From being too scared to tell her parents she wanted to be an actress to being a South African Film and Television Awards (Safta) winner, meet Carine Rous, who stars in the recently released comedy action movie Thys and Trix.
Rous is not only a Linden resident, she’s also a Safta winner. The road to her being the actress she is today began many years ago when she was afraid to tell her parents her career plans involving acting.
The bubbly actress said, “It was a scary process in the beginning. I knew I wanted to do it but I couldn’t tell my parents because being an actress wasn’t viewed as a solid career.” The pressure was increased due to the fact that her father was a scientist while her mom was a maths teacher.
Rous said although the thought going into this line of work scared her she didn’t hide the passion and joy she had for pretending to be doctors and lawyers and giving her dolls characters. This is when her family noticed she had a talent for playing different characters and began to welcome the idea more.
From there she went on to study the arts and a career of joy and fulfilment began for Rous. She has featured in many projects, both onstage and backstage. From SABC productions such as City Sesla, Askies, Highrollers and Isidingo, to performing at the State Theatre. She’s starring in various kykNET shows, running school productions and doing voiceovers for national retailers. Rous regards her life as blessed and fortunate.
Although she has had a highly entertaining career she shares that that journey came with a world of challenges. She said, “The latest challenge is competing with people who have high social media followings but aren’t as skilled in the art. They are preferred for certain roles as they already have an established audience.” Another thing she has faced was shows being cancelled before she could find another gig but through all this, she says an excellent support system will get you through all of it
She recalled the first time she saw herself on TV. “I was so stressed out, my heart was racing and as soon as I appeared on TV my family went wild. I started getting phone calls from friends and other families all congratulating me.”
Rous plans on continuing her upward journey in the performing arts. She adores everyone who’s been part of her journey, from her family, husband and agent to all her fans. She said the love she gets from these people is greater than any award she could win.