Fans of Netflix's The Circle are quick to binge episodes the moment they're released, but what is the experience of being on the show really like for contestants? In an exclusive interview with TheThings, Calvin Crooks opened up about his experience on the show - plus, he reveals the one thing that took him by surprise the most!
What Calvin Was Most Excited About, Watching 'The Circle'
Asked about his thoughts when the first 4 episodes of The Circle dropped, Calvin laughs, "I was excited."
"I wanted to see what I'm looking like, number one. Number two, I was excited to see what everyone else was looking like!"
Calvin is quick to point out that, while the audience is only able to see him talking to a screen, he's seeing the show from an entirely different perspective - and that's an interesting aspect of the process for him.
The Experience Of Speaking To A Screen
Speaking of speaking to a screen, the personal chef (and trainee firefighter, as reported by Screenrant and Blurred Reality!) explains that it was something of a new (albeit nostalgic) experience for him.
"The only time I would normally talk to a TV screen was when I was a kid playing Call of Duty - and I just used to yell at it!" he jokes.
Well, while that would surely keep viewers entertained, it's safe to say production was relieved Calvin wasn't yelling this time around!
The Mental Health Aspect Of 'The Circle'
Reflecting on what it was like, speaking to a screen, Calvin muses that while it felt "weird" at times, he was grateful that he was able to connect with someone throughout the filming process.
"It gets lonely in there," he admits.
"The good thing with The Circle," Calvin contines, "is there's always someone on the other end to talk to you, to make sure that, mentally, you're okay, and everything is going to plan."
"Netflix have done a good job with after care, as well as while everything was still going on with the show," he nods.
Calvin Shares What Surprised Him The Most
Whether or not Netflix was on hand to guide contestants through the experience, there were still some surprises, that even while small, threw him initially.
"The alert sounds!" he gasps - or, shall we say, the lack thereof.
"You don't hear the sounds when you get a message," Calvin explains, adding, "you just look up at the screen."
While he's quick to note that he adapted soon after realizing there would be notifications - "that's due to editing. They don't want to pick up the sound, so I get it," - it was an initial hurdle.
Calvin Weighs In On The Introduction Of New Rules
Prior to being cast on The Circle, Calvin was an avid viewer of the UK version of the show, so it only makes sense that new rules had the potential to mess with his game plan.
However, he's adamant that he took them in stride.
Asked whether he thought the new addition of being able to clone Circlers was something he deemed fair, Calvin answers, "with regards to anything that happens on any show, whether it's fair or not, we signed up for it."
He adds that rule changes and additions are all about perspective, elaborating, "just to get into the show is a blessing in itself!"
For that reason, he concludes that approach, from the start, was to take it all as it comes.
The question is, will that strategy work in his favor? Viewers will just have to stay tuned to see!
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