Tarryn Wyngaard on ‘Gebokste Liefde’

Tarryn Wyngaard is a rising star with memorable performances in the series Devil’s Peak and films like Pou. Known for her dramatic roles, Wyngaard stars in her first romcom, Gebokste Liefde. Spling caught up with Tarryn to discuss her leading role, the hybrid genre film and her experience of playing the defiant character, Suma-Lee.

But my first question for you is, how did you get into acting? And was it always something you wanted to do?

I had a bit of a division between my head and my heart. So at school, I was quite a brainy kid. I did science and biology, you know, but I also took music. So I had that part of myself, but I couldn’t pull myself away from ballet or acting or performance. So when it came to making a decision, I applied to the University of Cape Town for the acting stream.

That was my first choice. And my second choice was BSc in microbiology specialising in genetics. So I always had this kind of, polar opposites inside of me.

And when I was accepted into UCT to study acting, and I knew only 26 people in the country get the opportunity to do something like that. I just saw that as this incredible sign. I went on such a limb to go out and do that. And, you know, my father, they all think certain things when you’re this type of pupil at school, they don’t expect you to go that route.

But yeah, eventually, I always say just that my heart won, and I’m so glad that it did. Yeah.

Okay, yeah, no, that’s kind of a story that I’ve had. And it makes me also think of the movie Material in terms of, going after your dreams, pursuing your dreams, and throwing everything behind it. But you know, to me you are a great example of that actually happening and becoming a reality. So good on you.

So, you know, I can’t see but I’m blushing.

Well, speaking of blushing, like, when you’re in public, and you’ve got a face that’s recognisable. And you’ve been in a lot of productions that would make you recognisable and in the public eye. And I wanted to find out from you, what’s generally the kind of reaction you have when someone sees you in person and goes like the penny drops, and they’re like, Oh, isn’t that Taryn Wyngaard?

It’s odd, because I don’t actually get recognised that often, because I am quite a homebody. And I don’t put myself in situations. I’m not a big party person. I’m not a big… generally, I like to be a bit incognito. My friendship group is quite small. But one person at Exclusive Books recognised me for Devil’s Peak.

And it’s just kind of like a bit of a freeze. They look at you, they take a moment to get it together, they’re a bit puzzled, and then they will say the production. But yeah, I don’t know, I think because I do a lot of different types of characters, my look is actually quite different.

I’m blonde, and my hair is long, and my hair is short. And I try to disappear into my character. I think it’s just because you are very versed on the South African cinematic landscape that you would be able to recognise me, but I avoid soapies.

Okay. Well, I did recognise you during the Silverskermfees. I don’t know if you remember that happening. But yeah, and I would because I’ve just seen you in the movie, Gebokste Liefde, which is what we were talking about.

But before we get onto that, I wanted to find out, which role are you best known for? And has that altered your acting career in terms of the kind of roles you’re getting? Is there anything that people say, I want Taryn for this because she was like that? I don’t know if I’m asking that right.

Um, it’s a mixed bag. I think I’m quite known for hardcore dramatic roles. You know, if there’s something that requires, I think, gravitas or real, I don’t know, digging for something deep or dark, or I can access that. So I think that is what I would say I’m most known for.

Gebokste Liefde was my first kind of romantic comedy, light-hearted, warm and fuzzy. You know, but I do see myself more as a dramatic actor.

Well, I think, I mean, maybe they, they kind of thought of you for that role, because there is a little bit of an element that sort of goes a little bit, not sinister, but there’s a sort of wild side to Gebokste Liefde.

It’s not a warm, it’s warm and fuzzy in places, but it’s not warm and fuzzy the whole time. But, you know, people need to expect the unpredictable in this film. It’s not like a boy meets girl, et cetera, et cetera.

It’s, you know, that’s how we, that’s how we package it so that you watch the film. And then when you get in there, you realise that there’s…

…something else.

Yeah. A whole lot else.

Yeah. And how did you connect with Suma-Lee’s character and her emotional journey?/h4>

She needs to develop the courage to sit back more comfortably into herself. And the fact that she is kind of at war with herself creates a lot of frustration and stagnation for her.

So, yeah, I just enjoyed slowly creating something believable, not in the sense of, you don’t have a voice before and now just magically, you’re a superwoman. You know, that wasn’t the kind of journey that I was interested in.

I was interested in a more like a meat-and-potatoes type of journey for her. Something very tangible, very real. And so it might not always be big and dramatic… her changes, but the results, in my opinion, of where she starts as a woman and where she ends, her arc, I think is actually quite big and dramatic, but it’s an incremental journey to that point.

Yeah. So, I mean, this isn’t just a rom-com. We’ve already established that there’s a sports drama genre mix as well. And I wanted to find out from you, obviously it was quite a hectic training regime, I’m guessing, in the preparation for this role, like getting ready, boxing fit, that kind of thing. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Yes. So I had done a little bit of boxing before. I have an Italian friend who is obsessed with boxing. She actually got me into it. So it was so lovely that this opportunity came along – I had some experience.

And thank goodness I did, because, you know, I needed to pull off this amateur boxing match at the end of the film. I hope I’m not giving anything away. But yeah, it was just, it was physically draining and challenging for me, but, you know, I gave it my best shot. Yeah. I think I pulled it off. I think my stunt double would say so.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

No, the fact that you don’t really ever think about the stunt double is already a great sign, but it is a physically demanding role and I think you did pull it off and you weren’t jacked from the very beginning. There was a journey there. It wasn’t like exactly what you were doing right from the start. I wanted to find out from you, what was like the toughest part of that physical aspect to the role? Is there a memory that sticks out where you were like, “what the hell have I done?” Or, “why did I do this?” Or.

I didn’t realise how taxing physical comedy can be on the body. So I realized that there were so many times that I was finding myself on the floor. You know, I had to fall multiple times.

I had to roll around in the ocean. I had to take the big knockout punch at the end. I had to get knocked in the face in the beginning of the film.

So there were multiple times where I was actually on my ass. And so, yeah, she literally does get knocked down, not only emotionally, but physically, numerous times in the film. So I would say it was that.

Okay. Yeah.

I suppose if you’re on Take 26, when you’ve been falling down for like the past hour or two. It’s quite. Yeah.

Yeah. You need to have a conversation with Zach Braff or Michael Richards about falling down for comedy’s sake, because those guys are constantly doing it on Scrubs and Seinfeld. But I also wanted to chat to you about like, you know, I know that South Africa, we don’t really have the luxury of lots of preparation time when it comes to rehearsing and getting ready for a character and, and having the time to sort of establish bonds with other actors that way.

But I wanted to find out from you, how did you build your onscreen relationships with Jandre Le Roux and Meghan Oberholzer? It did feel as though there was a lot invested there. And I don’t know, I just kind of was curious to know how that all worked.

I think we’re all… many actors, I think, you know, we’re so passionate to be able to tell our own stories, especially a story like Gebokste Liefde, the setting that’s set in my city, Cape Town.

Meghan and Jandre, I think we just all feel there’s already a camaraderie between us, just the fact that we get to tell the story and do it together. And we love the characters, we love the story. So that makes things sync automatically in a way.

But yeah, Jandre… the thing is, when there isn’t time to think or be precious about it, you just, and I guess it’s the theatre training in me, you just go in and that might even be better. You know, there isn’t time to really think about things too much, you get on with the telling and the connection just happens that way. Yeah.

Okay. And with Suma-Lee, what was, what resonated most deeply with her and, you know, empathising with this character and getting into it? Like, did you see any parts of yourself in this role?

Yes, yes. Her dissociation, completely, her dissociation from her anger, her frustration with masculinity, and she needs to develop some masculine traits in order to protect herself, so it’s her balance between Ying and Yang, and that things are out of balance.

And seeing people around her where their balance is also, of Ying and Yang is also out. Cheryl, for example… she’s way too masculine. Jandre’s character may be a bit too femme, you know, Dries, her ex is too masculine, so I think she’s surrounded and her boss is maybe too aggressive.

She’s surrounded by these characters and she wants to… she needs to find the way to protect herself, but she doesn’t want to do it in the way that she sees it happening. So, I hope that answers the question clearly. That’s what it is.

But that’s what I resonated with, is trying to release the bonds of being dissociated from your anger, your frustration, in a way that suits your temperaments, as a woman. As the type of woman that she is, which is a very elegant person, designer. She’s a woman of cloth, she works with fabric.

And was there a specific scene that jumps to mind when I say, was demanding or rewarding. Is there something that sticks with you from this film? When you see the poster, is there any scene that you go straight to in your mind and go like, yeah?

I think it was the relationship between Katinka and Suma-Lee. Very interesting. So, even though there are a few of them, I think they’re quite refreshing and powerful.

So, the scene where she’s sitting with the dress on her, Katinka, and the scene where I really pushed to try and get some sort of proposal in, even though it’s… so I really, I asked if I could do that, that action where she kind of goes down on one knee, like crazy, use the wedding, that kind of iconography… it’s a marriage of minds, different type of partnership.

So, I really wanted to have a wedding of sorts in the film to lean on the romantic comedy themes still, but in a modern way. So, those, I think, stick out in my head, and I’m happy that they went for it, that they allowed me to do that, because it can be big for a conservative audience. So, it’s powerful.

And in terms of that allowing and how… were you were able to improvise much, how tight were the reins from the director Annelise Frost, and in terms of sticking to the script and that kind of thing?

Well, they did trust me, they let me do that. I mean, that wasn’t scripted. I mean, the words were scripted, but the visual was entirely, and then how we shot it, it was entirely my idea in the moment. And they went for it, and I’m glad they did.

Sometimes, there was another time where I tried to push, I always try to push it. You can also, you can also ask Jaco on Pou… if I really feel like something, yeah, because it’s screaming out of me that I have to do it, I will. I will push to get it in the frame. Yeah, I do become a bit of, I get blinkers on set. I become a bit like a racehorse. And if you don’t rein me in…

Oh right. So you’re a force to be reckoned with. That’s a yes.

Maybe, maybe a pain in the ass.

Okay, well, maybe it goes… the pendulum swings one way or the other. But you know what, that’s like, like, that’s why Werner Herzog, Klaus, I can’t remember his surname. I want to say Kinski.

But having someone that has that kind of energy actually can be such a game-changer, because that’s really where you’re trying to find the magic in a cinematic experience is in those moments in those, like larger than life, things that jump off the screen.

And sometimes if it’s too bland, and it’s too, like safe, then you don’t get there. So that is actually something that is a huge asset in having in an actor, because, if they’re just going to sort of behave and just do what they need to do, sometimes that doesn’t really get the real result at the end of the day that you’re looking for. And finding that little moment, that little kernel in the scene, you know.

I mean, I would imagine that we’re all grasping, trying to grasp that magical thread, trying to find it every day on set. That’s my approach when I’m on set, every single second. I’m trying to keep myself open to where it could be.

I know I sound like a maniac, but I do. And for me, the script is kind of this, they say there’s a script, you write the script, you shoot the script, you edit. So I’m in the point, the script that’s written is already there, but I need to find something that’s interesting to me about it, something that I can, I love kind of putting my stamp and splatters of paint all over the script.

This, yeah, it’s different forms. The script and the living, breathing production machine, to me, that’s where I want to infuse the most breath that I can into the character, I mean, every single second of every single frame. And so I want it to be saturated.

So sometimes I don’t care what the script is, I obviously care what the script is, you need a great structure, you need all of that. But I really do try to… and a great script, you don’t really have to do as much. But yeah, you always try to infuse it, just squeeze as much juice out of it as you can, for everybody’s enjoyment.

Yeah, sometimes that’s when you’re playing, that creativity actually, like, makes it so much better. And the beauty of shooting the film is like, if they don’t like what you did, they just don’t include it in the film. I mean, so like, you can do another take and…

Exactly. And I have no power after that, when it’s cut, or when it’s a picture wrap, it’s totally out of my hands. So I always say, yes, I always say between… there’s so much noise and chaos going on around… but between action and between cut, it’s like meditation, it’s like you just have to take it, because they can tell you, yes, do this, do that.

But where’s your artistry, where’s your… Obviously, you have to listen to the director and everything. You need to follow your intuition as well. You need to allow yourself to be open, create that kind of space and energy for the other actors to also tap into.

And so maybe to go back to your question about how I created these relationships with Jandre and with Meg, I think it’s just because that’s how I lead, that’s where I lead from. And I think actors who are thirsty, they want to tap into that, that’s exciting. So, yeah, I just try to, block out the noise of all the other departments.

So the acting department on Gebokste Liefde, that was my department, and I care a lot about them, a lot.

Yeah, I can see that.

So I fight for it and even if they are a little… everybody’s trying to get the best out of the time that we have on set in their own little department.

But yeah.

I mean, that makes you a proper collaborator, because you are bringing some of your own ideas and not afraid to speak up and get involved and to really take that script and not just be a professional in terms of just getting the job done, but actually owning it. So that I think is probably what the difference is.

I think by now, the directors and writers, you know, the producers, I think they know to expect that from me. I think I’ve been in this industry long enough that they know if they’re going to hire me, they’re probably not going to hire a backseat driver.

Good for them to know going ahead… you would have had a great time with Alfred Hitchcock.

You think so? I thought he was very like…

No, he is. That’s what I’m saying.

It would have been like… Yeah, yeah, yeah. He would have. Yeah. I mean, back then as a woman, I would have had very little power. So thank heavens I’m not an actress in that day and age. I would have suffered.

But that comes through in Gebokste Liefde. I mean, all the female characters are really strong in that film. And that’s very cool to see. And yeah, so I mean, like great vehicle for you.

What do you mean?

I mean, like, all of the characters have been written really strong. There isn’t like a character in that film, a female character, who is disenfranchised… all of them have got power and agency.

And that’s something you actually see quite rarely. I mean, like more so these days, but I’m just saying in terms of all the characters having something, whereas these days, it’s like one or two characters often are the strong ones, the wilful ones. And then the others are kind of like “beautiful woman” or “pretty woman” in terms of the script or whatever it is. It’s just like much flatter.

Yes. No, that’s yeah. So you mean there’s not to make a sports analogy. There’s not much squad depth.

Yeah. Placeholder kind of roles… it was just great to see someone like Jandre, who is playing this tall, handsome, strapping guy. And there’s scenes where he’s actually like contending with these super powerful woman. And he’s just getting slapped around a bit and it’s great to see that happening on screen.

Maybe it’s because, you know, Zoë Laband, who produced. Maybe it’s because.

Yeah, I’m sure it is. I mean, also having a writer-director team like Annelise and Zoe. I just thought it was really refreshing and I enjoyed it so much.

Also, you know, in that in that in the Holy Trinity, they were all women. It was Annelise, Flokkie the producer and Zoë the writer. So it was representation of, you know, different generations. So and then me, you know, also very good. So I guess generation to generation as well… the voices straight from the top right down.

Yeah. No, I got that impression. And I think it was great. And I think saying something like “girl power” actually undermines it because it’s so much more important than that. So, yeah, I thought it was a great film and very refreshing for that. And it didn’t it didn’t feel like there was this political or aspect, gender political kind of thing happening. It just was a great entertaining film with strong female characters and just get used to it. You know, it was that kind of thing, which is great.

Yeah, exactly. And male characters develop some self-awareness. Wonderful. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, it’s like, you know, 25.

Yeah, we’re in 2025, you know. So, yeah. And, super. I mean, it’s just a human story, right? It’s all kinds of people with all kinds of male, female, whatever. And they have obstacles. And like you say, it’s across all the characters. And I mean, that just goes to show what a good writer Zoe is.

So what do you hope that audiences take away from this film?

That a little baby step forward is still a step forward and worthy to celebrate, and that eventually you will get to the grand finish. Just keep on moving.

Keep moving forward.

Keep moving forward. Keep moving forward. Even if it’s bit by bit, whether it’s taking a metre forward or a millimetre. Yeah. Sometimes a millimetre is actually many, many, many millimetres. Way more powerful than walking backwards.

There’s a big wave surfer, his name’s Chris Bertish. And he says, small bits of effort over time. Basically that consistency, it’s got a cumulative effect. So that kind of ties into the sort of baby steps… like, take baby steps, but keep taking them. And it adds up.

Yes. And ultimately, you only allow yourself to do that by self-compassion.

So, if you weren’t acting, what is your dream job? I know you spoke about your studies in the beginning.

It would probably be something really, really, very analytical. Like a maths or a science… Yeah, my brain needs to be stimulated constantly. And I think acting is quite satisfying for that. But I love sudoku. I love puzzles. And maybe that’s why I like acting. I love puzzles and putting them together.

And the thing with acting, I mean, and film is that it’s many layers. You’re creating an illusion… you’re creating the illusion of reality. And it’s taking so many different disciplines and threading them all together to sort of create this tapestry. So there are so many moving parts.

And to try and keep that thing from sort of being found out in a way, like the whole time where you distract the audience with one little thing, and suddenly they’re not on board with this dreamlike state. Yeah. So maybe that’s why you were drawn to acting. And like you said, it is like a puzzle.

And it is brainy. You know, it’s really intellectually challenging and current now. So it’s innovative in its own way. And it requires the body and mind, everything, working with other people. So it’s really very, a full endeavour.

That’s very satisfying. And then it lasts. You know, with film, it will last. I hope that in 50 years, you know, kids can find it, they can watch it. And if they like it, that they’d be like, “oh, my goodness”.

You know, like how some people feel about Sex in the City today. They’re just like, how was that made, like, all that time ago? So I really hope that society doesn’t regress you know, that we also do that. But as wars, and you know, “you never walk through the same river twice”. And we don’t know what the next 50 years will look like. But the films will stay what they are.

And it’ll be interesting to see in 50 years what Gebokste Liefde what it means for society today. Yeah. And before I say goodbye… are there any exciting projects that you’d like to tell us about, that you’re allowed to tell us about that are in the pipeline? Or are you sworn to secrecy? Have you signed too many NDAs? What’s the story?

No, I mean, yes, in a way, because I do have new management from the US, and that’s a great step in the right direction. And they are sending me this type of high profile projects that make the hair on my back stand up. I can’t believe that, I would be involved in projects like that. But in the meantime, yeah, I’m trying to grow self-compassion. And I’m trying to take care of myself. So that in the next 50 years, I’m also okay.

Yes.

And like I said, I really do go in, go in, you know I’ve had lots of challenging roles. It’s okay. Especially if you’re trying to grow career longevity, you know, 60 or 50, and you still want to do interesting creative work worth saying something… that won’t change for me.

Well, I see you as one of the most talented actors we’ve got working today. And I’m actually really glad that I got this interview in time, before you really blow up, because then I won’t be able to ever speak to you again.

Nonsense. I will always I love South Africa.

You doing this. This is recorded. So if I send you an email now, in about two or three years…

I’m expecting that will not be my fault. That will be the managers being like advising. Okay. That’s just the thing. It’s not like what the actors always want to, be involved in the… yeah.

Okay, but at least we got it on record.

I didn’t finish my sentence. Yeah. Let’s see, who knows what the future holds.

Yeah, no, I think it’s bright for you. So well done on your performance in Gebokste Liefde. And yeah, it’s always a pleasure to see you doing your thing. And yeah, let’s hope that it all goes well for everyone in South Africa. Because, you know, our industry needs it as well.

Yeah, thank you. Thank you. And continue doing what you’re doing. And I think what you’re doing is incredible…you are a voice that is knowledgeable and an authority.

Okay, I might have to quote you on that.