Madeleine Sami has been confirmed as host of The Traitors NZ.
“It was all very last-minute because Paul [Henry] jumped off, and then there was a flurry of [the production company] trying to see a bunch of people and fill that position, and so it came in very last second. It was a bit out-of-the-blue to be auditioning, so when I got the call, I gave out a little squeal.”
The reality competition pits a group of strangers against one another in a remote location where a handful of them are marked as traitors, who have the job of “murdering” their fellow contestants one by one.
The faithful contestants try to vote out the traitors each night. If a traitor is among the last contestants standing, they win all the prizemoney. If it’s just faithfuls, they split the pool.
Sami says she’s most excited to see how contestants behave in the strange environment, a heritage home in a secret location.
“I’m really excited to observe human behaviour and the way groups of people act together under this kind of stress and pressure – it’s obviously kind of like what I’ve done for my whole life as an actor.
“It’s really fun to have a front row seat to watching the story of the season take place,” the 45-year-old adds.
Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami in The Breaker Upperers, which they wrote and directed. Photo / Supplied
With Henry having two drama-filled seasons under his belt as a host, will Sami be taking any lessons from the broadcasting veteran and his Traitors persona?
“Paul Henry as a human being is just a very mischievous kind of spirit,” Sami says with a laugh.
“I think that’s in the spirit of the show – his personality and that sort of playfulness, cheekiness and kind of naughtiness, it’s really essential. So I’m very happy to pick up where he left off, carry that bat on for my own.”
Sami is set to be the first female to host the New Zealand iteration of the show, something she says she’s thrilled about and not taking lightly.
“I‘ll tell you what, I’m putting in the hours now, so let’s see what happens. I’m just really excited to bring my persona to the role. I’m not giving anything away, but it’s going to be great.”
The castle where The Traitors NZ season 3 will be filmed. Photo / Supplied
So how does she think she might fare as a contestant on the show?
“I think I’d be a terrible contestant. I joked about this the other day, you know, as a moderately successful, occasionally award-winning actress, I always tried and hoped to use my power for good,” she says.
“Contrary to popular belief, I find lying quite hard to do in real life. I’d have to completely immerse myself in some sort of character and then I think everyone would just know the jig is up.”
Thankfully for Sami, her role as host will place her on the other side of the schemes, and she says that’s where she is most comfortable and most grateful to be.
“It’s so much less pressure to be the host, so I’m very excited to see what happens. I can’t wait.”