Answers with Amanda de Cadenet

Answer 1

You got an unusual and early start in the television--how did that happen?

I started working early on, I was about 15 when I got my first job. I know that's an unusual first job to have early on, hosting television, but basically I needed a job. I was in school, and I had a family situation where suddenly we needed more money and I was cute enough that people said that I could model. So I went to try to get a modeling job, and I was not very successful because I had curves, and so fortunately somebody I met on a modeling job said--"You're good at talking to people. You should go interview for this talk show. They're looking for hosts." And so I went, and got the job. And my first television show was a live show. It was very unusual at the time because people at my age didn't work doing jobs like that. Really, it was out of necessity that I guess, had the courage to show up and just be myself really. And I like talking to people, so this has always been a good job for me.

What advice would you give to other women who are trying to make it in the TV industry?

It's a pretty dismal landscape for women in television as far as non-scripted goes. I wish there were more women who anchored their shows in television. Obviously there is the daytime arena and we have more women in that landscape than in any other place on television. Why is it that we're allowed to own the daytime space, but once it gets to be a little dark we're not given the same freedom? Unfortunately, what I would say is, don't let that discourage you, even though there are pretty depressing stats on the matter. We need more women. We need more girls who are fronting their own shows. So what I would say is, get out and make your own. If you have something to say, if you have an opinion, if you have a topic that you are passionate about, if you have a show idea, go make it with your friends. Make it, put it up online, tweet, and share it on your social media. Make people who are interested in what your show would be about informed about what you're doing. No one's going to come along and give you the opportunity, you have to go out there and make it happen. No one is going to come to you, in your bedroom, and give you a show. It's never happened to me, it's never happened to anyone successful. That is not how it works. It's a lot of hard work and commitment to an idea that you very strongly believe in. If you don't believe in it full heartedly, don't expect anyone else to. But I would say, go out and do it! That's what I did with The Conversation. I made it from my living room.

You've taken social media by storm, using it to talk about issues that are important to you. What have been some of your favorite trending hashtags and discussions from your time on Twitter?

I love social media because I'm interested in everyone's voice, and I feel like it's such a great, immediate way to connect with people who are interested in the same kinds of things as I am. I've done a lot of Twitter conversations and if I see one going on I'll get involved in it. Most of them are focused around body image, feminism, or sexism, or violent crimes against women, I really don't get involved with things like---Justin Bieber's trending, Angelina Jolie got a tattoo, great! Not interested. So most of what I get involved with are attached to socially conscious subject matter or something that I'm really interested in, whether that be women's issues or gender equality, or children injustice. Specifically causes surrounding helping women and children. As well as books, and films with women directors. I feel like there is a really active community online of women who are really producing creative media. I will get into any of those discussions online around any of those topics.

What message did you hope viewers would take away from the 2012 web series The Conversation, in which you interviewed some of the most influential women at the time?

The Conversation launched on Lifetime in 2012 and simultaneously online, and I launched on TV and online simultaneously because I wanted, ultimately for as many women as possible to be able to listen to the stories of the extraordinary women I was interviewing; whether it was Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus or Jane Fonda, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Or a transgender friend of mine named Yana Kamps, or a woman on the street. I had a segment where everyday women were able to speak about topics. I wanted everyone to hear those stories. So, I guess the overall message I would say is I really wanted women to know that we are not that dissimilar and that we can work together not against each other to create a world that is more supportive and encouraging for all of us.

Which celeb was the most fun to interview for The Conversation?

There were so many people who were great to interview. And everyone brought kind of her own so I really can't single anyone out as being more enjoyable than anyone else. Everyone had their own special that they gave to each show.

Who's your current celebrity crush?

Maybe Charlize Theron, she's my go to girl for a woman. I think she is beautiful and empowered and owns who she is in so many ways. But I think she knows how I feel about her, so that's no secret.

What do you think your new live talk series Undone with @AmandadeCadenet, premiering on Lifetime July 24th, will bring to the network that other shows don't currently offer viewers?

I wish it wasn't such an anomaly for a woman to have her own live late night show, but it is and so just that in itself is something that will be a new experience for the viewers of Lifetime. And I'm really excited to have this opportunity, it's a LIVE show, it's a half hour show, it's a topical, current show that incorporates interviews and my opinion and my guest's opinions on pop culture and what's happened in the world that week. And so, I anticipate it to be a lot of fun.

Whom do you hope to interview on Undone with @AmandadeCadenet?

I hope to interview people like Lea Michele, Nicole Richie, Whitney Cummings, Chelsea Handler, and even some men.

What events will you be covering this month? Is there anything you're particularly excited to talk about?

It's a weekly show, so I will be covering whatever events have occurred that week in our world. Mostly in the world of women that I think is significant to talk about. That's basically what it is. So, it's kind of a snapshot of what was happening in the week.

What are your goals for the show?

My goals for the show are to be able to give the audience an idea of everything that's gone on in the week, that they should know about in the world of women and pop culture.

What are some of the challenges about shooting Undone with @AmandadeCadenet live?

Well, I don't know yet because we haven't done it. But I will say that shooting live is a beast into itself. I've worked live for years, and its kind of fun because things can go horribly wrong and I love that. I love the unexpected. I don't like the predictable, and live certainly gives us that. I got my chops live, and hopefully I'll just remember what I'm doing.

One ongoing discussion is on body image. Have you ever been self-conscious of your body or of your looks? What would you say to other women who have?

Have I ever not been self-conscious of my body or my looks, actually, would be a better way to say it. I don't know anyone who isn't. I think every single woman no matter what she looks like on the outside has her own perception of how she looks through her own filter. Studies have shown that we do not see ourselves accurately, and some more than others. And I have definitely fallen into the category of some more than others--many times in my life where I have felt really bad about my body and myself. Then five years later I will look back on a photo and think, "I looked really good then." But I remember feeling bad and feeling like I didn't look good. So it's all to do with how I felt about myself at that time in my life. I have a lot of empathy for women who are brave enough to say that they are really uncomfortable in their bodies, because most of us do. I have never met a woman yet who has said, "Yes, everyday is great in my body." I don't know who that woman is, but it's no one I've met.

What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done on TV?

I don't know what it is. I probably blocked it out. I'm sure you can find it if you look back at some of my old clips of The Word, my other TV show.

What is your process to shoot covers for a magazine like Vogue?

My process in shooting covers really depends on which magazine I'm working for. I recently shot a cover for Flaunt magazine with Selena Gomez that was very much a collaboration; where I had an idea of what I wanted to show knowing that she was at a very transitional time in her life, in between being a girl and a young woman. And I wanted to explore that and express that in a way that was honoring a very subtle sexuality, that was not an explicit sexuality which I see with so many young women in the media. And so we kind of came up with this character and I asked her if she felt comfortable wearing this black wig and we walked around downtown, and shot in this really rundown old hotel, that was actually housing people that did not have homes. It was a great experience for both of us because it was a real collaboration. I shot a cover for Violet magazine that just came out of Brit Marling, again that was very much collaboration. Sometimes with magazines that are more creative like those magazines, you have much more free reign, and you can just shoot and afterword you can look and see what works for a cover. With someone like Vogue, you get way more restrictions. Like you have to put this outfit on, they have to be full length, they have to have this amount of space on top of the photo and the sides, the text needs to go here." It is literally like a diagram, and you have to fit your picture in the box. So it's a very different experience, but again it depends what Vogue you're shooting for. But I always like the challenge of finding a great cover shot.

What kinds of people do you like to photograph?

I like to photograph people who allow themselves to be seen, whether that is a super well known person or someone I just meet on the street. It's always about an authentic experience of the person. That to me is the best shot.

What's your favorite form of personal expression?

I would say photography, social media including my newsletter, creating my shows, really that is a full time job of expression. And really, my children. Nothing is more creative than parenting.

What was your most important tweet?

I really don't know. I don't think any Tweets are really THAT important.

What will distinguish Undone with @AmandadeCadenet from shows hosted by men?

I think ultimately, a male perspective is different to a female perspective and so what would be different is I'm a female and I have a very female perspective. I have a son and a husband and I love men and I appreciate them and I honor them, but I don't know what it's like to be a man; I don't live in a super male environment. So, my show is from my perspective and there are plenty of men whom I'm sure will be on my show and it will be a different experience for them just because women talk differently to men.

Regardless of gender, what about you will make Undone with @AmandadeCadenet unique?

That's a really good question; it's easy to peg something on gender being the thing that differentiates one thing from another. You know, I hate to say it but ultimately what is different and unique about this show is that it does have a perspective that is coming from a woman. And I cannot ignore that, because that is the facts. If there were five other women in the late night talk show space that I was able to look at, I would really have to create a format that is really unique, which I'm not saying I haven't, because I think I have. But the most unique thing is that it's a female filter. That's the truth.