Madam star Johanna Cosgrove is funny and fabulous - Spy

Johanna Cosgrove shows her charisma in Three’s new show Madam.

It’s the star-studded and award-winning new Kiwi show about an ethical brothel, and ahead of Madam’s launch Ricardo Simich talks to one of the series’ stars, “entertainment force” Johanna Cosgrove, about her journey to the small screen – a rollicking ride that includes everything from Parisian clown school and comedy stages to Shortland Street.

In her first screen role in which she stars as an escort on Three’s new show Madam, Johanna Cosgrove tells Spy that her co-star Martin Henderson made her laugh so hard on set she almost p***ed her costume G-string.

The new show stars Australian Oscar-nominee Rachel Griffiths as Mack, the wife of Rob (Henderson), who starts an ethical Kiwi brothel after catching him cheating on her with an escort.

Cosgrove is a multi-talented entertainment force. She is an actor, comedian, writer and influential podcaster. She plays Jaz, one of Mack’s “Sweethearts” escorts.

“All of the sweethearts are literally perfect, and I cannot wait for the world to meet and love them; Jaz is probably the most outgoing and comedic in the group,” she tells Spy. “I love Jaz with my whole heart. She’s a sparkling little firecracker and often puts her foot in it but is so funny and charismatic that she’s usually always forgiven.”

Cosgrove’s ego was nicely massaged by believably being able to shave off seven years for her part – Jaz is 25 and Cosgrove is 32. She says this was partly achieved because of the incredible costume team and her eye-popping risque outfits.

Johanna Cosgrove stars as Jaz in the TV series Madam.

“I literally look 10 out of 10 in every single moment and that is all thanks to the team, and in particular the designer Sammy Salsa.” Cosgrove says Salsa, the in-demand fashion stylist, understood her core need to be hot at all times.

Cosgrove graduated from Toi Whakaari 10 years ago. She then went to Ecole Philippe Gaulier, a theatre school in Paris, which she will describe to anyone who will listen as a Parisian clown school, and she has a tiny clown tattoo to prove it.

“Madam is my first big TV gig so my tutors and a plethora of millennial TikTokers weren’t kidding when they said, ‘it takes 10 years…' on repeat in hushed tones,” says Cosgrove.

Also in the show are Kiwi stars Rima Te Wiata, Danielle Cormack and Robbie Magasiva.

“Rachel and Rima are absolute titans. I learned so much from them and had an unbelievable experience with Danielle, Martin and the whole cast,” says Cosgrove.

Ariāna Osborne, Gemma-Jayde Naidoo, Carmel McGlone, Florence Hartigan, Rachel Griffiths, Johanna Cosgrove and Moana Johnson star in Kiwi TV show Madam.

Seven years ago, after feeling livid at not getting an audition for young Sheryl West in Westside, Cosgrove had crazy motivation to make a solo comedy show.

Her character comedy AUNTY picked up multiple accolades and toured internationally to sellout crowds. “AUNTY’s success took me completely by surprise,” she says. “The show itself taught me so much about performance and how hard you have to work just to work as an artist in NZ and at overseas festivals and venues.”

Cosgrove followed AUNTY up with more shows: theatrical stand-up Hi, Delusion!, and ICONOCLAST, which is essentially a cabaret. In both shows she wore the thigh-high, patent black boots Jaz wears in Madam.

Cosgrove has a legion of fans called ratties, who scream at her in the supermarket, from her nothing is off limits, cult-hit podcast Rats in the Gutter, which is co-hosted with Samuel Te Kani, who she says is the smartest and coolest person she knows.

Cosgrove was a full-time storyliner on Shortland Street for a year and a half and still writes the occasional dialogue script; Shorty fans have Cosgrove to thank for the hospital being taken over by an evil mega-church helmed by Antonia Prebble, and the shooter in the hospital last winter, through to Drew wearing a wig, for almost no other reason than to annoy his wife.

With a mainstream audience about to get a taste of her talents on Madam, Cosgrove hopes the show will help the public go a long way in terms of ridding themselves of outdated and lame attitudes towards women and what they can do with their own bodies.

“The NZPC (NZ Prostitutes Collective) do amazing work, as do Fired Up Stilettos, who advocate for the labour rights of strippers to improve industry standards and independent contractor rights for workers nationwide.

“Sex work is real work!”

Besides, Cosgrove thinks Kiwi audiences will have no choice but to fall head over heels for Madam: “It’s bold, it’s funny, it’s sexy and it has so much heart – what more could you want?”

The 10-episode series Madam is set to launch on Three and ThreeNow on July 4.