Daphne Agten received daily death threats during her record-breaking nineteen-episode run on the television quiz show De slimste mens, Nieuwsblad reported.
The 36-year-old actor broke the show’s participation record two years ago. Behind the scenes of her public success, she faced intense hostility.
“I got death threats every day,” Agten told the magazine Humo, as reported by Nieuwsblad. “People wrote: ‘You are ruining the whole television landscape! Why do I have to look at your ugly face every evening?! Die!!!’”
Before her time on the quiz show, Agten had been approached on the street about five times in total. Afterward, it happened every day, according to Nieuwsblad.
“It’s also a different kind of notoriety,” Agten said, as reported by Nieuwsblad. She recounted an incident where a fan approached her to express admiration before asking what her profession actually was.
She compared her visibility to film actors. Actors in the movie Coward by Lukas Dhont can still walk through Brussels undisturbed, she noted, but De slimste mens candidates cannot.
When Amber Piddington performed well in a later season, Agten sent her a bouquet of flowers. She wanted to offer encouragement after experiencing the pressure of long runs on the program.
“When you are in the game for that long, a lot comes at you, so I wanted to support Amber,” Agten said, as reported by Nieuwsblad.
She also recalled an instance at a friend’s wedding where a mayor welcomed the couple and then introduced her as an important guest. She stated that the worst part was how often fame gets confused with importance.
She did not want to use the show as a springboard to fame, stating simply that she wanted to quiz as the nerd she is, according to Nieuwsblad.
She completed nineteen consecutive appearances on the program, setting a record for the series two years prior to her interview with Humo, Nieuwsblad reported.
Keep reading