Since leaving the popular SABC soapie Isidingo, Kim Engelbrecht ( pictured) has been busy, and can now be seen in the new SABC2 medical drama, Geraamtes in die Kas, as the wife of one of the principal characters.
“I play Aesha Abrahams, the wife of a medical therapist who is known for using unorthodox means for healing,” she said.
“Aesha is the supportive wife of a husband that her own family despises. Since she is from a well-off family, they expected her to get married to someone in her league. Although he is a medical doctor he works for the government and that is not good enough for the family, so she has to balance those dynamics.”
Geraamtes in die Kas (skeletons in the closet) follows the format of most modern medical dramas.
“It is almost like the American series, House,” explained Engelbrecht.
“Each episode we have a story around a patient and the doctors try to heal that person but we also see what is going on in their lives as they do so. The decisions that they make on the patient are influenced by their state of minds and how good or bad their personal lives are at the given moment,” she said.
While her character is not directly in the medical industry, Aesha always features in the story as she at the hospital on numerous occasions.
“I play a pregnant, needy school teacher who always find a way to go to the hospital to check on her man.
“What I enjoy the most about the part is how we prepare for my pregnancy each time we have to shoot my scenes. I wear a fake pregnancy suit and I have to walk like a pregnant woman would. It is actually quite heavy and I imagine it is almost like the real thing. The interesting thing is when I have to be hormonal and show the various emotions that Aesha goes through,” said Engelbrecht.
Engelbrecht said she could easily relate to her character because she has been through some of the things that Aesha went through.
“I imagine every woman wants to be supportive of her man as he climbs the career ladder so it wasn’t hard for me to portray this. You want to be there for the person you are with when they succeed and I have been there, so I know how that works,” she said.
Apart from her various TV roles, Engelbrecht has done several theatre gigs over the years and is looking forward to resuming stage roles.
“I am actively looking for theatre parts as I love the stage too,” she said.
- Catch Geraamtes in die Kas every Tuesday at 7.30pm in SABC2.