The villain we love to hate

Robert Whitehead as Barker Haines

Robert Whitehead as Barker Haines

Published Sep 29, 2014

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Since joining Isidingo, Robert Whitehead has been revered as Barker Haines. With the soap marking its 4 000th episode on Wednesday, Debashine Thangevelo caught up with this actor to chat about his journey channelling this villainous character…

BARKER Haines (played by Robert Whitehead), is an institution on SABC3’s Isidingo. Aside from Darlington Michaels (Georgie Zamdela) and Jack Devnarain (Rajesh Kumar), he is the only other long-standing actor still in the soap.

And his pull has not diminished over the years, especially with his storylines being most addictive – although it wasn’t as much fun when he was thrown in the slammer (not that that lasted long).

His earlier arcs involved his estranged son Duncan, who was later shot by an opportunistic Cherel (Duncan’s ex-girlfriend) and daughter Leone “Lee” Haines (Ashley Callie), who was kidnapped by Mike O’Reilly (Jamie Bartlett).

Then a grieving Barker shot himself and ended up blind. Let’s not forget him staging a coup in an African country to manipulate the oil price and cash in.

Sadly, Callie died in a car accident on April 15, 2008 and viewers had to bid her a very sad farewell.

Before taking a trip down memory lane, though, Whitehead talks about his recent return to the stage.

“I just tried out a new piece that I wrote with my friend and colleague, Robert Colman, with Tony Bentel on piano. It was called Gross Indecency. We had the material for years and years. About two years ago, we started formulating it into a performance. And it proved that we had something very funny and serious at the same time. We are going to do it again at the POPArt Theatre towards the end of February. It is always very energising (being on stage).”

On playing the feared magnate, he offers: “I joined on the fifth year, I think. It was a very tumultuous journey indeed. The whole business has always been about Barker; his power and control. That is what he is about. That’s where he has worked himself up to. Now he is trying to get it all back. That’s the ongoing story.”

Of all the people that Barker waged war on, he has had but one great adversary.

He shares: “Oh gosh, it has always been Cherel. And I miss her very much. There have been other business adversaries. But the great battle has always been with Cherel – and Kimberly to an extent. But that (talking about Kimberly) was another sort of league. Cherel was always deadly.”

Right now, the Sibekos are the greatest thorn in his side.

Shedding light on what Barker’s plan is, he notes: “They are a bloody menace and have to be dealt with. And Barker is determined to get himself on board as a major shareholder, but he has been chucked off the board.”

Of course, that doesn’t stop him.

Whitehead laughs: “He uses his allies to harass them and their flanks, as it were. And to weaken them. The long game is to take them over, really!”

Family ties don’t seem to hold much sway with Barker either.

He admits: “Whether he gets what he wants is another story. He is using Bradley. I don’t know what he is really going to get out of his nephew, but he is using him for what he can get out of him.”

By the way, the ceasefire between Rajesh and Barker is only temporary.

“Barker is very annoyed that Rajesh is taking his eye of the business ball with his infatuation with his personal assistant. That has Rajesh all over the bloody shore.”

Commenting on the journey, he admits: “To sustain a character for so long, the main challenge is how to keep him fresh. Not getting bored with him is the answer. And that’s what I try to do.”

Interestingly, Whitehead says his character is not interested in being a relationship. Right now, he is consumed with “being powerful”.

Isidingo airs on SABC3 at 7pm on weekdays.

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