Meet the “real” Mariaan
She might play the ruthless Mariaan Welman convincingly, but don’t be fooled – Deirdre Wolhuter is polar opposites!
Viewers know Mariaan as the ruthless and mean matriarch no one dares mess with, but Deirdre Wolhuter is nothing like her character – which makes portraying Mariaan even more exciting. And although she’s been on this journey with Mariaan for seven years, Deirdre is far from bored! “Mariaan keeps me – and the other characters – on their toes! Mariaan is a mother and a wife who is fiercely loyal towards her family and extremely protective over them to the extent that she has no boundaries where it comes to saving or looking after the interests of those she loves,” says Deirdre. “When it comes to protecting her family, nothing, whether it be legal or illegal, will stand in her way!”
BECOMING MARIAAN
While Deirdre says that she knows her character inside out, the writers at 7de Laan have made sure that Mariaan gets to go on wild and outrageous adventures from time to time. “My preparation for various storylines would involve researching specific situations. I plan my performance for each storyline long in advance and I regularly consult with the writers for added input and perspective,” she shares.
And the preparation is clear to see in how Deirdre executes every storyline so impeccably. Like Mariaan moving out of her Hillside mansion recently and being forced to camp it out in a caravan park in Pretoria North, something she’d never do normally. “It’s been a hugely popular storyline because Mariaan can be such a hoity-toity, snobbish and uptight character. I think it’s fun for the audiences to see her knocked down a peg or two, to see her tap-dancing when the rug is pulled out from under her, and all of this in a comedy storyline. Mariaan out of her comfort zone is fun to play and fun to watch,” says Deirdre. “Mariaan and DeWet (Dirk Stoltz) have been on the run from the Hillside authorities and they’ve been hiding as Jack and Talitha Koekemoer – a Hillbilly-like common couple who’re worlds apart from Mariaan and businessman DeWet, so no one would come looking for them there.
Another storyline that stands out for Deirdre is the 7de Sel (7de Cell) convict storyline. “It was set in prison with only a few of the female characters: Mariaan, Bonita (Hildegardt Whites), Amanda (Carina Nel, who now plays Alexa on the soapie), Vivian (Vinette Ebrahim) and Natalie (Danielle Deysel). It was a gritty, harrowing and extremely exciting storyline. Audience response was incredible too.” Remember that Mariaan was behind bars for almost blinding vengeful Laan lawyer Lesedi (KB Motsilanyane), who made sure that Mariaan paid for her crimes. Playing Mariaan isn’t without its challenges though. “I’ve to put myself into a completely different headspace when preparing for and performing the role as the choices she makes and the manner in which she approaches situations are the direct opposite of what I would do,” Deirdre reveals, adding that the audience makes it all worth it for her.
FACE-TO-FACE
Speaking of audiences, one of Deirdre’s favourite things is going on roadshows and meeting all the show’s lovely fans. “We work 12-hour days in studio, and we can become isolated from the outside world in a way. It’s always such a joy to experience our fans showing up in their thousands and to interact with them, to discover how much the show and its characters are a part of their lives. It gives one a perspective on your
work when you see at the roadshows just how much the show means to its supporters and how incredibly loyal and invested they are,” she says.
“People are incredibly sweet to me. Because I’m so completely different to Mariaan, and in real life my appearance is also the opposite of what hers would be, so people immediately recognise that they’re dealing with the actor and not the character. People realise I don’t bite and I’m always happy to stop for a chat,” she adds.
HILLSIDE’S MRS HORRIBLE
Whether you love her, hate her, hate to love her, or love to hate her, Mariaan’s name is certainly always a talking point. “Viewers know that she is badder than bad, and she’ll always bring a curveball to add some trouble to the mix. But they also know that she’ll slay any dragon that threatens her loved ones, and the audience is there for the spectacle. They also enjoy when, every now and then, her proverbial stiletto heel breaks and she goes crashing into the mud.”
What we can expect from Mariaan next? “I honestly don’t know what next the writers have up their sleeve,” Deirdre hints. But we know that with Mariaan it will never be boring…