Torenstra gained more respect for the work of partner Sophie with the new series | Movies & Series

Khalid & Sophie, Op1, Jinek: television is bursting with talk shows. And nowthere is Five Live , a fictional series that gives a look behind the scenesof these programs. Lead actor Waldemar Torenstra gained more respect for thework of such a presenter through his role as talk show host, and thereforealso for his partner Sophie Hilbrand.

By Danja Koeleman

“I have gained even more respect for the work of a talk show host,” says theactor. “And therefore even more for my wife (Torenstra is together with SophieHilbrand, one of the faces of Khalid & Sophie, ed.). It takes a lot to do alive show like that. I hope the viewers see that too.”

“I hope they think: gosh, that work has inhuman pressure and what a stressthat causes,” Torenstra told NU.nl. “It is of global importance at thatmoment, and on the other hand it is ‘just’ the daily job for the team thatthey have to put together a catchy story for TV every day.”

Torenstra plays in Five Live Roderik van Zuylen, who was previously marriedto Sara Bannink (Linda de Mol). Yet they still see each other every day,because together they form the presentation team of the talk show Five Live.And the pressure of their day-to-day job also has a big impact on theirprivate lives.

On the editors of Five Live there can be an atmosphere as if it were aboutworld peace, so to speak. “I know that pressure myself,” says the actor, “Butfortunately not as bad as on the editorial staff of Five Live. Of course,his work is of great importance to everyone, but especially in the TV worldyou can ask the question: how important is it really what we do? It’s nice tomake that fact a bit thicker in a comic drama series. So we look for the jokeand put it into perspective, but also take room for drama and emotion.”

Waldemar Torenstra and Linda de Mol in Five Live.

Photo: Roy Beusker

‘TV world is a circus that we all keep up’

Plenty of emotion and drama between the characters of Torenstra and De Mol.”They love each other very much, but sometimes also hate each other. Ourcharacters are very different. Sara is serious and the hardest working talkshow host there is. Roderik does it more from the improvisation: like, let theconversation come “He’s easy going, even if he doesn’t think so. He’s a bonvivant and womanizer who still sees himself and behaves like a 28-year-old,even though he’s in his forties.”

A character who is not close to Torenstra, he explains. “Roderik is quite vainand is very concerned with aging, that he becomes bald. That doesn’t botherme, haha.” Was the character inspired by famous talk show faces such asMatthijs van Nieuwkerk and Jeroen Pauw? “No, it’s a combination of differentpresenters.”

That also applies to the rest of the series, Torenstra explains. “The show isnot based on an existing situation or people, but we did take a good look atsituations behind the scenes. For example, certain looks that presentersexchange with each other and the whole hype of experts who come in handy. Youcan probably recognize someone from the NPO or commercial broadcaster with ahysterical broadcaster, but it is nowhere one-on-one. That would make it flat,and bland.”

The actor does not expect that negative sounds will come about from’Hillywood’ Five Live. “I think that everyone can put things intoperspective and know that the TV world is a circus that we all keep up. It iscertainly not the intention to create an image that the media world is juststupid, because that is not like that. We give an insight into the drive andhectic, but with a wink – and without major revelations.”