By Tania Phillips
Anh Do’s Brush With Fame
Wednesday, 8pm, ABC
THE second series of Anh Do’s Brush With Fame returns with some very interesting and varied guests in this 10-part series. The first episode saw Anh paint and interview Darwin’s Jessica Mauboy.
It is very easy to tell that Anh is not a trained interviewer. His conversations feel stilted and contrived and unlike Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery the flow doesn’t seem easy and natural – he is not feeding off the answers and letting it flow naturally.
After every question he seems to turn to the camera and smile like he’s proud he got through the next one on the list, just like in the first series.
He doesn’t seem to have progressed as an interviewer, however that’s not to say this still isn’t interesting and rather heart-warming viewing.
Though it feels more staged than Home Delivery (and let’s face it – his concentration is and should be on the painting, not just the questions), Anh still puts his subject at ease and still manages to bring out tears and stories – he still manages to bring out the real personality of the person he’s painting. He does seem to capture a little of their spirit as well as their likeness.
And in the end you learn more about who they are behind the public persona (and you get to see their reaction to what Anh has created).
And with very few good interview programs on Australian TV these days, it’s nice to see something a little different.
– Tania Phillips
