A PICTURE of perfection with her flawlessly coiffed high bun, girlie hair accessories, immaculately applied makeup and brightly coloured wardrobe – you can’t ignore Julia Anastasopoulos as she slips into DIY goddess mode with her web-turned-TV shorts series, SuzelleDIY.
And her alter ego’s strongly emphasised Afrikaans accent intermingled with her bubbly personality and irreverence strengthens her magnetism. It also explains how she has been able to amass more than 12 million views with her online series, which became the catalyst for her TV deal.
With the career of this 32-year-old blowing up, her schedule doesn’t allow her much free time. That’s understandable.
Media requests are, of course, par for the course in such circumstances. While it’s not impossible to secure a chat with her – she doesn’t have time to do one-on-ones – she (according to PR feedback) was willing to appease Tonight with the electronic option of e-mailing her questions.
The timeframe for the response was five days. We waited, suppressing expectations of a really rib-tickling response from her. It’s akin to the feeling people get when chatting to Pieter-Dirk Uys/Evita Bezuidenhout or Conrad Kock/Chester Missing.
Just to clarify, however, the interview was with Anastasopoulos on her caricature as Suzelle, which seems like such an effortless transition on camera, and the show.
Sadly, the feedback to the questions was a contrast to the talented comedienne and her sway in front of the camera. The dullness seemed to betray her electrifying screen personality. And the sense of frustration, for someone writing the story, intensified while scrolling through her responses.
When asked about the inspiration behind the DIY web series, which launched in 2014, she says: “I just love to be creative and I wanted to share my ideas with the world.”
You can’t ignore the funniness in the execution of her DIY ideas. When asked about her brand of funny, Anastasopoulos responds: “I don’t know what you mean? I’m just being myself. I just try to act natural in front of the camera.”
At this point, confusion got the better of me. I wasn’t sure if she meant that she’s naturally funny or she acts so – there is a difference!
Moving to how the web series manifested in the comedy “shorts” on Comedy Central, she offers: “Well, the lovely people from Comedy Central asked me if I wanted to put my DIY episodes on TV. And I was so excited. Of course, I said ‘yes’. Now you can watch my episodes every week night at 8.05pm. How amazing is that, guys?”
Again, revealing something that is already glaringly apparent. But, hey, I’m also more than one person now.
I'm so excited because @ComedyCentralAF will now be showing my top 20 DIY videos on TV, every weekday at 20:05! pic.twitter.com/cjVkyfWWNm
— SuzelleDIY (@SuzelleDIY) April 28, 2016
Having caught a few snippets of her DIY tips, they are as informative as they are entertaining. When asked if she has any bizarre ideas we will get to see on the show, she responds: “Well, I spent a lot of time on the Google and I like to keep my ideas in a flip file. I also get great ideas from my fans.”
Not what I asked, but okay!
Aside from being really good friends with Nataniël, she also had Braai Master, Justin Bonello, Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, who won a Michelin star, and Professor Tim Noakes as guests on her show.
On the team behind SuzelleDIY and what each one brings to the table, she offers: “Well, there’s me. I’m the creative genius. My best friend, Marianne, helps me behind the scenes and my neighbour, Hennie, helps me film it and put it online.”
Whereas Uys or Kock would give you a chat that’s insightful and, at the same time, quirky – true to their (and that of their alter egos) personalities – not everyone can achieve the same result with as much flair.
Here’s a DIY tip Anastasopoulos – practice (with more interviews) makes perfect!
SuzelleDIY airs weekdays at 8.05pm on Comedy Central (DStv channel 122).