Dear Mr Knickerthief - Positively Predators and Perverts - With Maddy Anholt

Episode Date: September 17, 2020

In the final episode of series two, Sophie and Jahannah are joined by the hilarious comic and actress Maddy Anholt. Things get a little more serious as we open the diary on a time 'a producer' used his position of power for sexual gain, which included filming Sophie in a noose hanging from the ceiling. It seems however, she is not alone as Maddie and Jahannah both lift the lid on some of their shocking experiences and others write in with their experiences. Follow Dear Mr. Knickerthief on Instagram to be part of the show!

Just as a little disclosure, we had to record this episode on Zoom from home because of the lockdown. So apologies if there is any lagging or buffering or random technical difficulties in this episode. But enjoy nonetheless. And again, I was like 18, I was wearing a dress. And as we were going up in the lift, he put his hand up my dress into my knickers and like pinged my knicker elastic. And I just froze. This podcast talks openly about mental health, sex, relationships and various other personal subjects that some people may find triggering. Now, I know what you're thinking, so I'm just going to explain a little bit.

Why dear Mr Nicker Thief? So basically, long story short, when I was in year five, I went to him with my class and a guy came in the changing room and stole everybody's knickers. So I did what any responsible 10-year-old girl would do. And I wrote a letter, addressed to said local pedo, printed it off, and handed it out a round. around my class. It contained some comedy gold, if I do say so myself. Poetic, almost. Yeah. Not only did Little Sophie write to the local paedophile. She also wrote to herself every day in her diary. And when we found it, we were like, this is hilarious. People have to hear this. So here we are. Hello guys and welcome back to dear Miss Nicker Thief. Of course, you've got myself Sophie Craig. We've got me, Johanna James.

This week, we've got another fabulous guest. And it is none of us. than... Me, hi, Maddie Anhol. Thanks for having me. It's lovely! So Maddie is an incredible comedian, a writer, an actress and author? Yeah, I mean, I guess so,

but I hasn't... Yeah, I guess we're getting there. You're a Swiss army knife. You are, you're a woman of many talents. What do they call it? Multi-hyphenate, darling. A multi-hyphenate? I went to a thing just before lockdown

and they were like, I'm a multi-hyphenate. I was like, what the heck. is that? They were like, comedian, actress, writer. And I was like, yes, I'm a multi-hyphenate too. I didn't realize there was a name for, right? It's like an American name. But I'd say we bring it over. We're all multi-hyphenates. I do. It sounds like a new gender. I know. It's great. I'm here for it. Right. Sophie, where are we going today? So, ladies, buckle up. All right. This one's get, this one takes a little bit of a different direction, shall we say. Okay. I mean, a few of these diary entries have been a bit ominous this season. So I found an even more ominous one and I thought it would be perfect for us. So we're going back to the 27th of the 7th, 2016. Okay. Now, this is a diary entry about a job that I booked and it came through an old agent of mine and it was for a rehearsed reading, which was a bit weird anyway.

And what I actually pulled up was the email that I sent to my agent the day after I've been, and that's what I'm going to read today. Okay. So, this is how it starts. Hi. So I went to that site reading yesterday, and it was really, really weird and very unusual. And I just wanted to alert you. So this guy had got in touch with my agent and said, oh, we, I didn't have to, it was not like, I'd never heard. heard of this guy in my life. He'd obviously found me, got in touch with my agent and said,

oh, we'd like her, I want her for this rehearse reading or whatever it was. And that was it, done. And it was a bit of money. So my agent was like, okay, great. So it started. It was like a little theatre, like a fringe kind of theatre. You know the ones like above a pub or a bar. Yeah, it was in Camden. Oh, etc. Yes, that was it. Yeah. I thought you'd know that one. As I was looking for the theatre I rang the number that was provided as I had a little bit of trouble finding it and a woman answered

when he finally arrived to the theatre he was very awkward very out of breath and very late I asked who it was that I spoke to on the phone and he said it was his mum what? Okay yeah which is really really bizarre

and he said oh I live with my mum That's her house phone. The only way I could describe him was around sort of 50-55 and that immediately rang some alarm bells but I didn't want to judge anything. So for the sight reading, I arrived and I was told about 15 minutes later

after sitting there and him faffing about with a camera that it was just going to be me and him and no one else as everybody dropped out last night but he still wanted to go ahead with the reading. Oh God, no. Which is weird anyway, right? Yeah, yeah. You just cancel it.

He'd also told me that I had to bring clothes to wear for my character. So I brought along some clothes as I was supposed to be playing a BBC journalist. He told me he wanted to wear what he had brought with him instead. And he pulled out what I can only describe as a white vest top where the bottom of the top had been badly cut along to make it even shorter. And this seemed very strange. And definitely wasn't the costume of a journalist at the BBC. That is not.

Imagine the BBC. in stripped vests. Sorry, I also got really confused them because I thought he was wearing that. And I was like, this is, like, I thought he was like, I want to bring the one I've got for me.

And I was like, okay, okay, I'm all right, I'm moving with this, I'm getting this. For a second. But no, way more ominous. Okay, that's, right, I'm not with you. I mean, it gets worse. It does get worse. then the theatre manager that was there came down and said

oh I'm going to leave now which I thought was really weird so I was left alone with this man in the theatre and the theatre staff left for the afternoon he said to the theatre manager oh but don't forget we've just met and I need a chaperone a chaperon what yeah and the theatre guy said oh don't worry I'll be back soon

obviously alarm bells started to ring at this point. It was just me and him alone in a dark room theatre where he turned off all the lights and used only a small light and had a torch. It was very, very uncomfortable. He made me change into the outfit and made me have bare feet. He put on his camera and made me stand in the middle of the stage. From my understanding, a sight reading is nothing like this. It's a sit down and a and perhaps some basic blocking whilst holding a script at the most. However, he made me do the whole thing to camera whilst he held a script in front of me and shined a torch on it so I could read whilst he filmed extreme close-ups of me.

He got me to repeat certain moves over and over again and had a noose hanging from the ceiling of the theatre. I had to keep putting my neck into the noose, taking off a shirt I had on over the dress which was as scripted and bending over at this point I was feeling extremely freaked out

maybe it was me being paranoid and overthinking him trying to get the shot he wanted so that there is me being super naive yeah like because I obviously this was only I think I'd been in London three years

this was a new agent as well one that I sweat left I don't like just I don't actually think I get why you've used you the word naive but I think like I don't want to bring up a whole thing here but I think there is something to be said for like women in this industry I know we're going to go into this but like feeling like that is what we have to do like so just like bowing down to men in power so I don't even think it's naivity I think it's just the freaking industry that we're in and it's like out

of also like fiat so he was really really aggressive as well um so yeah it goes on I then spent most of the session with my neck in a noose hanging from the ceiling and handcuffed. This felt really, really strange and he made me do it over and over again in the dark, wearing a vest in barefoot. I asked him whether this was a metaphor, what it symbolised, as I couldn't find it in the script, and his answer was very bizarre, and I couldn't understand. He didn't explain it to me. He was extremely snappy saying things like, don't touch your face and concentrate, get it right, if I pronounced one of the words wrong. So he was stood there with a camera

and the script behind the camera and then shone a torch in my face and at the script so that I could read it. Were you being paid for this? Wait for it. He didn't give me any direction, tell me what it was for, or what it was being used for,

give me any background on the character or the player. He filmed himself at the end, paying me in a check, which I thought was really, really strange. I actually left feeling really uncomfortable and said that I didn't want to continue with the next half of the play. I felt extremely uncomfortable throughout the whole thing.

And the more people I've spoken to about it, the weirder and stranger it sounds. I'm a professional and I stayed as I wanted to remain professional as it had come through your agency. I have never in my life encountered this, well, this scenario before. And the whole thing left me feeling really freaked out and I couldn't wait to get out. I left halfway through as soon as he realized that I was getting

like a whiff of it if that makes sense with what he was up to so yeah he stank well he did stink as well he was a sweaty heavy oh just oh

I wondered if you'd worked with anyone before or if you know anything about him I can't find anything on Google and yet you told me he was a playwright he barely spoke to me throughout the whole time unless to insult me or shabre or shout at me for touching my face or pronouncing a word incorrectly. So could you please get back to me on this?

I think this needs to report into equity and maybe even further. And that's it. First of all, I am so sorry that you had to go through that. Like, that is, that is, like, struggling to find the words. It's unbelievable. And so this guy... At the time, I didn't realize how big a deal it was until I came back from it and was like,

what the fuck just happened? But what did your agent say? Well, she got back and she was like, oh my God, like, I'm so sorry. It's a woman. It was a woman, yeah. Oh, my God. But the thing that she'd said was, like, literally, she said he sent over the play.

All I knew was that it was a rehearsed and it was in a theatre, like it sounded fine, you know, as I suppose you would. And that's the thing, isn't it? You're sent to these castings. Yeah. And you just don't know. But was it? He hasn't done any of her research on this person, obviously.

Was it an audition or was it like, did you get paid? So he paid me in a check, which I don't think I even cashed, like, because it was only £30, I think, or £40,000 he gave me. And he filmed himself writing the check and giving it to me. Oh, God, yeah. It was just like, so bizarre. So bizarre. But, like, you know, that is true because, like, we do go to,

the standard castings that, you know, that we know what Newman's studio, and like, you know, Spondon Beach and, you know, spotlight and like, yeah, all the Beak Street. Like, we know those casting houses that we always go to. Tends to be for commercials. And then you've got, like, the umbrella rooms which are for, like, TV and film and stuff.

But then every now and again, one does come in that you're like, oh, I've never been here before. It doesn't make you go, I'm not going to go. But this was a theatre. Like, so what about that? I would never, if it was in a theatre, I'd be like, okay, cool.

Yeah. Yeah, I just thought, he maybe hired the space. I don't know. But obviously when I arrived there and he was like, oh, nobody else is coming. I was like, how are you going to do a rehearse reading with just me then?

Obviously, there was no intention of anybody else coming. Well, no. Oh, he gives me the creepy crawlies. It's horrible, isn't it? But I've had so many experiences like that. Yeah. So many. I've had a few.

I'm now, I think, I definitely wasn't at the beginning. I'm now a big believer in like gut instinct, gut instinct, gut instinct. Yeah. Exactly. Because I remember being, I did something in Amsterdam, not when we went another time. And we were filming for a week. And it was horrendous.

It was one of the worst experiences I've had on set. And it was like a similar-ish thing, but there was like such a weird power dynamic going on. Like at one stage, I was getting paid in per DM. So, you know, like a map each day. And at one point, I'd just done something really stupid where I thought you could use, like, your phone contactless, but you couldn't, you can't use that in Amsterdam, like how we do here. And for some unknown reason, or you certainly couldn't when I went, for some unknown reason, I'd like left my bloody wallet.

And I was really rushing. I'd left it in London. And I was like, oh, shit, okay. Well, I can just use my phone and it wouldn't work. So I, like, emailed. and I was like, hey, you know, can I get my per DMs? Because I literally, like, I don't have any cash. Like, I can't get any money up.

And I had to, like, fight to get the money. And then finally, on, like, the second or third day of filming, he made me, like, put my hand out. And there was, like, crew everywhere and other cast and count individual euros into my hand and be like, here we go then. And it was so, I felt, like, so embarrassed and humiliated by... So, notranising.

Right. And I was like, there is some weird power shit going on in this industry man that needs to be like stamped out immediately. Like without a shadow of it out. I had another audition where I went onto somebody's houseboat and he made me sit in his houseboat and sing and then act. And then the next night, this was one of my first auditions in London, he had an event on at an art gallery that he invited everybody to come to. and every single girl he'd auditioned, obviously turned up. And all it was was a night of him being surrounded by women. And that was the only reason he invited everybody. Luckily, I took my boyfriend and we left quite early because I cottoned on immediately to what he was doing.

And the guy last year was doing the same thing, inviting me to these events so that we could like talk and meet people. And it's just crap. I had an audition once in somebody's living room and I left. Like it just... I don't know what's going on. So I left drama school and you're so excited to get any audition through, especially online, that it's really weird that anyone can put an audition online. And it seems so professional if they do it on one of the sites.

And I remember one time I got this audition, it was in East Ham and it was the same. It was in somebody's house. And I arrived and I was like, nobody knows where I am. and it was just one man in a house in East Ham in his living room and at the time it was really uncomfortable but now looking back it was quite funny this guy he called himself a filmmaker and he was talking about all the films that he'd made and then when I found him later on YouTube it was just him and his like phone on YouTube

and he was like right I'm going to make this movie and you're going to be the beautiful girl and what it is it starts off as a rom comedy it's a rom comedy and then it turns in to a horror. And I was like, but you're trying to stay professional, so you're like, yeah, it's great, great idea, that's amazing, yeah, absolutely. And he was like, so we're going to do the proposal scene where

I propose to you. Oh, no. And I was like, there was just me and this man in his living room on a chair. You have to kiss him? No, I didn't, but he was like, and then he had, he had like an emotional temper tantrum, and I, my job

was to improvise and to try and win him over and he was like my character likes milkshake strawberry milkshake so there's him going no no and me going would you like a strawberry milkshake would you like a strawberry milkshake oh my god and then he and then and then it was one of those moments where I was like this is a prank and everyone's going to pop out and there's going to be cameras because he was like right the next bit is that you're um is that you're you die in the movie but there's a computer chip in the back of your head and I was like so you're going to the computer chip and then you're on the run because the MI5 want to get this. It was the shittest movie in the history of movies.

But you have to commit. You have to. This script, this guy gave me last year to read. I was reading through it and he's like, so what do you think about the part where? And I was like, I'm really sorry, but it makes no sense. There is no storyline. And he was like, oh, okay. And I was like, he was like, the writers are very, very famous.

I was like, who are then? He's like, it's all under NDA. And I was like, no, you can tell me. who the writer of this is. And it was the worst thing I've ever read in my life. And then you're like, I don't know, this is the thing. Like you were saying, I think early, I remember one of the second or third auditions I had, I mean, when I first graduated, my agent was like just hilarious. I mean, she operated from her living room. And there was one point where I went for an agent's meeting and she had like an open plan kitchen living room

and she went to the kitchen. But I could still see her. It was just one room. and then turned her back like this and for about like a good 15 minutes I was just watching her back and then she was like turned around and was like okay yeah sorry ready for the meeting and I was like

yeah because I mean we've been in the same room anyway but then one of about I think that's about a second or third audition this is quite dark actually and it was in a I can never remember this place it's somewhere it's like old street

but it's like back back end of Old Street. And it's in, it's almost in like a basement. And it's like really damp. It's horrible. I've been there twice and the other one was reputable. So I don't think it's the place.

Anyway, and I walked in and it was a commercial casting. And the whole premise of the thing was that there would be like, and these are, I think the words of the thing, like unattainable woman. And then the guy who managed to get her. Right.

So it was like a, the through storyline, crap storyline was like a success of like, wow, look, this conventionally unattractive man has managed to get this conventionally attractive woman, like whenever, and it was like a beat against the odds kind, you know, these crap commercial storylines they have. Anyway, and the scene was in the living room and he would make a move on me and for some reason, I can't even remember, I think it was like a coffee or something, but it

wasn't a British, you know, a British, like made in the UK thing. And whatever it was was meant sort of indicating a little bit like that I was under the influence, which already is really dodgy, but definitely of not, not of my right mind. And so when he made a move on me, I would be like, oh, yes, almost like the lynx effect, that kind of feel, right? And this guy, he was like, he was like really big guy. He was really, really sweaty and hairy and like all of this stuff. And then he was sitting on this like makeshift sofa with him.

and the castor director, whoever the person was in the room was like, oh, okay, so now you're going to kiss, go in and like kiss her neck and she's going to react and be like, oh, like, wow, this is magnetism. Anyway, this went on for a bit and I was like, oh, I'm not, like, you don't get paid for castings. This is horrible. And I looked down and I realized that the guy's flies were undone. And he had like a semi. God. Who, the cast and director or the guy you're aware? No, the guy that was weird, the actor.

And I was like, oh no, this is really embarrassing for him. So at like one point, the person who was in the room was like chatting and I was like, oh, do you, like, your flies are undone? And he was like, what? And I was like, it's just saying, the flies when done. And he was like, yeah. And I went, oh, no, so do you want to like do your flies out? And he was like, nah.

and then the guy was like okay guys can me pay attention please so we're gonna and I was like and there was like a split a second where I was like hold on a second is this happening he knows he knows his place where I'm done he's got like some kind of semi erection going on and the now the castor director who didn't know what was going on but the whole scenarios were anyway eventually and I was really because this was early on in my career I like did I did what you did I stood up and I was like do you know what I just don't think that this is the part for me and I as I went to leave, the casting director was like, well, like, let's just finish it. We might as well finish it.

And the guy went, yeah, you might as well finish it. And I was like, no, okay, see you later. I'm done. I'm done. You might as well finish it. I was like, oh, I'm gone. Bye. See you later.

Oh. And so that's an example of like, actually, I don't think looking back that it was the outfit that was weird. I think it just happened to be the guy that was with. That's great. awful. It's gross, right? Absolutely awful. It's my first ever TV movie.

My first ever... I was 18 years old and I got a role on a TV movie and we filmed for a whole month in Yorkshire and we got quite close as like a TV crew and thankfully I'd made best friends with all the stunt team and I later like did a couple of stunt things with them in other movies but I, so luckily I had like allies in these like big men and we were. It was the last day of the filming and we were having the rap party. And we were at the hotel and someone said to us, hey, the real rat party is actually up in the penthouse, which is where the director was staying in the hotel.

So everybody was leaving the foyer of the bar and we were getting into the lift that goes up to the penthouse. So a bunch of us got into the lift and the director was there. And again, I was like 18. I was wearing a dress. And as we were going up in the lift, he put his hand up my dress into my knickers and like pinged my knicker elastic. and I just froze

and was like oh my God oh my God like a grown man and I was like ew I've met your wife and your kids and you're putting your hand in my knickers

and I froze and then he was like he was talking to me about maybe getting another role and I was like and I was like and then I went to the stuntman and I was like

the director just put and I was say his name it was Justin Hardy and from Hardy pictures and I was like he just put his hand in my knickers and the men just formed like, they formed a little barrier around me for the rest of the night.

And I was just like, thanks guys. But if they weren't there, oh, it just happens. And I didn't report it. And again, I didn't think to report it. It was this really weird mentality of like, if I kick up a ruckus about it, then I'm not going to be on TV and I'm not going to be able to do anything.

Like, I felt really, but now, obviously, now with like the Me Too and stuff, I think the directors are the ones that are actually more scared. I remember filming something and somebody who was in the art department. It was in a taxi, one of the scenes was in a taxi, and I was wearing not that much. And they were trying to sort out the lighting. And so I had to stay in one position. And the guy who was from the art,

who'd been like clearly annoyingly flirtatious the whole day or trying to be, opened the door of the cab and like crawled onto the floor and was like, I just need to check, check, check. a couple of things in here, check lighting and stuff. And I was like, right. And they were like, okay, Maddie, just stay where you are, please. You just need to check lighting because they were trying to get a reflection

off the wing mirror and stuff. And yet I'm really aware that this guy is like lying around, like around my legs. It's a cat. It's a black cab. It's not that much room. So then they're going, okay, all right, we're going to go for a take. Okay, he's still in the cab. He's still down there, right?

And I'm wearing a skirt. He's right there. Like, he's between my legs, literally. And they're like, okay, we're rolling. And action, Maddie. And literally part of me, I was like, be professional, be professional. I didn't mention it at the time because later when we'd cut, it wasn't that long after. They opened the door and they were like, dude, what are you doing in here?

And he was like, oh, I got stuck in here. And I was like, I mean, that's not what happened. Much later, I made friends with the gaffer and I told him, I was like, oh, by the way, like, just like, it was quite a weird thing. You know, I'm not saying he touched me on it. It's just, it was very weird that he was like lying down there. between my legs essentially. And some other women had made, had like said something about him as well.

And he got booted off the rest of the, the rest of the shoot. I actually, I was researching this on, because it's not just us sort of like beginner actors or, it's like big actresses have the same thing as well. So it was, um, Fandy Newton. She did an audition where the director asked her to sit with her legs apart.

and the camera was positioned where it could see up her skirt. And he then asked her, he said, right, put your leg over one arm of the chair. So she was right over. And she said, before you start your dialogue, think about the character. And what the character is, how the character felt about the other character making love to them. So basically, if it was like, get turned on and then do your lines. And not only this, that later on, Newton found out that the director had circulated the video at various parties. What the hell?

But yeah, I just... But yeah, so, Johanna, you did a shout out, didn't you, on your socials? I did. I encourage people to get in touch with their stories, where Johanna finds other stories, some people write in, so what's this week? So, on my Twitter, one of my actor friends called Maxim Rotsley, Max said that he once went for a job and the director spent the whole read drawing a little beard in Beiro on his headshot.

That's so disrespectful. Oh my God. That's awful. I know. Just like, imagine just being like, thank you. And you've just got like a little tash on your on your headshot. Great.

Cheers. Thanks, mate. That is so disrespectful. Honestly, the more you go into this industry, the less like, I think the more I'm able to stand up for myself. Because I think if I saw that, oh boy.

Yeah, I would. It is, isn't it? I think it's as you get older, as you become more aware of who you are and what's acceptable, it suddenly is. I wouldn't think twice now. Like if I went to that same audition that I read out, I'd have gone in and gone,

well, nobody's here. I'm sorry, I'm just going to ring my agent. And then that would have been it. It would have been finished and been like, yeah, I'm leaving. What I also found as well, which is something that, now that we've got places like Tumblr and Twitter and the internet, this stuff can be brought to light. But when you look at casting breakdowns on casting calls and audition calls,

Oh, these are awful. It is ridiculous. So I just pulled up just a couple that I could find on the internet and I was like, oh my God. So this one is called, the character is called The Other One, a beautiful young woman, brackets nudity. It says the other one is an... She's an ethereal character that appears throughout the film in the background,

reclining naked, very carefully and tastefully done. And during the first, we get close-ups of her amazing face and she speaks a few words to camera but no acting experience is necessary and just a very interesting look yeah very pale skin is interesting long hair magical eyes we look forward to seeing you i'm sure you do females aged 18 to 26 sorry if you're over 26 you're an old bag so absolutely not wow now this one um it says the girl should be over 18 but appear 15 Oh no. Oh, that's awful.

Looking for an attractive but shy looking, sad girl who's driven to suicide after posting nude videos of herself. Actress must be okay with nudity, topless and rear nudity. Rear nudity. That is those two words together. Your anus. Your anus. Just your anus in the world. That's fine. You will be improvising emotions. And this will be a point. portrait of your life. This is very underground, so there's no pay,

but you will be provided with a producer credit and, of course, an acting credit on IMDB. A producing credit. But you've not been a bridging. Looking for an actress who can provide her own room or access to a room. So,

want to do days of suiting. Very simple, but very complex and emotion. So you want to look underage, get naked, no pay, provide your own location, for free, bullshit casting. No, no, no, no, Johanna, I'm sorry, but you get a producer credit on I am really. Oh, it's worth it, babe.

I just, it's literally like, it's like, we want you to be sexy, but not too sexy, and we want you to be hot, but also very, very shy. And if you can be sad, but at the same time. Yeah, suicidal, but sexy suicidal, like, yeah. What is that?

And this one says, prefer an actor who's not thin. It's a great role for a feminist. Oh, wow. What? Well, this has been a weird little journey from your diary. We've gone from your diary to a cab, a weirdo in a cab right the way around. But this is amazing.

To rear nudity, from nooses to... Nusus and nudity. That's the name of the podcast. That's the name of the podcast. Nuses and nudity. Nuses and nudity. I'm writing that down. Oh my goodness.

Thank you, Maddie, for giving us your time. Yeah, and thank you. That's a very deep. Pleasure. Thanks for having me. Different to any of the podcast we've done. So thanks for sticking with us, guys. And hopefully it's been educational.

Please do get in touch with any of your stories. If you want to share anything, you can. You can get in touch with us at D.M.S. Nickathieveeve across our socials, of course, are at Joanna James at it's Sophie Craig. Maddie, where can people find you? So on my Twitter at Maddie underscore Anhalt, because someone's taken at Maddie Anhalt. But on Instagram, I am at Maddie Anhalt.

Yeah. You're a good tweet. You're active. You're active on the social. I neglect my Twitter. It's terrible. No, but your Instagram's like top game. No.

Top game. I've never said that man live. Top game. Top game. Top game. Top game. Slipping. Okay.

I'm going to like it. See ya. This podcast is part of Podomity, the UK's podcast Comedy Network. Why not laugh at what else we've got? Visit Podomity.com.