Carine Rous, best known for her role in Isidingo and High Rollers, walked away with the award for Best Actress in a comedy series for Elke Skewe Pot at the SAFTAs.
Carine also starred in High Rollers, which won the SAFTAs for Best Telanovela and Best Post-Production.
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Find out where her passion for acting came from, what beauty products she loves, and why she exercises to Roxette.
My mom lit my passion for theatre. Going to the theatre has always been our thing, and we’d visit the Aardklop arts festival every year, staying over in a local hotel to catch all the morning and evening shows in a two-day theatre binge – I loved it!
I remember watching one show in particular that fuelled my own passion to take to the stage. It was Saartjie Botha’s comedy called Tip, starring Lindie Stander. I was awestruck seeing local writers and actors producing brand-new content, not merely performing the ‘classics’, and in Afrikaans, which seemed accessible and cool again.
It was 2002, and I was in my first year of studying, completely enamoured by these women who, to me, were breaking through the glass ceiling in our industry.
I’m fortunate to be living my dream. My family isn’t at all ‘arty’ – my brother is a chartered accountant, and my sister works as a top procurement manager on large-scale projects.
My dad was a scientist and my mom was a maths teacher, so everyone assumed I’d get into those fields. When I decided to pursue drama, my folks were a little taken aback, but were still supportive. I think my mom is now my biggest fan.
Congratulations to Carine Rous, Elke Skewe Pot for winning the Golden Horn Award for Best Actress – TV Comedy @CarineRous #SAFTAs12 #OurStoriesAreGold pic.twitter.com/E2nmezS3b9
— SAFTAS (@SAFTAS1) March 24, 2018
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I know I work in a competitive industry, but I don’t see why we can’t support each other, too. There are so many talented local actresses, and I’d be delighted if they all did well.
One of my heroes is Sandra Prinsloo – years ago, we worked together on the stage production of Fiela se Kind, and I learnt so much from her. It’s important for women to support and uplift each other, because that’s when the magic happens.
The behind-the-scenes work is intriguing, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to tap into. I’m passionate about acting, so I don’t think I’d give it up entirely, but I like the idea of being behind the camera, too.
Nothing beats having friends over for a lunch that stretches into the evening. Then, we move into the lounge to listen and dance to music by an eclectic mix of artists, from Desmond & The Tutus and Nouvelle Vague, to The Cure and Depeche Mode. I truly am a massive fan of ’80s music.
For exercising, I prefer my lounge to the gym, which I find quite boring and cold. I did modern dance for 10 years growing up, so most of my exercises are dance-inspired – for one, I stand straight, resting my hand on the back of a chair, and lift each leg 100 times, then do the same with my arms.
I’ll do hundreds of squats and pliés to a Roxette soundtrack – their music has a really steady beat that’s great for timing.
I’m ridiculously proud of my herbal-tea collection! I’ve been using Annique beauty products for about seven years, and have also fallen in love with their fab collection of rooibos teas, including my favourite, their Detox ginger blend – these teas take up an entire shelf in my grocery cupboard.
