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Post by Nikkhele on Aug 15, 2007 11:50:39 GMT -5
Even coming onto the BG scene very late, I have wondered about this fascination with Simone as well. I hate to say this and please don't throw stuff at me, but I really think a lot of it has to do with looks. Simone is a classic beauty in an exotic kind of way, especially many shots from BG, where the camera is particularly flattering. They only did that occasionally with Mandana, who does not (IMO) have "traditional" beautiful looks. She's unique and interesting and somewhat exotic but not in the "classic" category.
Anyway, in the BG series, where fans largely came to know these actresses for the first time, the camera angles and lighting etc, mostly showed Simone from a soft and flattering perspective, even when she was angry. Not so with Mandana. I'm not sure why that was except to say maybe it was because Nikki was aggressive so much of the time, but some of it was really unnecessarily harsh. This issue of camera angles and flattering the actress came to my attention when trying to do music videos. Sometimes, I needed to find some very romantic and pleasing shots of Mandana, but they were few and far between. OTOH, there were plenty of Simone.
So I think part of it is very shallow, Simone is more attractive, in a stereotypical way, so that's what people gravitate towards, at least initially. I'd also agree that Simone is more out there sharing her life with the public through interviews etc, while Mandana is one big mystery and a chameleon to boot.
I, for one, am attracted to Mandana's looks as well as her personality, whereas Simone has left me with an unpleasant feeling with some comments she has made in interviews. She claims she was misquoted but one was a radio interview, not misquoted, not taken out of context. I'm not trying to bash Simone, just saying she's not someone I'd be interested in hanging out with, kinda boring. With Mandana, it's quite the opposite, totally fascinating!! We could hang out for a few beers and talk all night long ;D
So why have fans not followed Mandana to her other roles? For those who were big fans of Nikki, I think part of it is she did such a bloody fantastic job of playing Nikki, they can't see her any other way. In some respects, they see Mandana as Nikki Wade, a real person they know, not some actress who played a role. So when she plays a role so demure, so different like in Born and Bred, they're disillusioned and turned off. Even the role in CUFA, she was somewhat subservient to that guy, the main character. It might also be they don't want to see "Nikki, the Dyke" playing a straight role.
Well, that's my take on it....
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Post by wadewannabee on Aug 15, 2007 22:25:01 GMT -5
I totally agree with you NikkiHele, Simone is beautiful in a conventional way. People just see the big eyes and lips on Simone. Mandana has lovely eyes and lips but more refined, besides that Mandana has better bone structure than Simone - and needless to say a great figure!  |
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Post by coolbyrne on Aug 16, 2007 16:01:32 GMT -5
I could have simply quoted all your post and said, "I agree."  I think you really hit the nail on the head with all your comments. I know in particular, RM and I have spoken at length about the subject of beauty, not just as it pertains to MJ, but in general. We (society) seem to have developed a very skewed perception of "beauty" and anyone who falls outside the realm of those boundaries (blonde and/or long straight hair and/or rail thin and/or big expressive eyes and/or perfect white teeth and/or big breasted and/or etc.) is simply ignored. I do think this applies to Mandana. She just does not fit any of the current beauty "qualifications". Great post and really insightful, Nikkhele!  |
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Post by topcat on Aug 17, 2007 14:26:20 GMT -5
She's unique and interesting and somewhat exotic but not in the "classic" category. I agree and yet I have seen more than one fan including myself, over the years, say that they see Audrey Hepburn in her and you can't get more "classic" than that. I also agree that Simone played the character that was more fuzzy around the edges. This led to fans not knowing who Helen was and ,adding the fact that Simone was in lots of magazines telling of her school bullying and granny and nieces etc, I think boundaries of actress and character blurred for many fans. Mandana, on the other hand, had a character that was as complex but you knew who she was from the get go. Add to this the fact that Mandana gave very few interviews and, when she did, stuck to the programme and did little to reveal her private self and this led many fans to only think of her in terms of her screen persona. You could tell that fans were shocked that she was so different in her following roles and as herself. I was elated because it proved to me what a fine actress she is. I was/am bemused when people are disappointed and say things like "why wasn't the character more like Nikki" or similar. |
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Post by Nikkhele on Aug 19, 2007 19:19:34 GMT -5
I was elated too in her being such a fine actress, but I was also impressed with her insightfulness on the DVD regarding the character and its impact on the gay community. When I watched Mandana's interviews in 2 and 3, I came away with the feeling that she really "got" it, out of anyone there. Got me hooked for life. I wonder if she was the main proponent of Nikki&Helen having a happy ending. They said they had to fight for that ending. I had assumed it was against the studio but could it have been others? I'm not so sure.
Anyway, when I watched the outtakes (which I saw first before the interviews), they showed very little of Mandana and when they did, she seemed very serious in general, and maybe impatient with Simone's forgetfulness? (I might be projecting there). However, it seems Mandana's playful side wasn't revealed in the first set of outtakes. It wasn't until S3 they showed her goofing a bit but still not enough, AFAIC. I was annoyed that they edited down to 2 secs the outtake she had with Caroline with the cup in her hand. What was so funny that Mandana busted out laughing? I would have loved to have heard that joke! But I do love the scenes with Yvonne when Mandana just can't stop laughing. She must have had the giggles that day. LOL! Meanwhile, Simone's outtake with Karen and the cigarettes has to be the funniest blooper I've ever seen. Ever. Which is great ;D
Also agree with CB's take on "beauty" in our society. We're brainwashed to believe that "blonde is beautiful" and thin is attractive. For me, that just isn't the case. I'm attracted to all types of women but tend to lean towards women with darker hair. But for Mandana, it's more than just the gorgeous hair (heh), it's the whole package. Beyond that, she's got a certain charisma that can't be denied.
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Post by topcat on Mar 17, 2008 4:43:21 GMT -5
I was reminded of this thread when I accidently stumbled upon someone's profile on myspace the other day.
Nikkhele wrote:
On the myspace profile, under 'heroes' this person had put 'Nikki Wade'. I think is an example of what Nikkihele was referring to.
I noticed that too. It wasn't just Simone. There was that one with Debra Stephenson talking about 'mince' and Mandana looks like she wants to throttle her!! The other one is in the library scene where SL gets her lines wrong and then someone seems to come in the door behind them. MJ's smile to SL looks decidedly forced. I've always assumed it was more 'remaining in character' than real disapproval but there is definately a lot less outtakes and little horseplay from MJ. Also, given that the actress playing Caroline was only in 1 and a bit episodes, there are as many outtakes with her - all lighthearted - as there are for 3 series with Simone, which I find interesting.
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Post by coolbyrne on Aug 16, 2010 22:29:03 GMT -5
Hello to all. I am new to this site and the reason I joined is the true admiration for Ms. Jones' acting ability present here. I've read all the posts on this topic and agree with the observations, particularly those about her interviews. Mandana's comments from the South Africa tour and those about the actor who played Spencer reveal her sensitivity, intelligence and depth as a person. She is, for me, in the same category as Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins and Vanessa Redgrave. Hello! Nice to see some of the other threads get resurrected. I've come to surmise more and more these days, with less and less work coming from Ms. Jones, that she doesn't have the drive to be an actor the way a lot of people get into the business. That's not a slight against her- quite the opposite, in fact. She's interested in acting, but I don't think she's into it for many of the reasons some become actors. ie. money, fame, etc. She seems to do it to supplement her income, while every so often, latching on to a role that allows her to explore herself a bit more. (Bad Girls, Coming Up for Air, even to a degree, Powers.) She can flit in and out of the industry at her discretion without risk to her career, because she doesn't seem too concerned about having a career (in acting). That's bad for us as fans, but in an odd way, I find it a bit admirable. |
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Post by topcat on Aug 19, 2010 5:44:59 GMT -5
Hello to all. I am new to this site and the reason I joined is the true admiration for Ms. Jones' acting ability present here. I've read all the posts on this topic and agree with the Hi aynejayde. I think your assumption is probably spot on. Mandana had been working quite steadily prior to her pregnancy - a number of guest spots on popular dramas, a series and theatre. Ever since, she has just done a couple of ads, a tiny (cut) role and the guest spot on The Bill. The Bill was filmed in London and required, I am guessing, a couple of days work not far from her home. It will be interesting to see whether we see more of her once her son starts school (I'm guessing this September). I completely agree, coolbyrne. This was something I always thought, even back in the BG days. During the filming breaks between series, the other actors seemed to go off and do theatre and other roles. Mandana didn't. I had a feeling she, perhaps, had a second career away from acting. I still think that may be the case. Interestingly, during Othello, the suggestion that Mandana wasn't too concerned about having a career in acting was met with fierce opposition from one or two fans who said they had spoken to her and concluded that she was 'passionate' about it. Could it be that they were mixing up her passion for the process whilst involved in a role with a passion for pursuing acting work at any cost? |
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Post by coolbyrne on Aug 19, 2010 21:17:46 GMT -5
This is a great way to put it, and as topcat said, I think you're spot on. Along with that- I think you can be passionate about the role and the work while you're taking part in it, without being passionate about it as a career. There's nothing wrong with not being in love with the whole thing. Edited to add- should we make a brand new thread for this? I don't want to give anyone the impression we're slagging Simone by having this thread continually show up as having new comments.  |
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Post by topcat on Aug 20, 2010 3:56:08 GMT -5
I think you can be passionate about the role and the work while you're taking part in it, without being passionate about it as a career. There's nothing wrong with not being in love with the whole thing. Exactly. You only have to read her interview in the Sunday Times from back before BG: 'So at 27, after splitting with her boyfriend, she left for India to rethink her life. She looked for answers, followed gurus about the subcontinent and finally returned renewed but in a state of deep professional paralysis. "I wasn't sure that was me; that world, those actor types, those stereotypes. And when I first got back from India, I didn't want anything to do with it".'I just suspect that, if that doubt was there once, it's probably always going to be there in differing degrees depending on what is going on in her private life. A child is one HUGE distraction ;D Could do but, as you originally stated, it wasn't actually a thread intended to slag her off. That was just the interpretation of a minority who only posted about that misconception and not about the real topic, then disappeared. |
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Post by jilly2000 on Aug 22, 2010 11:16:08 GMT -5
I think you can be passionate about the role and the work while you're taking part in it, without being passionate about it as a career. There's nothing wrong with not being in love with the whole thing. Exactly. You only have to read her interview in the Sunday Times from back before BG: 'So at 27, after splitting with her boyfriend, she left for India to rethink her life. She looked for answers, followed gurus about the subcontinent and finally returned renewed but in a state of deep professional paralysis. "I wasn't sure that was me; that world, those actor types, those stereotypes. And when I first got back from India, I didn't want anything to do with it".'I just suspect that, if that doubt was there once, it's probably always going to be there in differing degrees depending on what is going on in her private life. A child is one HUGE distraction ;D I wonder which part of India she visited and which gurus she followed around the subcontinent. Didn't she say she visited SriLanka and went underwater diving? So she probably was in South India too because it's easier to fly there from Chennai. It would've been fun if there was camera taking in all her reactions to the various situations she encountered there.  As north India is very different from the south in language food and how people dress and talk and from east and west India too. ;D |
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Post by jilly2000 on Aug 23, 2010 13:04:25 GMT -5
I'm guessing that I am the rookie on this site since I just discovered Bad Girls in June of 2010. I ordered Seasons 1-3 and watched them in one weekend; what an emotional roller coaster. My observations and comments may be old hat to you veterans but here I go... Since everything is fresh in your mind your observations are most welcome here and never old hat. I remember that scene but didn't think much about it then as it looked quite natural to me to see Mandana sitting cross-legged but now that you bring it up might seems out of the ordinary for many viewers. I assume she took some yoga lessons in those ashrams she visited |
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I think you really hit the nail on the head with all your comments. I know in particular, RM and I have spoken at length about the subject of beauty, not just as it pertains to MJ, but in general. We (society) seem to have developed a very skewed perception of "beauty" and anyone who falls outside the realm of those boundaries (blonde and/or long straight hair and/or rail thin and/or big expressive eyes and/or perfect white teeth and/or big breasted and/or etc.) is simply ignored. I do think this applies to Mandana. She just does not fit any of the current beauty "qualifications".
As north India is very different from the south in language food and how people dress and talk and from east and west India too. ;D