Hildegardt: why I relate to Bonita
Hildegardt’s 7de Laan character is desperate to save the life of her sick son – something the actress can relate to after her baby Miles developed heart problems after birth
ASOFT jersey, stylish jeans and leopard-print stilettos – the outfit she’s wearing today is a far cry from her usual work get-up these days: the drab, baggy uniform of a prisoner. Still, Hildegardt Whites says she has more in common with her incarcerated 7de Laan character, Bonita Meintjies, than people may think.
She may never have been behind bars but she’s all too familiar with Bonita’s devotion to her child – she too would do whatever it takes when it comes to her son.
“It wasn’t easy to film this storyline but I liked the challenge,” Hildegardt says of the scenes that have kept viewers glued to their TV screens in recent weeks.
In the dramatic storyline, Bonita is sent to jail for the kidnapping of Karmen (Gabriella Linton), the baby daughter of Vanessa (Ingrid Paulus) and Xander (Theodore Jantjies).
But she had good reason for doing what she did: Bonita’s little boy, Daniel (Riley Moses), suffers from a rare bone marrow disease and Karmen, his half-sister, is the only suitable donor.
When Vivian (Vinette Ebrahim), the twin sister of Charmaine, lies to Bonita by telling her Daniel is dead, she spirals out of control and starts a fire in the prison in an attempt to commit suicide.
The storyline is so explosive and the dramatic jail scenes so riveting that close to three million people have been tuning in every night to watch the SABC2 soapie, says Rosa-Marie Erasmus, 7de Laan’s spokesperson. It’s a much-needed shot in the arm for the soap, which had seen viewership figures dropping off over the past year.
While she’s enjoying being at the fore- front of the action, Hildegardt says the scenes in which Bonita kidnaps Karmen were challenging for her.
Like her character, Hildegardt (31) and her musician husband, Kuba Silkiewicz (32), went through a difficult time as parents. Their little boy, Miles, was diagnosed with a leaking heart valve shortly after he was born on 25 April last year.
“It was a really hard time for us. He was so small and it felt as if there was nothing I could do for him,” Hildegardt says.
The only hope was surgery and Miles had to undergo an operation when he was just a few days old. Afterwards he had to stay in the intensive care unit of Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg for two weeks. It was stressful and traumatic for the fraught parents, but mercifully the operation was a success.
“It was difficult but we got through it,” Hildegardt says, gazing lovingly at the little boy who’s quietly playing nearby while
we chat to his mom and dad. “The Lord was good to us and just look at him now – he’s 100% healthy.”
KUBA had to be strong for his wife and son. “I shut off in my head – there was no time to be emotional,” he says. “In situations like that I don’t think about it, I just do it. I focus.”
“I couldn’t be with Miles immediately after the birth,” Hildegardt adds. “I was too weak after having a C-section. Kuba was going back and forth between me and the baby.”
Bonita, she says, had no one to help her when her life fell apart.
“She was alone and had to struggle with her emotions on her own. I was so lucky to have Kuba.”
Scenes that dealt with Daniel’s illness and Bonita’s anxiety and depression were tough to shoot. Hildegardt sometimes found herself “crying terribly” afterwards, she says.
“After Miles’ illness I’m able to immerse myself in the role of a mom who’ll do anything for her child,” she says.
In the soap Bonita is married to Xander’s brother, Vince ( Jacques Blignaut). But a month after a passionate night with Xander, she realises she’s pregnant.
DNA tests after Daniel’s birth prove Xander to be the father and Bonita and Vince get divorced.
She then tries everything to create a loving family with a reticent Xander and their child – so much so that she pretends Daniel is sick to keep Xander’s attention.
But it’s only later, when Daniel really becomes ill and no one wants to believe her, that a desperate Bonita kidnaps Karmen in a misguided attempt to get her son the bone marrow he so desperately needs.
“If I weren’t a mom myself, I’m not sure how I’d be able to play this part,” Hildegardt says. “I understood her pain. A mother will do anything for her child.”
Of course, she adds, she’d never go so far as to resort to kidnapping.
In preparing for the storyline she watched YouTube videos about depression, especially about post-partum depression.
“When I’m portraying Bonita, I do it with everything in me. I get home with an aching body at night,” she says.
When she first read the script featuring Bonita and Daniel’s storyline, she was “terribly excited but also nervous”.
She says her 7de Laan friends, Vinette, Bertha le Roux (who’s returning to the soap as Emma) and Ingrid were her inspiration to give the part her all. “They’re phenomenal women who act from the heart.”
Now and again her own emotions do tend to bubble up and overwhelm her.
“I channelled all my emotions [into Bonita] and I was tired after every emotional scene. But though it was challenging, I enjoyed it.”
Kuba supported her throughout. Though he wasn’t necessarily aware of exactly what scenes were shot on a particular day, he was a quiet source of strength.
“I don’t talk about my work often,” Hildegardt says. “I’m a big girl so I can handle it.”
But, she adds, “He does help me learn my lines. It’s fun and special.”
ON THE home front whirlwind Miles with his curly hair and big brown eyes keeps her on her toes. After a long day on set she immerses herself into caring for him before preparing for the next day’s scenes.
“He’s fed and bathed then I have to read him a story or sing to him. Only then do Kuba and I start learning my lines – with lots of coffee in between!” she says.
Miles is the apple of his dad’s eye and they enjoy listening to music together. Though he’s still a baby, his taste in music is quite sophisticated, Hilda says proudly. “Miles adores music, especially jazz.”
When Kuba’s working on new music, Miles will often sit with him and he’ll “just want to play the guitar”.
The little boy, who prefers Bach to Barney the purple dinosaur, is the couple’s “little miracle”.
“He makes my heart burst,” Hildegardt says. “He’s the reason I’m so passionate about Bonita and Daniel’s storyline.”
Kuba feels the same about his wife and son. “I’d do anything for them!”
Thankfully they’ve weathered the storm and have sailed into calmer waters. Now they get to enjoy and marvel at the precious moments of parenthood.
And what awaits poor Bonita? Hildegardt’s lips are sealed – but her mysterious smile holds the promise of plenty of drama.