By David Farrier
It's a cold, wet day in Takapuna, and Paul Henry is here shooting a Snickers commercial.
Overseas, the ads are fronted by Joan Collins, Betty White and Joe Pesci, with each actor portraying a certain emotion.
Henry, whose emotion is "mean", says he is still learning while in front of the camera.
“I think that's what you realise when you're in live TV; you go out and you just do it. With a commercial you go out and you do it once then you do it from another angle 17 times!”
Henry is happy talking about the ad, which will air in a few weeks time.
He's not as happy when I enquire about his Australian show, Breakfast, on Channel 10.
“Do you want me to talk about the arsehole herald?”
He did, a little, but wouldn't be pressed on his own feelings about low ratings.
Breakfast debuted with 51,000 viewers and now averages around 28,000 a day.
“I appreciate that you're trying to re-launch this interview,” he says.
“I can see the fascination in your evil eyes.”
I suggested, considering past events, that maybe some New Zealanders enjoyed seeing him fail a little.
“They take a little bit of satisfaction in it. Oh I am sure some people do.”
Then Henry just stared at me.
On set, a man in white gloves made sure a Snickers bar looked as pristine as possible. And then, off the topic of ratings, Henry was back on form.
“This man all day has been opening Snickers bars and figuring out if they're perfect for the commercial.”
Chances are this commercial will have a bigger audience than his Australian show. And as that remains up in the air, Henry is sure about one thing.
“Ultimately I will come back to New Zealand. Even if it is just to be buried.”
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