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‘Dinge van ’n kind’ – 3 Actors, 1 golden thread
A brand-new Afrikaans series which is based on a book by Maritha van der Vyver has three actors portraying one character in different stages of her life.
‘Dinge van ‘n kind’ launches on kykNET soon. Image: Supplied
While the brand-new kykNET series, Dinge van ’n kind kicks off with the lead role, Mart in her teen years, it actually revolves around Mart in the present, at the age of 63.
While serving as a reminder of the Apartheid regime, viewers can also look forward to journeying with a very relatable character.
In the series, which has been created from Maritha van der Vyver’s book and theatre production, Die dinge van ’n kind, three actors (Susanne Beyers, Cintaine Schutte and Melissa Myburgh) are responsible for portraying the personality of the main character, Mart Vermaak. This posed quite the challenge, considering that the series was filmed amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, which limited the actors’ opportunities to be on set at the same time.
Still, they’ve managed to sew a distinguishable golden thread throughout the series – one that the three actors playing Mart in her different life stages were able to adopt.
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Susanne Beyers says her role as the present Mart (63), is one that required a lot of emotional depth. As with any other role, she had to focus, learn her words, ensure that she understood the text correctly and approach the role in a professional way.
She was able to help pull the golden thread through the series by studying the book and using her imagination to understand Mart’s journey. She likes the role because so many women over 60 will relate to Mart’s situation. “I understand her,” Susanne says. “It’s not too far from myself.”
Cintaine Schutte plays the role of Mart in her 30s – an expat in London with her toddler son, Pierre. Cintaine has been walking a long road with the character, Mart, having also played the role of a younger Mart in the theatre production.
She says being part of the transition from theatre production to television series has been a special journey. With the support of the producers, Cintaine was able to delve deep into the inner being of the young Mart, as well as the London-based mommy, Mart.
READ: Marita van der Vyver’s ‘Die dinge van ‘n kind’ becomes a TV series
Although time was limited, Cintaine spoke to Melissa Myburgh a lot, discussing Mart’s specific mannerisms and other character traits. She also did a lot of research, which she shared with fellow actors to ensure that the golden thread of Mart’s character was continuously being pulled through.
When Cintaine started with the original theatre piece, she consulted a psychologist, who took her through the psyche of a woman in her 30s, but also a teenager in the 70s and the 90s. “What happens, why do you make certain decisions, what does trauma do to you?”
“We used the book, Die dinge van ’n kind as a character bible, because Maritha van der Vyver sketches everything so beautifully,” says Cintaine.
For her, Mart’s character was very relatable. “She has incredible wisdom and curiousness about her, which I liked,” Cintaine says in her own life, she often observes and internalises – like her character. Her version of Mart shows how Mart wants to build a better life for herself, but mostly for her son.
Cintaine’s role is somewhat of a transportation tool from a younger Mart to Mart in the present, and while she only features a few times in the series, her role has a huge impact and certainly plays an important part in getting to know the character.
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