Most celebrity interviews offer the same kind of fodder. A little plug for a show, a mention for a cause, or perhaps a retrospective on a career or project. “The Assembly,” CBC and CBC Gem’s newest interview series, flips the script on those expectations while offering unprecedented insight into the neurodivergent community.
“The Assembly,” which debuts Thursday night, is adapted from the French series “Les Rencontres du Papotin,” a show that has sparked several international iterations since its debut in 2022. The premise is simple enough: a celebrity sits down for an interview with a group of neurodiverse interviewers. No question is off the table.
Yet the show itself offers a complicated and compelling viewpoint for a community that is often under-represented in mainstream media.
In the Canadian version, executive producers Sean De Vries and Stephen Sawchuk cast the interviewers through community connections and outreach in Vancouver, and spoke with roughly 100 people who were interested in participating. After six months they narrowed it down to 47 cast members with 30 to 35 people present during each taping.
“I wanted to participate for a few reasons but primarily because I saw it as an opportunity to challenge the negative way nonspeaking autistic people are viewed in society,” says 24-year-old interviewer Damon Kirsebom, who had no way of communicating his thoughts for the first 14 years of his life.
He now uses an iPad to interact with others and is just one of the nonspeaking interviewers featured on the show. He shouted out Luke Verhoeff, a fellow interviewer who only gained access to communication two years ago; Kirsebom was in awe of how Verhoeff put himself out there.
“So often, people believe someone like me cannot understand or is too difficult to include. I really wanted to demonstrate that I am interested in what is going on in the world and am curious about what people have to say,” he added.
There were no contractual obligations for interviewers to appear right up until filming and every interviewer was compensated for their time. There were also consultants on set, a handful of filming locations that made use of natural light and sensory rooms available.
Conversely, although production offset travel costs for the celebrities, they did the show pro bono. Every shoot was three hours straight with six cameras rolling, and the likes of Howie Mandel, Russell Peters, Jann Arden and Allan Hawco agreed to dish on whatever they were asked. That could mean exposing their darkest thoughts, what body parts they shave or, in the case of Arden, how it feels to have a brother in jail for murder.
According to producers, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan flew in from another project she was filming, did “The Assembly,” then flew back to set the same day. Mandel was their first yes, and agreed to do the series after a brief conversation about the premise with another producer who worked with him on “Canada’s Got Talent.”
“We wanted to work with recognizable celebrity guests who had a fair amount of lived experiences and ups and downs,” said Sawchuk. “We also needed to make sure the guests would be playful and vulnerable, and someone the interviewers would be genuinely interested in.”
Another large part of the series was securing celebrities without a cause. According to De Vries, they had to love “The Assembly” for what it was and not look at it like a marketing opportunity.
“This was certainly not a financial one,” he said. “If they believed in what we were doing and knew the concept and were invested in it, they were a fit. Without a doubt, every single person that came on felt that way.”
When it came to researching the celebrities he interviewed, Kirsebom would scour social media, watch previous interviews, discover their histories and read any books they might have written. He tried to find common ground with each one or learn more about the difficult situations they had faced.
“My intention, overall, was to afford them an opportunity to relate to viewers who are struggling, to share their reasons for doing good in the world, or even to reframe something about themselves that has been perceived as negative,” he said.
For “Dragons’ Den” star and entrepreneur Arlene Dickinson, “The Assembly” was the best interview she’s ever had. She was touched by the authenticity and diversity of the interviewers and their unfiltered questions, which led to deep and meaningful interactions.
“It was the most moving experience I’ve had in terms of really being able to connect with people in a different way,” she said. “There are no barriers or guardrails in place in terms of what they asked, but also the questions truly came from a place of deep interest.”
Dickinson added that sometimes in traditional interviews, she can tell the questioner has an agenda. That can lead to feeling like they only want a sound bite or a quote on a specific topic, rather than making an actual connection. “The Assembly” was nothing like that.
“They were looking for human interaction and a connection,” she continued. “It was a real conversation. Traditional media have mandates from their organizations and different objectives. This was just free reign that gave them permission to think differently. It’s more like a crossover between social media and TV.”
Dickinson said none of the questions were predictable, and she found herself discussing things like what it’s like to be alone at her age (she’s 69), her divorce and being kicked out of her church.
“I wanted to do this because I knew it was going to be interesting and that I was going to learn something as a human,” Dickinson said. “I felt that. I came away with more than I gave.”
“The show is important not simply as entertainment, but also as a reminder that we can all benefit when we take the time to really listen to one another,” said Kirsebom.
“The series offers unique insight into famous Canadians and into the autistic individuals who interview them. It feels amazing to have been part of a production in which autistic Canadians are finally able to shape the way others view us in society — and I find this especially important as a nonspeaking participant.”
