DEBASHINE THANGEVELO
AS an actor, the world can truly be your oyster. And Hollywood has become the cultural hub for not only actors, but also directors, producers and so on from all corners of the world.
Having said that, SA can be truly proud of some of our exports over the years – Jonathan Liebesman (director), Alice Krige (actress), Ronald Harwood (screenwriter), Trevor Rabin (soundtrack composer), Richard E Grant (actor), Arnold Vosloo (actor) and Gavin Hood (director).
Of course, the more prominent talents being Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron (for Monster) and Sharlto Copley ( The A-Team).
With success within the grasp of any actor hungry enough to leave their mark on an international platform, the list will continue to expand – and Kim Engelbrecht is certainly making strides in that direction.
Looking sporty and relaxed, Engelbrecht ordered rooibos tea before nestling into a comfy chair for our chat. Then she explained why she decided to break away from the routine of working on a soap.
“Let’s start with the fact that I love Lolly. I started playing her in 2002. I think she is one of the characters in Isidingo who has grown the most. She started as a teenager, who went into work mode as a journalist, and she eventually found, and lost, love. For me, there was complete development for her. I think everything they (the writers) could have done for Lolly, they have kind of done. I think I did justice to the character and it was time,” she said.
“I grew with Lolly, I went through my twenties and into my thirties with her.”
And while certain media have been intimating the actress has crossed over to M-Net’s The Wild, it isn’t entirely accurate.
The actress explains that the offer simply came along after she left Isidingo. On The Wild she plays Lesley, Modise’s defence advocate, for a brief story arc starting at the end of the month.
“I received a call from the casting director. At first, I was a bit iffy, but then he explained the character to me – a career woman, driven, doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, strong and independent – and I liked her. I’m on screen for about four weeks.”
Right now, Engelbrecht’s main focus is on bagging film roles.
Having made an indelible impression in the home-grown offerings A Boy Called Twist, The Flyer and Bunny Chow, she has ventured into the international realm by bagging a role in Death Race: Inferno, which stars Ving Rhames and Dougray Scott.
On how she bagged the part of an action girl, Engelbrecht recalls: “I was busy doing Isidingo. The problem is it takes up so much time as you shoot from one week to the next. I went on a call basis and then auditioned for the movie. It opened my eyes to the genre.
“I got to do fight training and I remember when they submitted one of the fight scenes (between a stunt girl and me) to the director, they thought I was a stunt girl, too. I guess it shows that if you put your mind to something, you can be really great at it.”
If offers for local movies come along, the actress says she will definitely consider them.
What’s piquing her interest right now are dramas, action flicks and, if they come along, comedies.
And then there is her love for theatre, which has taken root since she starred in Ben Elton’s Popcorn.
Last seen in Janice Honeyman’s pantomime, Robinson Crusoe, Engelbrecht has designs on taking her craft to London’s West End. Right now, she and her agent are exploring the possibility of working abroad, too.
In an industry so small, comfort equals being pigeon-holed and Engelbrecht is determined to avoid getting stuck in such a rut. Instead, she wants to prove her mettle on an international platform.
Such bold ambition can only be applauded for an actress “wanting to try everything at least once”.