Paul de Leeuw seems to be demoted at the end of his TV career. Is he still an A-star or are those days definitely over? “I was about to accept things that I would normally reject.”
64-year-old Paul de Leeuw is at a point in his career where things can go one of two ways: either it becomes Henny Huisman-like sad or he reaches the untouchable status of André van Duin. Unfortunately, it seems to be the first option and that is mainly because Paul’s audience is getting older, but he himself is stuck with embarrassingly adolescent content.
Implosion
In the past, disastrous season of Ranking the Stars, Paul struggled for weeks between a collection of trashy reality types like Sjorleone and Patty Brard had to act as a flag on the mud barge. And now we see the TV presenter making entertainment on the backs of the elderly with dementia. Oops, oops, oops, it’s really not going well.
Paul does not know self-reflection: he would like to make another season of Ranking, he says again this weekend A.Dand therefore the implosion of his TV career is of course more than justified. “If RTL asks me again, I will simply participate again.”
Prime time
Does Paul really not care about the massive criticism? “No, that doesn’t keep me awake at night. Ranking the Stars was once conceived as a cult program and was now broadcast on primetime on Saturday evenings. Anyway, it didn’t score well and that’s my fault. And that’s fine.”
Well, it certainly won’t help Paul being asked for other projects. And it’s already so quiet. “I’m asked less, that’s just the way it is. There is a younger generation ready. It’s right that they also get opportunities. Yet there was a phase last year when I found that quite difficult.”
Take some getting used to
Paul is no longer in demand. Is he a B star now? “I had to get used to it. A year or two ago I thought: ‘This isn’t going to work for me at all.’ I was about to accept things that I would normally reject. Just to keep busy. Now there is more resignation. The caterpillar-never-enough feeling is gone.”
He concludes: “But there’s plenty to choose from, right? I’m going back to the theater, with the cabaret musical We’re family after all, and I’ve said yes to another TV program.”
