If the All Blacks winning the Rugby World Cup wasn’t enough to inspire you to fulfill a long held dream, then try our new series Iconoclasts, starting next week.
Exclusive to Rialto Channel, this is a Sundance Channel production that brings together two "trailblazing creative visionaries" to discuss their lives and the passion they have for their respective careers. Artists, chefs, scientists and sportsmen all feature, and the aim of the show, which it achieves quite successfully, is to provide a glimpse of the real person behind the public persona.
In the Concise Oxford English Dictionary iconoclast is defined as “a person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions”, and in these documentaries the term is used to describe groundbreakers, innovators and rule breakers. It’s up to you to determine which of those profiled fit that description, a few may surprise you.
There is a connection between the twosomes; musician Lenny Kravitz and filmmaker Lee Daniels are best friends, actor Hugh Jackman and chef Jean George Vongerichten are neighbours in New York; in the case of actress Charlize Theron and Primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, both are UN Messengers of Peace.
The set-up can feel forced at times, but once everyone is settled in the casual conversations revel fascinating insights into the reality of their work and the challenges and pressures they deal with. Adding to this are individual interviews to camera which reveal more about the personal life of these Iconoclasts.
This is the fifth series of the hour long documentary series, and it also features actress Cate Blanchett and eco-scientist Tim Flannery, director Ron Howard and basketballer Steve Nash, and visual artist Chuck Close and illusionist David Blaine. It’s an interesting and at times unexpected mix of people, and a gentle reminder that sometimes celebrities genuinely have something interesting and thought provoking to say beyond their medium, and can, dare I say, make a difference.
Iconoclasts screens every Wednesday throughout November and the first two weeks in December at 8.30pm.