Jay jumps back into soaps
Jay Anstey is ready for a Scandal! now that she’s joined the popular e.tv soapie.
Jay Anstey’s clear about it: she’s left her Isidingo (1998-current) character Charlie Holmes in the past after the role was recast without Jay’s knowledge in November 2013. Noww she’s proving that nothingg gets her down by taking on an exciting new role on e.tv’s Scandal! (2005-current). Having started filming in late July, we caught up with Jay to find out more about her scandalous new role ahead of her first appearance on Monday 11 September.
How did you end up on Scandal!? I heard rumours about a new character being cast, but no one had asked me to audition. A few weeks later, they did another casting and begrudgingly asked me to attend. They didn’t want anyone who’d been on another soapie before but figured they’d give it a shot. I got the call after my audition; they obviously changed their minds, so here I am. Tell us more about your character. Her name is Katie Elsdon. She’s a university student who’s studying teaching. She’s actually a lot like Charlie in some ways, always putting her foot into it but with a good heart and good intentions. Who’ll she be in contact with in the Scandal!-verse? She’ll be involved with the Ngemas – Zinzile (Gcina Nkosi), Mlungisi (Patrick Mofokeng), Scelo (Mbulelo Ndzazilwane) and Lindiwe (Nomvelo Makhanya). There’s a lot of intense drama that settles into the strangest human bonds. You’re also working alongside your dad Norman Anstey (Joe). What’s that like? My dad and I are the best of friefriends. We don’t talk about work. When we’re on set, we sit with tea and talk about the world, politics, spirituality… WhWhat’s it like on the Scandal! set compared to Isidingo? Wow! Scandal!’s absolutely incredible. I keep referring to it as the 5-star version of soaps. It’s incredibly professional and, at the same time, eveeveryone has such a sense of fun. So what else have you been up to since your dramatic exit from Isidingo? I’ve been focusing on broadening my knowledge of the industry and I started my production company, RA Productions. And what has fan reaction been like after you left Isidingo behind? Everyone has been absolutely incredible. They keep begging me to come back and I still get called Charlie all the time. Do you miss Charlie? Of course I miss her. She was such a great part of my life and I loved playing her every day. But now it’s time to say goodbye to her and make way for Katie. You recently posed for a photo with Michaella Russell (Isidingo’s new Charlie). Do you two get along? I met Michaella for the first time the other day and she’s such a sweet girl. We share a huge passion for animal rights, so we had lots to talk about! NB! See what’s happening on Scandal! on p36.