Ooh: the cliffhanger of GTST is drama, drama, drama again

Guys, the time of carefree living is definitely not over. It never was. Completely understandable that they scrapped that line earlier this year, because in Meerdijk, misery is often everywhere. No, life doesn't spare you, Meerdijkers. And tonight is the cliffhanger of season 29. Hallelujah, next year it's just The Big 3-0 for the pride of the Netherlands GTST, also known as the national guilty pleasure. Because let's be honest: either you've already watched it on Videoland or you're going to watch it tonight. Last option: you watch it later. That cliffhanger is still a thing, isn't it? And this season, a lot is going on. Two characters are not sure of their lives. Someone comes out of a coma and doesn't waste any time on his new love interest. There's a helicopter. There's singing. Even vlogging. I discussed all the ins and outs of tonight with Everon, Lone, Dorian, and Britt. Get ready. Sometimes happiness, but tonight especially sadness.

Meerdijkers, tonight the cliffhanger. What are we going to see? Short but powerful; I want to hear one word.

Lone: ‘Unexpected.’
Dorian: ‘A lot. Yes, a lot. Haha. Normally you have one cliff that multiple characters deal with. Then it's just one event. And now you actually have multiple cliffs, from multiple characters. Each character has their own storyline, so that's really a big difference.’
Britt: ‘Versatile, yes.’
Everon: ‘He is different than we might be used to. There are of course four stories that don't really come together, but all four do lead to a cliff, of which I am now also a small part. And I think a lot is being set up for next season. With Nina and Daan too. What I don't know is whether Bing will ever find out what is going on between them or maybe will go on. But that certainly promises tension for the next season. So mainly tension.’ (That was a bit more than one word Everon, but we forgive you – editor.)

At least give us a little hint about next season:

Dorian: ‘Okay okay, small spoiler… Daan naturally wakes up from his coma and he wakes up very differently than he was. A lot has happened in the period before his coma and he now has very different thoughts about others and about himself.‘
Britt: ‘My character has of course experienced that things were really not going well with Jojo. She was very worried and that was not unjustified, that will be evident in the next season, so in terms of friendships, it will be a heavy and exciting season.’

What would you still like to see for your character?
Everon: ‘Wow, I've been in it for fourteen years of course. I've experienced a lot. But Bing is really a fighter, so I would love to see him get into such a difficult situation that he manages to fight his way out of it again. I'm curious about how he would be if he lost everything.’
Lone: ‘Well, I would like it if she gets a relationship or something. But a relationship that is not very healthy. Not in a too romantic way, just a bit destructive. That seems exciting to me.’
Dorian: ‘I was actually quite satisfied with the storylines I had. I had a lot to play with, there is a lot of variety, a character can really become big.’
Britt: ‘Ooh, that's difficult. Kimberly has come into Meerdijk a bit as a kind of bad girl, a mischievous character. Through love, that has changed, so I think that if something were to happen that brings that back up, she would show her true nature again… I would find that cool.’

What is the secret of GTST, that keeps people tuning in every evening?

Britt: ‘Definitely because it was one of the first programs, so it has something familiar. I think almost everyone has seen an episode of GTST at least once. If I were to say to someone: ‘I play Ludo's niece’, then everyone knows who Ludo is.’
Lone: ‘Yes, that might be it too, a bit of nostalgia. I also think it's history in television. It's a series that has been running for thirty years, whether you like it or not.’
Dorian: ‘The nice thing about GTST is of course that it is there every day, which is not the case with anything else. With another series, you have eight episodes and then you have to wait again for a whole season. It almost feels like it's your own neighbors you're watching and you can empathize with the characters. That is very unique to a soap, I think.’
Everon: ‘I think the secret is that over 80 people work on it daily with a lot of love. It's sometimes called a machine, but I actually find that quite disrespectful. A machine sounds like this is easy, like it just goes and is a guaranteed success: go, go, go. But it has been running for so long and that can only happen if it is made with a lot of love. And I think that is the success, besides that GTST shows to be innovative, like with the story for Instagram Stories on the GTST account. GTST was the very first drama series to do that for Instagram in the Netherlands. Something to be proud of.’

What is your very first, and nicest memory of GTST?

Everon: ‘My very first is probably the moment I stepped in here, back then with my mother Dorothea. I came in and it was so nice. They really made me feel at home here, so I felt safe very quickly. That is a really nice memory and also the reason why I am still here.’
Britt: ‘That I watched it every day with my mother. Then it was every day at eight o'clock with a cup of tea in front of the TV. That is really my first memory. And then during the break, I had to quickly put on my pajamas and then after the last part immediately go to sleep.’

GTST is my ultimate guilty pleasure. What is yours?

Dorian: ‘I really like Justin Bieber's music. And Disney. I still find it very fun to watch. And Harry Potter, the books. Absolutely. I think I've read all the books about four times. Okay, five times. That's pretty much heading towards guilty pleasure, right? And including the spin-offs.’
Everon: ‘That's really that I go to McDonald's a bit too often. I'm really, really, really into the Big M. Oh my god. I never really feel bad afterwards. I don't have that at all, I really like going there. But I shouldn't do that too much, because yeah… Otherwise, you'll see it.’

Any plans besides GTST?

Everon: ‘Yes, something is definitely going to happen. I can't say anything, but something is going to happen. It's a movie, somewhere this fall, I have a leading role, but I won't say anything more.’