Tarikh Janssen, the reason why you secretly want to see The Bodyguard again
Last week I wrote why a visit to the musical The Bodyguard is your ultimate girls night out, and one of the compelling reasons (besides the songs, the dancers, the amazing performance by Nyassa Alberta) was definitely Tarikh Janssen. He makes the North Pole feel steamy.
If you survived Kamp van Koningsbrugge, performing for an audience must be a piece of cake, I think. Or maybe not?
‘Kamp van Koningsbrugge was incredibly intense, it’s about pushing physical and mental boundaries, with musicals it’s the challenge to keep it challenging within the limits seven times a week. There are so many disciplines connected that I can’t just freewheel. But within those clear frameworks, I try to give depth to my character. I do that by bringing my mood of the day into it, which allows me to portray a different Frank Farmer every day. I call that playing from the inside out. That’s how I give depth to the role.’
I think you can also give the audience a corrective nudge in your role when a mobile phone goes off again.
‘That is indeed very doable in this role. I sometimes want to look at someone for just a few seconds who is constantly on their phone, chatting too loudly, or laughing inappropriately. That works really well, I must say.’
You work as an actor for TV, film, and in the theater. Is there something you love?
‘I don’t want to rule anything out. You only live once and I want to get everything out of it, so I will never choose just one thing. After a while in theater, I always feel the need to break out, to seek variety.’
I can imagine that participating in Kamp van Koningsbrugge is good prep for this role. A real bodyguard must also go through thick and thin and be afraid of nothing and no one. You mentioned that you are afraid of deep seas. Any idea where that comes from?
‘In Curaçao, the water is very clear: you can see your toenails. But as you go further, you only see deep blue water, the great unknown, and then I completely freak out. When I dive, I don’t have that, then I have connection and grip. I remember a moment in my life when that fear started. I was nine and the swimming champion of Curaçao. I was swimming with other boys while a football was kicked far into the water. Everyone looked at me because I could swim so well, so I had to get that ball, but I froze and couldn’t do it. That combination of fear of rejection from the boys and fear of the sea I can still feel. By the way, I recently overcame that fear, or at least dared to look the beast in the mouth. I filmed a movie, Invasion, a marine film, and I play the lead role in it. We also shot in Curaçao and we were thrown into the deep end in open sea. Very scary, but I did it.’
I was at the premiere of The Bodyguard and I don’t know which scene affected me the most. A case of too many choices. Which scene impresses you the most? Or does that vary from night to night?
‘I look forward to the karaoke scene every night. Aside from the fact that I get to sing ‘I will always love you’, the rules are loosened and the audience and performers become one. That’s a really nice moment, just before the break.’
Did you intentionally watch the movie for preparation or not?
‘Definitely. What I find so good about Kevin Costner is that he remained so mysterious. Whitney, on the other hand, is an incompetent reptile that goes in all directions, she just plays herself.’
You are a sporty man, swam at a top level until you were eighteen, but you must have pushed yourself a bit for this performance. How did you prepare for it?
‘I always have a basic fitness level, but I did ramp it up for this role. Extra exercising, CrossFit, kickboxing, fitness… I love to eat a lot, now I try not to eat after eight and postpone breakfast. I also think it’s good to give your body the opportunity to focus on other things than processing your food. Even after the show, I try not to eat. What does go down is a beer. Although I don’t have time for that now, I can be a real pub tiger.’
Performing full pull every night, sharp as a knife: it seems tough, especially since you haven’t been a father for very long. How is it emotionally for you to be away every night?
‘The nice thing about this job is that I’m home during the day and work while my child sleeps, so I think I spend more time with my daughter than a father with a daytime job.’
And physically? Are you managing to get enough sleep?
‘No, haha. I go to bed at one o’clock and get woken up at seven. I do seven shows a week. I think I won’t do that anymore, I’ll negotiate better. Since it’s only half a year, it’s manageable. Musical is really hard work, especially for the dancers and the ensemble.’
If you had to entice people in one sentence to come to The Bodyguard, an elevator pitch for the musical, what would you say?
If you want an evening of excitement, romance, and Whitney Houston, then you must go to The Bodyguard.’
In September, you will make way for Pretty Woman, also a musical that I’m particularly looking forward to by the way. Any idea what you will do after that or are you diving fully into this adventure for a while longer?
‘We are expecting a second child in September, so I have two months for that. I will start learning lines because from January I will be performing 70 shows of Sonny Boy, based on the book by Annejet van der Zijl. Something very different, but something I’m really looking forward to.’
But until then, Tarikh is Frank Farmer every day, so I would say: go see it. I have already reserved my next ticket.
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