Interview - Part 2

ON BELOW THE BELT…

What is your role on Below the Belt?

In TV jargon I suppose that I would be called The Presenter. But that has a rather dull ring to it… shades of Prim Reddy. So it might be more appropriate to call me “The Angel of Chaos” swooping down to disrupt your well-ordered lives and minds, or perhaps “The Guardian of Mercy”, soothing the discomfort or guilt that might surface. At my most dramatic I could be called “The Queen of the Dammed”, but as I have a financial interest invested in this production, maybe we should just stay with “Presenter” or “Hostess”.

How would you describe Below the Belt?

Not to be missed! It’s part chat show, part expose and certainly somewhat risqué. It’s an opportunity for adult television viewers to take a ‘walk on the wild side’ of South Africa with yours truly. I’ll be touring through the underworlds and nightlife of Johannesburg and Cape Town looking for interesting people to meet. I’ll also be probing a few local celebrities on their private lives and bedroom antics.

How did Below the Belt come about? Apparently the show’s production company has worked on some controversial projects in the past.

I met the boys from Underdog many years ago when they were still comparatively wet behind the ears, but I knew in an instant that they were extremely talented, focused, ambitious and very liberal in their thinking. The subsequent accolades and awards that they have garnered speak for themselves. I have kept in close touch with them over the years and it seemed inevitable that we would eventually do something together. SABC 3 came to the party and here we are!

Scandal has it that you had a huge crush on the director of Below the Belt, Lars Schwinges – some even say a torrid romance! How true are the rumours?

HAD a huge crush? The word is HAVE! Beautiful and talented as he is, he is also young enough to be my son. So, as to the “torrid romance”, I will leave that to speculation, and say that I have no further comment.

What did you find intriguing about the Below the Belt project and it’s subject matter?

To be given the chance to illuminate the dark side of the soul. To be able to acknowledge that we all have fantasies, obsessions and secret desires….even addictions. Just because you might find the idea of entering a brothel alluring, gives no one the right to call you a “degenerate”. Similarly, the desire to have your bottom spanked should not label you a “pervert”. Your “darker” sexual thoughts should not plunge you into areas of guilt and possible self-loathing, and then be seen as a problem to be solved. Rather see it as a mystery to be unraveled, and to be entertained along the way.

How is Below the Belt different to anything you’ve done before?

I am departing from a world of glamour and theatrical illusion, and facing (and interacting) with something more real and most definitely a little sleazier than I have dealt with before!

You have you been on television countless times before, but never in your own show? How do you feel about owning a piece the “box”?

Powerful! The “box” is a kind of god, and those who use it as a pulpit have extraordinary power. Miss Winfrey has certainly proven that! In my case, I would hope that just because I say something, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is so, and, at your peril, feel quite free to contradict me.

Why do you think you are right person to host this type of adult show?

Because I can drink with the boys, (enjoying the jokes, the smoke and the noise!) utter the word “penis” on camera without being coy and say “pussy” without sounding apologetic. I have sipped pale whiskies with the late Princess Margaret, have charmed the pants off Lord Brown of Monaco, I can use the men’s-room in establishments where no powder-room exists, and couldn’t give a damn whether or not I am mentioned in Gwen Gill’s column. Shall I go on?

Where do you see this show in terms of social value and entertainment value?

Entertaining it is! As far as social value? I hope that it will be enlightening, and expand the horizons of your thinking in these particular areas. Why shouldn’t girls enjoy a night out with some gorgeous male strippers without felling that it is “naughty”? Perhaps a “swingers party” could heighten the intensity of sexual energy in a marriage? Maybe you believe that your S&M tendencies should remain secret when there is a whole world out there to be explored and shared with others. Perhaps the programme will unlock those emotional padlocks, which have prevented you from growing into a fully rounded person. But then, perhaps you might just choose to watch. Voyeurism is quite acceptable!

What was the highlight of the Below the Belt project?

The whole damn thing was a highlight! Years of talking and discussions, concepts and exciting ideas had finally borne fruit. We had a show! And when I heard the director call,” That’s a wrap!” on the final day of shooting, I felt as though I had given birth to a nation!

Below the Belt was often shot in the evening and late at night. What did the shoot do to your sleeping patterns?

Darling, I am a creature of the night, and besides, what lady would dare call herself sophisticated if she SLEEPS at night!

What were the major challenges in shooting Below the Belt?

Coping with Mother Nature. She is not a favourite girlfriend. And it is somewhat difficult to conceal the ravages of time when drenched in South African summer sunlight. I have always loathed the idea of going to the beach, (sandpits for adults, as I call them), and only peasants tan as they toil in the fields. Why would anyone deliberately lie in the scorching sun in order to turn brown? Still, I did meet some stunning lifesavers on Clifton beach…some consolation I suppose…and a few deliciously naked men at Sandy Bay. Perhaps the agony of clambering over rocks and ripping my stockings was worth it!

Were there any complications on the shoot?

Yes, my hair being annihilated by the turbulence from the helicopters filming from above. But what could I do? There I was cruising down Camps Bay high street in my pink convertible Cadillac, Gino at the wheel, crowds of curious and admiring on-lookers, when suddenly there is a gleaming white helicopter hovering above me. I remember thinking…’the wretched paparazzi again’…and then my phone rang, telling me that it was director’s orders! Thank God I am vaguely in love with my director, for no other man would dare to tousle me in such a way…and in PUBLIC!

What was the most exciting part of the process for you?

Part? Seeing Juan’s naked bum backstage at some nightclub in a place called Boksville, or Boksburg…something like that. He is part …oh, there’s the word again…of XTC International, a male stripper/dance group, and his posterior is positively perfect!

How was Below the Belt different to anything else you’ve worked on?

The spontaneity and the unexpected. My work is usually very rehearsed, with every nuance, gesture and word worked out in advance. There were times with BTB that I was literally hurled to the lions. But that was exciting, and took me to the edge many times…and occasionally right over it.

Who was the most interesting person you met whilst shooting the show?

Very hard, almost impossible to answer…there were so many. But perhaps I could single out Ira Hoffmann, a lady pornographer. She has starred in 50 adult movies, and directed and produced over 150. Now you don’t meet someone like that everyday over tea and crumpets. I found her fascinating and a person of great integrity.

Where there any places that you visited where felt you would have liked to have spent more time?

Yes, the swingers venue…The Marquee. I had such a misconceived idea of what a swingers club was all about, and from the moment I walked in I felt safe, at ease and very turned on. The owners welcome you warmly, and one makes friends instantly due to the lack of sexual jealousies and possessiveness. If you find a man attractive, you can smile at him without the furious wife rushing off to grab a hatchet. They have a lovely restaurant, bar, dancing, heated swimming pool…. and then of course the bedrooms. But that’s another interview!

How did you decide what to wear to the places that you visited and who designed your outfits?

One doesn’t always decide what to wear…you wear your mood. Hence I found myself on a beach in a pencil skirt and six inch stilettos. Crazy, when you think about it! I had many designers on this show, and must make mention of two. The divine JJ Schoeman of Rosebank who knows exactly how to flatter one’s body…at my age you choose to reveal and conceal with your designers approval…and the relentlessly elegant Derek of DePatri who knows just how to tailor me.

What was it like having such an intimate ‘tour’ of the most decadent and sexy industries and societies in South Africa?

Privileged!

How do you think South Africa will respond? Do you think the Broadcasting Complaints Commission will cope?

A very, very interesting question. I believe that I may well unleash the hounds from hell, but I also believe that I will bring the angels of chaos into some sort of order. On the other hand, I hope to bring laughter and amusement, and who knows, perhaps a little “Education”…after all, SEX never goes out of fashion!

If Below the Belt had a motto, what would it be?

Everyone should have a nun and a whore as friends, and whilst chatting to them, forget which is which.