Heist

Jody Abrahams has made a career playing bad guys, like 66 Gang boss Kenny Gunman in soapie Rhythm City (since May 2015) and Fred the ganglord in the 2015 movie The Jakes Are Missing. His new bad-guy role, on action series The Heist (2016-current), is based on the real-life case of a massive cash heist at Soweto’s FNB Stadium in 2013 during the Justin Bieber concert. The 41-yearold Jody says that he’s loving being on The Heist and “the production’s budget was tiny and I wasn’t sure how the end product would look, but from what I’ve seen, they made an amazing series with striking visual effects!”

Tell us more about your character Irvin. He’s a cut-throat businessman and the manager of the stadium where the heist takes place. He fired the workers who then retaliate and steal his money during the concert. Irvin’s a feared man and he won’t hesitate to eliminate any obstacles in his way. What can fans expect from the series? An action-packed thriller that will keep the viewers guessing and show what happens after the heist takes place and how the criminals will have to deal with the consequences of their actions. Tell us about the stage play that you and your wife Diaan Lawrenson (Paula in 7de Laan – read more on p20) are working on. It’s called Klein Jakkelsies [Little Jackals]. Diaan and I play a married couple who are struggling with issues. It’s a comedy and we’ll perform it at the Woordfees in Stellenbosch (4-13 March) this year. I love working with my wife on stage, plus it also gives her the opportunity to take some time off from her work at 7de Laan.