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Post by coolbyrne on Feb 23, 2007 18:54:38 GMT -5
This has already been posted on another board, but while we're inclined stand by the position that information is free, if we have access to something ourselves, we'd rather tinker with it (size and quality) ourselves, so we'll be posting links to scans of this article/interview most likely tomorrow. (Sat. Feb. 24th)
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Post by romanmachine on Feb 23, 2007 19:40:58 GMT -5
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Post by cabenson on Feb 23, 2007 22:05:46 GMT -5
cabenson, I owe you. No, seriously, what do you want from me? Anything at all. Just name it.
Nekkid pictures of bobbies...of course! ;D
Always happy to spread any love related to BG and the lovely MJ on a board where I stand no chance of being...banned.
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Post by coolbyrne on Feb 23, 2007 22:19:59 GMT -5
Let's talk about me for a minute. Well, me, in relation to Mandana Jones, that is!
I became a fan not through her performance in "Bad Girls" but through her interviews. That's not to say she's not brilliant as Nikki Wade, because she is, but nowhere is she as brilliant as when she's just herself.
Now, I'm not going to turn this into a comparison between Simone Lahbib and Mandana Jones. I never have in the past (despite what others might think), and I'm certainly not going to do it now. I'm going to say what I have to say, solely with Mandana Jones in mind. I'm not sure I've seen another actor who has been more articulate, more open and more genuine in an interview than Mandana. Never have I felt there was an agenda behind her words, nor a hesitancy to be anything other than honest, even if that means shining a light on her own insecurities and vulnerabilities. When she says, "Self-betrayal is the worst kind of betrayal," I believe it, not just because she's saying it, but because it's obvious (to me) that she's lived it and has learned from it. This is a personal revelation, not a professional one, but she has been willing to share that with us. This, of course, is only one example of many I could list.
This interview is no exception. From the self-mocking regarding her failed relationships, to the admission about her father, it's all there and she doesn't shy away from it. Hers are not sound-bite answers; hers are thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Wonderful!
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Post by justafan on Feb 24, 2007 0:06:54 GMT -5
I hope this interview will mean that we may hear more from Mandana in the future. Absolutely agree with you, coolbyrne. I also became a fan of Mandana through her interviews. Her intellectual and emotional depth as expressed in this latest Q and A continue to impress me. How many actresses have favorite quotes from Boris Pasternak stashed away in their psyche? Not that many I would guess. Loved it!
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Post by topcat on Feb 24, 2007 3:52:42 GMT -5
I became a fan not through her performance in "Bad Girls" but through her interviews. That's not to say she's not brilliant as Nikki Wade, because she is, but nowhere is she as brilliant as when she's just herself. I like this place already ;D I would say I come from exactly the same stance. I saw series one and was blown away but it was Mandana's interview on the series one videos that made me really sit up and take notice. One of my favourite quotes (series 3 DVDs) was the one about being annoyed about something someone has said or done and regretting not saying anything at the time, then spending a lot of time trying to release herself from a bitter and twisted state as a result!!! It was such an honest admission and something I really identified with. This latest interview is again excellent and, even when repeating a story, she never seems to sound like it's a stock answer, unlike other actors. According to an interview elsewhere, she studied English at A level and so I wonder if old Boris may have been one of her set pieces. I always like the humour in her interviews too. It was a shame that a supposed 'fan' posting on one of the 'actor directory' type sites chose to take her comments about Enzo and her 'prison sentence' out of context from her last interview. They posted only part of her comment and chose to miss out the humour, thus making the quote have a different interpretation. I have never read one interview, tabloid or otherwise, where I have felt she has been misquoted. Not wishing to start a hornets nest but, I have never understood why I can say that about Mandana and yet other actors from the same series  receive all sorts of defenses for when they say inappropriate things. Compare this latest interview comment about Pa Jones with Granny's in wedding hats...... saying the same thing but very, very differently. |
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Post by moskvaprof on Feb 24, 2007 10:06:40 GMT -5
I like this place already ;D Me too  Well, its 8 years ago that Mandana appeared on my screen in BG and it was the programme which caught my attention before anything else. It wouldn't have done if the acting had been atrocious! Mandana was top notch and I thought 'where has this actress been hiding?' So I delved and discovered some places to find out more about her. I agree her interviews are fascinating to read or listen to. Her intellectual level shines through every time and I feel she gives every question the thought it deserves. Her answers are always articulate, honest and interesting, I'd even say innocent and pure, not 'clever' as I believe others try to be. Even when asked a question over and over again her answer is expressed differently but has the same meaning. In each new interview we seem to learn a little bit more about her, like how a mystery thriller gradually unfolds. I can't wait to read the next chapter! She was utterly credible as Nikki Wade, and totally so as Mandana Jones. |
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Post by coolbyrne on Feb 24, 2007 17:30:04 GMT -5
Re: Boris Pasternak- I immediately envision Omar Sharif and swoon appropriately. (Mr. Pasternak wrote "Doctor Zhivago".) When RM and I decided we wanted to use MJ quotes on the FC just as little additions to each page, we actually had a bit of a time coming up with a nice selection, not because she never has anything quotable to say, but because it's all part of a larger thought or idea. Even something like, "I could only come to it from my truth, which is: It’s love, it’s universal." which is a fantastic quote, is limited without the rest of it, which is: "I find it offensive — you don’t talk about the straight couple. You don’t talk about the white family. You don’t talk about that. You don’t use that prefix. So let’s just try and get rid of it, let’s just drop it. She’s militant, she’s gay, she’s out — I couldn’t come to it that way." Despite the personal focus of her thoughts, she speaks of things in a larger context. She gives thought to the question AND to her answer. To have an actor do one of those things is wonderful- to have an actor do BOTH is a rarity. |
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Post by topcat on Feb 25, 2007 4:59:35 GMT -5
Oooooh, Omar Sharif in Dr Zhivago - let me just swoon for a moment.... I was amazed when I read, elsewhere, someone say they were wary of Mandana's comments in interviews because they seemed 'well rehearsed'. This was after another cast member gave an unthoughtful interview and was being criticised for it and, as a result, Mandana ended up being dragged in to it because that's always what happens  Having seen her interviewed rather than just read her interviews, you can see the cogs going round and the answers are not rehearsed but well thought out ie the classic 'thinking before speaking'. One of her best interviews was over the phone on SA radio. She could not have known what was going to be thown at her that day (many questions were left by fans on a website) and yet her comments were insightful, humourous and as intelligent and articulate as always. I would LOVE to see her interviewed as part of the Actors Studio series. |
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Post by coolbyrne on Feb 25, 2007 12:59:32 GMT -5
Having seen her interviewed rather than just read her interviews, you can see the cogs going round and the answers are not rehearsed but well thought out ie the classic 'thinking before speaking'. I also think there's a difference between rehearsing an answer and having given it thought beforehand. One of the things I really admire about Mandana is the fact that it appears she gave the role of Nikki Wade a lot of thought before she took the role- thought about what it would mean to her as an actor, but also what it would mean to her as a person. I don't think questions she gets relating to Nikki Wade are anything she hasn't asked herself. That's not rehearsed- that's seeing beyond the immediacy of a choice, a role, an idea, and actually taking time to consider what these things mean. |
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Post by moskvaprof on Feb 26, 2007 13:00:15 GMT -5
I meant to say before that from this latest interview I sense that Mandana is more relaxed and more content with life. She has found happiness with a partner, and now has a family, and can put things behind her and move on. Just a feeling I have, no more than that.
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Post by endangeredspecies on Mar 4, 2007 15:59:20 GMT -5
I've only just caught up with this thread. I can be a bit of a lazy so-and-so sometimes. I find the comments made by you all reflect my own thoughts. I came to Mandana through BG, about halfway through series 1 and not having a dvd at the time bought the videos of that series. I was completely reeled-in by her interpretation of the role of Nikki Wade but absolutely charmed by her interview at the end. She has such a way of giving each question asked her complete attention, never flip or patronising but articulate,caring and often funny. She's also a great twiddler!
Each interview I have read or seen via the dvd's I eventually bought, has never disappointed. Everytime a bit more of her personality is revealed. She just seems to be a genuine person without any kind of hidden agenda.
I can't help but think the frequency of these latest ones indicate a renewed desire to apply the greasepaint once more. I certainly hope so.
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Post by coolbyrne on Mar 5, 2007 14:10:08 GMT -5
To me, when it all comes down to it, this describes her to a "t", or at least, my interpretation of her. I never wonder what she means by a comment (in regards to intent), nor do I feel she sends a "representative" of herself out there to the public. By that I mean, with so many actors, they have a public persona and a private one. You can see it in interviews who is "playing the game" and who is being genuine. And the more genuine the person appears, the better the answers seem to be, because they don't have to remember what agenda they're promoting or what they need to say/not say.
Always a pleasure to read/hear her interviews and I'd love it if she did more.
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Post by topcat on Mar 10, 2007 5:14:16 GMT -5
Always a pleasure to read/hear her interviews and I'd love it if she did more. It's interesting because don't you think part of the joy of seeing a new interview is because she doesn't give many interviews? A number of her costars were forever being interviewed (and continue to be in new roles) and they don't seem to care where the interview ends up. I may be wrong, but Mandana doesn't seem to give interviews just for the sake of it. At the time of BG originally airing, it was frustrating that others were in every magazine going but Mandana was not. She even acquired a 'very shy' tag from fans who had painted this false image of her having to almost be carried along by her bubbly costar Suddenly, they go to South Africa and...wow.... not only is the shy tag a complete myth but bubbly costar is the tongue tied and mumbling one and Ms Jones is an articulate chatter box! In the BG book, the actress who played 'shaz' relays a story of how a few of them made a prison visit. At one stage she says something like 'even Mandana managed to shut her gob for 5 minutes!'. Everyone, at the time, thought 'Shaz' was being ironic but I suspect she was telling the truth!!! So, whilst I would love to learn more about her, there is a part of me that quite likes the fact that her interviews are rarities with substance. |
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Post by coolbyrne on Mar 10, 2007 13:06:09 GMT -5
LOL!! No, you're right; when you put it on a scale, which would you prefer- the rare interview that is filled with insight and merit and substance, or a bunch of interviews that are all pretty much the same generic stuff? While we'd love to see her more, yeah, I think it would diminish the joy of these interviews, because I can't imagine they would all be as meaningful. How about just photo shoots, then? |
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receive all sorts of defenses for when they say inappropriate things. Compare this latest interview comment about Pa Jones with Granny's in wedding hats...... saying the same thing but very, very differently.
