‘She drank beer all the time and smoked ciggies!’ Erin McNaught reveals the surprising truth about playing Olympic legend Dawn Fraser in Drunk History
Erin McNaught confessed she was shocked to discover Olympic legend Dawn Fraser’s sordid side while portraying the former swimmer on Drunk History Australia.
Appearing on The Project on Monday, the 38-year-old model admitted she’d been amazed to learn Dawn had been a bit of a bad girl during her heyday.
In her episode of Drunk History, Erin recreated the moment Dawn, now 83, stole the Olympic flag from outside the Emperor’s Palace during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Surprising revelations: Erin McNaught confessed she was shocked to discover Olympic legend Dawn Fraser’s sordid side while portraying the former swimmer on Drunk History Australia
‘I knew none of it. I was reading the script and thinking, “This cannot be real, like they have had to fill in gaps somewhere,” but it’s 100 per cent legitimate,’ said Erin.
The former Miss Universe Australia admitted she never knew about Dawn’s rebellious side until portraying her in an episode of the comedy series.
‘She just drank beer all the time, smoked ciggies… It’s not how Olympians these days live their lives, but she nailed it,’ she continued.
Dark history: Appearing on The Project on Monday, the 38-year-old model admitted she’d been amazed to learn Dawn had been a bit of a bad girl during her heyday
Scandalous: In her episode of Drunk History, Erin recreated the moment Dawn Fraser, now 83, stole the Olympic flag from outside the Emperor’s Palace during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Pictured competing during the Tokyo Olympics
While Erin didn’t think stealing the Olympic flag seemed that bad, the act saw Dawn getting arrested.
Although she was released without any charges, the Australian Swimming Union suspended her from competing for 10 years.
Dawn wrote about the notorious incident, which took place after a drunken party, in her autobiography, Below the Surface.
Tell-all: Dawn wrote about the notorious incident, which took place after a drunken party, in her autobiography, Below the Surface. Pictured at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide in April 2019
‘The flagpoles were sprouting like exclamation marks all round us,’ she wrote.
‘We chose a fine big Olympic banner with the five circles on it, and one of my companions bunked himself up on the shoulders of the other.
‘They swayed around a little, and they swore once or twice, but finally they pulled the flag loose. “Quick,” said one of them. “Cop this.” I took the flag. “Go for your life,” said the other. “The demons [police] are coming.”‘
‘I knew none of it. I was reading the script and thinking, “This cannot be real, like they have had to fill in gaps somewhere,” but it’s 100 per cent legitimate,’ said Erin