CHERRY ON THE ‘KOEK’: PLAYING A STRIPPER FROM THE ‘BURBS
Cindy Swanepoel talks about playing a Northern Suburbs housewife in Showmax’s racy new crime comedy
When Cape Town housewife Christelle Smit discovers evidence of her husband having an affair with a stripper named Candi Floss, her investigation takes her to a world poles (hee-hee) apart from the Northern Suburbs utopia she knows. Cindy Swanepoel won a Safta and a Silwerskerm award last year for playing Annelize in Binnelanders, but Christelle couldn’t be more different. Rozanne Els talked to her about her first Showmax Original series and what multi-award-winning director Christiaan Olwagen (Kanarie, Recipes for Love and
Murder) calls “the performance of her life”.
Who is your character when we first meet her?
Christelle Smit is a mother and a wife. She lost herself long ago and does everything for her family. She’s just your average Jane, but she’s looking for more out of life. Then, one morning, something happens and her whole life changes.
Were you able to relate to Christelle?
Yes and no. I could easily relate to Christelle because I based the character on my sister. She’s a mother and a wife who does everything for her family. I just kept thinking: “What would she have done if all these things had happened to her?” I definitely would have approached things differently. My sister and I are very similar, but we’re also very different.
How did you manage to portray her transformation realistically and believably, but also with humour?
I feel that everything in life is humorous. Everything comes from tragedy, and then you make it funny. I didn’t really have to play the humour — it’s the absurdity of everything that happens to Christelle that makes it so funny.
Your character goes through a hell of a time. How difficult was it to leave her behind on set?
As an actor, you’re in an emotional place all the time during the filming process. I didn’t come out of it until about a month after I finished shooting, because it affects you so deeply. My fiancé will tell you it affected him too!
What was the most challenging aspect of the role for you?
From day one, I was thrown into the deep end. Every day on set was challenging. There was lots of stuff I’d not done on set. I had to dance, I had to dance around a pole, and I had to cry and freak out. The biggest challenge was not having the same level of emotion all the time. I can’t scream every time, nor can I feel sorry for myself every time. So the challenge was to never do a scene the same way twice. I also needed to keep the character interesting and not make her irritating. It was about the levels of emotions. If it wasn’t for continuity [Marié van Wyk] and our director [Johannes Pieter Nel], I would have struggled a lot. We received very good guidance. As an actress, I feel I’ve grown and learnt a lot.
‘Koek’ has a stacked cast. Was there anyone you particularly enjoyed working with?
Ashley de Lange played my sister. I couldn’t have asked for a better actress, especially with the types of scenes we had to share. I remember that when I first read the script I was quite anxious about who was going to play my sister, because it was such a massive journey that I had to go through with this person. Ashley is incredibly supportive, and she made my life much easier. And then, of course, there’s Sandra Prinsloo. I have always wanted to work with her. She’s professional, she never complains, and she’s always there for notes. I learnt so much from her. What a humble, beautiful, kind person she is. And then there’s my old friend Jacques Bessenger. We haven’t collaborated in years, but we once did children’s theatre together. So to have him back on set was great ... We laughed so much! And Llandi Beeslaar — jeez, what a talent!
What was the highlight for you?
I always wanted to work with Christiaan Olwagen, and to play a leading role in a series that’s so original, different and daring.