Mandi du Plooy-Baard reckons that being able to play a role in a soap opera remains the ideal type of work for her. This is something she is quick to admit.
“I like security and the stability it offers,” this 40-year-old actress told RNews.
Then the popular kykNET soap opera Married to rugby came to an end in September 2022, Mandi du Plooy-Baard not only had to say goodbye to a character she loved very much, but also to a group of people who at the end of the day became like family to her .
“It was very difficult for me. I loved it Married to rugby, my character and the people I worked with. It was close to my house… ah, it was actually quite nice for me.
“It was a big adjustment. It was heartbreaking to know that so many people were left unemployed.”
She admits that she could not get it over her heart to the last few episodes of Married to rugby to watch, and especially didn’t tune in to see her character, Lienkie’s, funeral.
“I am someone who wants to work. I enjoy the freelance work, but it makes me a little anxious. If I have to be honest, I like the comfort zone of a soap opera.”
She has been working as a freelance actress for the past year, and has devoted most of that time to her two children, 10-year-old Juandré and 8-year-old Sumé.
“My son is in grade 4 this year, so I wrote the exam again this year for the first time,” she says jokingly.
Mandi’s two offspring have also tested the waters of the entertainment industry in recent times, although Mandi admits that she strictly controls every project they take on.
These two have each been part of commercials and films, with Sumé also keeping her actress body for one of the Afrikaans is Groot music concert’s funny scenes.
“I always ask them first if they want to be part of something, but I also have certain boundaries. I don’t always say yes, and of course it also has to fit in with school work, as it always comes first.”
Mandi will soon be in the kykNET Story film, Influenceable, to be seen. In this thriller, Mandi plays the role of Simone, a top villain. Although she does not identify with the character at all, it was a wonderful experience for her to play a darker character.
“I usually play the cute character, a safe character. This was something completely different for me and a wonderful challenge.
“I don’t look pretty at all in the movie, but I look realistic. I like it because it’s so real, and that’s what made the movie appealing to me.”
Influenceable is about five social media influencers (influencers) who come together under one roof for a reality series to see who can walk away with R2 million in prize money. However, the film takes a dark turn when the viewership numbers of the series decline, and the producers, Lian Kuiper (played by Armand Aucamp) and Simone Kruger (played by Mandi) resort to new, cruel, ways to restore the viewership numbers.
“It is a unique film, but it is so applicable to our own lives.
“We all have the ability to a influencer to be, and we all have the tools for that because we are on social media. This movie shows the other side of that.”
- Influenceable will be broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday 8 July on kykNET, DStv channel 144, and will then also be available on Catch Up.
