“ Heads will not roll and blood will not be spilled and even if this was going to happen, I would have the decency and respect to inform the actors personally first. Face to face. Way in advance,” he says.
“ Marking my turf? Sensationalist stories? I’ m not a gossip journalist... sorry, I mean writer... no journalism involved. I guard future stories fiercely and am very protective of all aspects and people that are involved to tell it well, including the actors whom I have the greatest respect for” says Liam J Stratton.
“ I would suggest these gossip journalists... sorry I mean writers, could learn something from the approach I am applying to my team about telling stories- that the best ones are grounded in reality, research and most importantly getting it right,” Liam J Stratton tells me.
“ Big stars leaving in a show’ s celebratory 15th anniversary year when everybody on it all went through difficult yet bonding times together as a team? Really? Hilarious,” said another well-placed long time source connected to the show who quipped:“ If anybody else actually calls about this, I’ d tell them the same.”
Another strategic source at the broadcaster told me:“ Bogus trash not worth breath
to voice. More interesting is how Isidingo regained its footing exactly a year after the fire.” [ The soap was dealt a severe setback and production nightmare a year ago when a blaze destroyed Henley Studios at the SABC.]
“ It was an onerous and arduous process to get Michelle [ Botes, who plays Cherel ] back once she left. Headline talent and people with actual talent willing to commit to the grind of daily drama in South Africa are actually a scarce resource despite how it might look,” another informed source told me.
Robert Whitehead
“ If talent’ s gone they’ re gone and with the proliferation of local [ productions ] everyone’ s protective of what they’ ve got- and not just actors, everyone on a show. Its not‘ Can you afford to keep them?’ it’ s‘ Can you afford to lose and burn them?’“
“ There’ s some actors with various major personal problems on dailies which actually impacts production from time to time. They’ re not even A-listers and they’ re kept on because you can’ t afford to lose the actor and therefore lose the character and therefore lose viewers,” said a source.“ Even more so your bigger characters.”.
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