Theo Maassen auditioned for Taxi, but dropped out: ‘Intimacy with passengers is uncomfortable’ | Stars

entertainment">The comedian tells that in his podcast Experience for beginners, in which he talks to Maarten Spanjer about his career. Spanjer presented the NCRV program for four seasons in the 1990s. After that, several actors took over the place behind the wheel.

entertainment">“I auditioned and it went quite well,” Maassen admits. “But in the end I didn’t want to. I found it very uncomfortable to have a certain intimacy with the passengers while I was still playing a part.” Before the audition, he spoke with a lady about sex, among other things. “It was a very cool Amsterdam woman who said that she occasionally watched a porn movie with her husband. I didn’t want the intimacy of the car on television at that time.”

Law enforcement

entertainment">Spanjer admits that he has sometimes experienced that feeling of discomfort. “Someone takes a taxi and suddenly becomes part of a TV program. In essence, that is not right.” According to the former presenter, some people in the taxi also demanded that the police come afterwards. “Some people wanted to have the connection with the recordings. I always said: do that, give that band. Because this gentleman is right.”

entertainment">Taxi was one of the great success numbers of the NPO in the 1990s. As a taxi driver, Spanjer had candid conversations with unsuspecting passengers. The program then attracted nearly 3 million viewers every week.

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