Spotlight on Skemerdans’ Trudy van Rooy
The actress chats to YOU about her role in the new Cape Flats-set crime drama series Skemerdans, and how losing her father shaped her
GETTING MESSY WITH JESSIE The series opens with the murder of Glenn Fortune (Kevin Smith), owner of The Oasis jazz club.
To play Glenn’s daughter, Jessie Fortune, Trudy says she had to “go deep very quickly”. “Jessie is a brewing storm. Her chaos is both captivating and unnerving. I loved the idea of going on a journey of discovery with such a character.”
Jessie is seen as the golden girl of the family. There’s a near-unattainable expectation on her to uphold the family name, but it’s difficult to do this as Jessie is the only one who acknowledges that the Fortune family lives behind a façade.
“This expectation is something she wrestles with because of her intimate knowledge of what lies behind the family’s mask of perfection,” Trudy says.
She worked with seasoned actors such as Ilse Klink, who plays her mom, Vinette Ebrahim and Brendon Daniels on the series. Trudy says working with actors she grew up watching was a full-circle moment.
“I learnt so much from our scenes together. And also just getting to know them as people. I always felt encouraged and supported. It was a privilege.”
ALL ABOUT TRUDY She’s a born and bred Capetonian with roots in Stellenbosch. “My family go back five generations in the town.”
She comes from a close-knit family who support and encourage her and adds that her family and friends are two of the most important things to her.
“I consider the bonds we share my greatest wealth.”
She knew from the age of five that she wanted to be an actress. Her late father, Kenneth van Rooy, nicknamed her a “TV kop” because she was always glued to the screen, Trudy says.
“I watched an array of incredible films and was inspired by the magic of each story, the magic of creating and the incredible dreaming it all inspired in me.”
She went on to study theatre and performance at the University of Cape Town in 2007. She adds studying there made her fall even deeper in love with acting.
“I got to peek further behind the veil and here I fell in love with the rigour, true power and ever unfolding adventure of the craft.”
A BUDDING CAREER Trudy has also rubbed shoulders with a few Hollywood A-listers. She starred opposite Orlando Bloom and Forest Whitaker in the 2013 crime film Zulu. She never got to work with Forest, but she shot a scene with Orlando when it was filmed in Cape Town.
“It was a childhood dream come true,” Trudy gushes. “The scene he and I played was fun, spontaneous and just showed me how much I love working on the floor with actors who are ready to play.”
To prepare for a role she tries to see the humanity in each character she plays.
“I’ve been fortunate that my recent roles resonated with a lot of my own experiences, so I could bring that truth to each role. For me it’s all about what’s going on in the heart and psyche of my characters and then to go on the adventure of their becoming.”
Her father’s death in 2019 changed her view of the world and what she wants from life. “I’m not interested in superimposing my own will onto the divine.
“Now all I know for myself in this life, is that I’m allowing myself to be fully me as each opportunity arises.”