jean, encouraged him by enrolling him in a local ballet school.
From there, after a brief surfing hiatus, he progressed to John Curtin College of the Arts, earned a scholarship with the West Australian Ballet Company, and eventually left Perth for the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne.
In Melbourne, Paul felt like an outsider. Though he had family nearby, he never quite fit in with his peers. “They have a particular way of being, and I think my idea was broader,” he reflected.
His deepest loneliness coincided with his greatest opportunity: an offer from the prestigious Sydney Dance Company. With no funds to return home during holidays and isolated in an unfamiliar city, Paul found a surrogate family among prostitutes and addicts at a Darlinghurst café—an experience that later inspired his dance piece Cafe.
Through perseverance, Paul emerged as a standout at SDC, earning prime roles from the visionary director Graeme Murphy and creating more of his own choreography. It was during this period he met Andrea Toy, whom he married in 1987.
In 1992, Paul's career took an extraordinary turn. Baz Luhrmann, an old friend and emerging Australian director, invited him to choreograph for his debut work and offered him the lead in Strictly Ballroom (1992). Under Luhrmann's guidance, Paul's intensity captivated audiences, turning him into an instant symbol of sensuality.
Suddenly, opportunities surged. Paul reviewed film offers, choreographed Jesus Christ Superstar, and ambitiously launched the Australian Choreographic Ensemble (ACE) to support local choreographers and bring dance to rural communities—all while raising a family with two young daughters.
On film, Paul starred in Back of Beyond, a modest ghost story that received mixed reviews. Concerned about being typecast, he declined a role in Stephan Elliott's hit The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). Instead, he accepted a lead in a $30 million film directed by Garry Marshall, fresh off Pretty Woman's triumph. Co-starring with Dana Delany, Rosie O'Donnell, and Dan Aykroyd, this seemed like a prime opportunity.
Unfortunately, poor storytelling and misdirected marketing doomed Exit to Eden (1994) at the box office. Despite strong performances, the film’s failure became a burden on both Mercurio’s and Delany’s careers.
Though he landed the title role in the cable movie Joseph, subsequent films were low-profile and diminished further by the late 1990s. In 1997, Paul began several television roles, including a regular spot on the series Medivac (1996).
His love for beer and role as a Coopers spokesman helped rescue ACE when government funding ceased. Still, after six years and some achievements, the company disbanded in 1998. The persistence of the Scott Hastings image may have contributed, as even eight years later Australian media frequently pun on Strictly Ballroom in interviews.
More recently, Paul has remained active in local film productions and occasionally traveled to Los Angeles. He also returned to the stage—not as a dancer, but as an actor—touring with A Passionate Woman in late 1999. Choosing to relocate just outside Sydney rather than move his family to Los Angeles, where he might escape typecasting, was likely not the path his fans preferred but reflected his priorities. Perhaps soon Paul will open his brewpub and enjoy watching his three daughters grow.
His fans hope otherwise.
