Montana actress
Chantal Stanfield writes a special guest column for us about her experiences on the show. Chantal plays rich-witch Dalene Phillips, who uses her cash to promote her dubious, often sex-andalous agendas. Here's Part 5 of her column: The Wicked Witch of Montana ...
I was so disappointed with the last episode. Don’t get me wrong, the performances were great, lighting, sound, everything. But I really, really wanted y’all to see that
Malva Pudding. Oh, I can just taste it now.
I think they probably had to cut the scene down though to make space for all that sexual tension between Nolitha and Lwazi! Never in my life! Those two went at it in that little kitchen like rabbits on heat before Easter. Yoh!
The show was literally booted out last week due to the soccer game (I lose track of who’s playing who) so here’s a very quick, bite-sized recap of the last episode.
Huge dinner party: lots of storylines including Lwazi and Nolitha making out in the kitchen - like the rest of the guests weren’t waiting in the dining room - I daresay at least they got dessert. Dalene ‘went back’ to Richard.
Zoli’s nocturnal exploits landed herself, her brother Zola and Denver in serious danger and consequently the B-Boy’s appearance overseas looks like it’s in jeopardy.
Right. So Dalene ‘went back’ to Richard but who knows for how long this little chapter will last! These two just don’t seem to learn. After being hurt by Richard and tossed aside like a dirty rag, you’d think Dalene would’ve come to her senses. But, as you’ll see, she’s very easily blinded by power.
She feels she’s back in the driving seat by being in control of the relationship with Richard Duze - nevermind the fact that she’s about to screw Charles Johnson over, after assuring him success with his proposed golf estate and high returns on his investment.
Screwing Charles Johnson over is not something anybody should do, as you’ll find out in the next few weeks. In fact, Charles Johnson is more than a match for Dalene.
This week’s episode sees Dalene enlightening Mr Johnson to her ‘change of plans’ and he’s none to pleased about it. Dalene and Richard think they’re having their cake and eating it too but Charles is the one with the cake-knife in his hand…
I must admit, trying to remember the details of a show recorded almost a year ago is a bit tough. We shot it out of sequence, meaning the scenes and episodes weren’t shot in order and it’s a bit jumbled up in my memory.
A while back I mentioned you should look out for the scene where Victor and I get ‘attacked’ by flies outside his warehouse. This is true but, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember who the other character was! Well, I remembered. And I can’t believe I forgot…
The character to make an appearance in the next few weeks is Bruce, played with aplomb by
Clyde Berning.
I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you how he’s connected to Dalene. But this I will tell you. Like previously stated, I knew quite a few of my fellow actors on set through drama school and Clyde was one of them. The major difference - without causing offence to my other dear friends - is I had a huge crush on Clyde! Seriously. Oh, possums, you have no idea. In fact, all the first year girls did and it was really funny seeing us all swoon over him.
But you’ll see what I mean when he appears on screen soon - he has gorgeous, piercing blue eyes and flaxen hair, he’s tall and, as a person, incredibly kind and humble. He also bears a striking resemblance to the late Heath Ledger.
His character Bruce, however, uses those devilishly good-looks to his advantage in his underhanded dealings…
Behind-the-scenes:
• The first scene between
Az (who plays my husband Winston) and myself was that scene in Winston’s office. We shot it and scenes in Charles Johnson’s office in Cape Town’s City hall, right across the street from the Grand Parade.
We arrived quite early and had breakfast as usual. But halfway through the morning I began to feel peckish but didn’t want to have set-snacks - I could see the fisheries downstairs across the road and smelt the diving calamari. I had to have it!
With consideration for Az, who I had to be intimate with later, I asked him if we could both get calamari and therefore have no worries about bad breath so close to each other! He was totally cool with that. So there we were, with our steaming parcels of calamari and tartare sauce - and a pack of breathmints close by…
• It is a testiment to the calibre of talent we had in the crew that we only used one office in City Hall for both Winston’s and Charles Johnson’s offices. The art department totally changed the look and feel of the ‘two offices’ within minutes so that on screen it’s quite unrecognisable.
Winston’s office had quite an officious, government clerk look while Charles Johnson’s spoke of old-money luxury. Look out for Dalene and Charles throwing down the gauntlet, as it were, in future office scenes.
Well, I do hope this week’s episode jogs my memory a bit. If not, please remind me to tell you about a short scene that took the longest time to shoot and it was all my fault!