It was her mother who told Rebecca Gibney that hosting Hot Seat was a chance to give back to the people who supported her.
When she was first approached as a host Millionaire Hot Seat, Rebecca Gibney immediately dismissed the idea and didn’t think about it again.
But producer Jo Porter, with whom she had a long history Packed right up to the Raftershadn’t given up.
“I said, No, don’t be stupid!” And then she called back and said, ‘But would you really consider it?’” she said.
“And I hadn’t really thought about it. I thought, ‘That’s just putting me out of the picture.’ As an actor you are given a character and you stand behind the mask.”
Ultimately, it was Gibney’s own mother who convinced her to say yes.
“My mother thinks my 45-year career has led me to this moment!” she laughed.
“She said, ‘Honey, this is your chance to be part of something that gives back to the people who have supported you all these years. To give away potentially life-changing amounts of money and be there when it happens. What a privilege!’
“And it’s an absolute privilege to be up close and personal with someone and be the one to say to them, ‘You just won $100,000’ and see what that does to them.”
Reveals on Monday 10 Millionaire Hot Seat with Gibney rebooting the show which ran for 15 seasons on Nine with Eddie McGuire. Now 10 is rolling the dice as the new 7pm quiz to bring a bigger audience to the 7.30pm shows.
Gibney, who has filmed about 200 episodes, admits it’s been a wake-up call to appreciate the responsibility she carries as host.
“I don’t think people realize how hard this job is. I’ve always had respect for the Grants and the Larrys and the Eddies, but when you sit in that seat yourself, you realize the enormity of what awaits you. It’s a freight train!” she admits.
“On my first day on set, when I walked out of there, I said, ‘Oh my God, this is my fault,’ and the imposter syndrome came back. All the feelings, the nerves, the fear. It took a long time and I still get very nervous when I go out, but I kind of know the game engine now. I kind of know what I’m doing, but it’s still tiring.”
Still, the chance to give away money to hopeful participants was rewarding, and sometimes unexpected.
“I can’t help but invest in the contestants’ journeys. So when they win big, I’m elated, but when they lose big, I’m also devastated. So there have been more than a few tears shed,” she continues.
“No two shows are the same. The gameplay is the same, but you don’t know what you’re going to get from each participant, because they might say something, and then they go out, and the lights and everything can be overwhelming. So you try to calm them down or just get the best out of them, but you also want them to feel relaxed. You want them to have a good time. So that’s a responsibility too.”
Gibney makes up to four episodes a day, sometimes four days a week.
“By the end of Thursday I’ll be a basket case. I can’t really talk. My poor husband!” she reveals.
“I just have to learn to deal with that somehow without getting exhausted. I still haven’t figured that out.”
“I (asked Grant Denyer): ‘How do you get through this?’ And he says: ‘As long as I’ve had a bit of a break beforehand. I know it’s a punishment, so you just have to be match fit.’ And I said, ‘I probably shouldn’t have done an STC gig eight weeks in a row, eight weeks in a row, and then had ten days off before I started doing this.’
Gibney, who performed Famous master chef, (“That was a walk in the park compared to this!”) knows the ratings will be heavily scrutinized, but isn’t about to get bogged down by anyone else’s concerns.
“I can’t handle that. I’ve done my best. And if it doesn’t work, there’s not much I can do about it.”
At least mum is on board, even though she lives in NZ.
‘She’s beside herself. She loves Tipping point, she loves The hunt. She can’t wait to see it,” she adds.
“And it’s not like I’m giving up acting. I literally have a week off from this and then I’ll start doing (HBO Max musical) Happiness 2. I’ve read the first five episodes. It’s fantastic. So I literally get a week off from this and start rehearsals.”
Millionaire Hot Seat is shown Monday to Friday at 7pm on 10.
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