The next morning our protagonist wakes up in her hotel room with a red rose and a letter outside her door. It’s from her husband, apologizing for his affair and begging for her forgiveness. He confesses everything, along with the fact that he secretly flew in from his business trip in Vermont just to watch her show. In the letter he tells her how magnificent her performance was and how much he loves her and how sorry he is. He asks, with one single red rose, if she will accept his apology and forgive him. He writes about the dreams and plans for their lives together which they once had. He wants to re-ignite those dreams, as well as the flame between them. Our protagonist reads the letter and is taken back to a time when they were indeed very much in love and shared many dreams. She thinks about their memories and the passionate times they’ve shared together as she decides what she will do.
1. The Rose.Roses are ancient symbols of love and beauty. The red rose was also adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs. Obviously the rose is the perfect symbol of the love between our protagonist and her husband, as well as the beauty of their relationship. The red is associated with blood which is also poignant as blood is connected to life. It is responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients around our body, as well as playing a role in removing waste from our system. In a way, this symbol represents that he wishes to remove the ‘waste’ that has accumulated in their relationship – culminating in the toxic affair. As blood also plays a role in repair in our bodies, so this symbol serves furthermore to represent his wish to take the first steps toward repairing the life they have together that has been wounded. Again, the red of the rose playing a role as a motif throughout our story. See it’s symbolism HERE.
2. Perfume.While she is relieved, she is unsure what to do. She wonders about whether or not she will forgive him as she gets ready. On her dressing table is everything beautiful, delicate, feminine and luxurious. It represents her inner self and the side of herself she is confident in, unlike their relationship which she is unsure of. We have her seated at her dressing table as she remembers all their loving times together. She sprays on her favourite perfume. It’s the same scent she was wearing when they first met, on a romantic rainy evening years ago, and this moment takes her back to that time. The definition of perfume is “A pleasing, agreeable scent or odor”, made up of the word “fuming” - To fill or permeate with fragrance; impart a pleasant odor to. This is symbolic as these memories are like a pleasing fragrance to a troubled mind. She thinks back to their gentle and sensual first kiss.
3. Music.Finally she makes her decision. She decides to forgive him and give their love another try. Her exuberance in spirit is matched only by her cheeky smile as she realizes that “she’s still got it!“. Her husband has chosen to stay with her over his mistress. There is a sense of triumph mixed with lighthearted relief. Their love is indeed the same beautiful song she’s remembered all along. We have her sitting next to a piano, with her smile at the outcome of her tragedy as the symbolic Crescendo in the musical score that was this story.
This past week I attended a very fun event here in Cape Town, South Africa. It was held at the Shimmy Beach Club at the harbour. I loved the vibe of the evening. There were loads of people all gathered together to see who would win the coveted title of the Cosmopolitan Hottest Bartender of the Year (with prize money of R20 000)!Cosmopolitan magazine, in partnership with Collison’s White Gold Brandy, announced on 14 January this year the five guys and five girls who got the nod to compete for the title of “SA’s Hottest Bartender”. The 10 finalists for 2013 were featured in the February issue of Cosmo. Readers had the opportunity to scrutinize these movers and shakers of creative cocktails, and to vote for their favourite. The aim of the Cosmopolitan Hottest Bartendersearch every year is to find a bartender with the perfect combination of creativity and charisma, who has his or her craft honed to perfection.
The competition is not judged only on looks: each entrant has to submit an original cocktail recipe.
They will then be required to prepare their cocktails on the night of the big finale in Cape Town on 14 March, and the overall winner will walk away with the grand prize of R20 000.
The 10 finalists were:
Dillon Nuss from Taco Zulu, Durban
Le Riche Meyer from Carnival Court, Cape Town
Nicole Adams form Boulevard, Durban
Gabriella Trollip from Tiger Tiger, Cape Town
Domenico De Lorenzo from Molecular Bars, Johannesburg
Johnny Bezuidenhout from Café Caprice, Cape Town -WINNER
Robyn Horwitz from Movida, Johannesburg
Imaan Mac Quena from Jade Champagne Bar & Lounge, Cape Town
Nancy Ellis from Hooters, Durban
Donovan Prince from Café Caprice, Cape Town
I personally loved the girls. They had a lot of spunk and could definitely hold their own next to the boys. But I have to say, the boys had that cockiness that’s a huge crowd pleaser in something like this. Let’s put it this way……while the girls were smiling, doing a few dance moves from behind the counter and tamely stirring in the vodka, the boys were literally ripping their shirts off, jumping on the counter and flexing their tattoo-covered muscles while shaking that martini!
And let me just say .. HUBBA HUBBA! I mean, C’mon, They had us at HELLO
The winner was Johnny Bezuidenhout from Cape Town’s most popular beach bar Café Capriceand he was really deserving. MCPoppy Ntshongwana didn’t have a hard time handing over the cheque!
We shot Caprice‘s Skybok Profile a few months ago and for the video, we got Johnny to prepare a Mojito for us on-camera – check out his talent for yourself by watching itHERE.
A great performance was given by iScream & The Chocolate Stix after the show and I really enjoyed their performance. It’s nice to hear local bands singing good music. Check out their blogHERE.
Thank you to everyone involved for bringing us an awesome event!
Christmas / New Year’s is that delicious little period in life when all the worries of the world seem to fade away into some fantastically naughty little indulgence.
It can actually be any indulgence in the world – allow me to show you some of my little indulgences over the past 2 weeks
I flew up to Johannesburg with my family & stayed at the Tsogo Sun hotel, the Southern Sun Hotel, Montecasino.
It was absolutely heavenly!!
It’s a brand-new addition to the hotel family at Montecasino from my understanding… opened in May 2010.
I’ve always stayed at their legendary Palazzo hotel when I’ve travelled to Montecasino.
I still absolutely love it! But compared to this new addition, it’s a tad old-fashioned.
Apparently it’s due for refurbishment this year, which will hopefully give it the freshness & contemporary ambiance of its sister hotel the Southern Sun!
Opened in May 2010 the Southern Sun Montecasino located at The Pivot is an exciting addition to the Montecasino Precinct. The hotel has 194 bedrooms and offers all the modern facilities for both business and leisure travellers including a high spec gymnasium.
The hotel reflects a fusion of period and modern Venetian furnishings with a fresh electric style. Punchinello’s restaurant offers Mediterranean cuisine in an exciting open plan kitchen which allows guests to share in the activities of the bustling kitchen.
A contemporary bar and lounge leads out to a large wooden deck overlooking the pool which is the ideal setting for sundowners.
We had a gorgeous view from our room overlooking the Sun Square as well as a superbly-designed lake, fully equipped with a family of ducks and my favourite – two black swans
Walking out of our hotel, there was easy access to the main Montecasino entertainment complex.
We spotted these fabulous Venetian-inspired statues along the way!
I loved them – there was a statue for every season. My favourite was Summer…
There was also just generally some beautiful Venetian-inspired scenery which was so inspiring.
There is an exciting hub just a 5 min walk from our hotel called Sun Square which is just brilliant!
Complete with restaurants – including the winner of Masterchef South Africa’s very own restaurant called Aarya - a musical fountain, a big screen TV, a clock tower and a giant Teatro (Italian for “Theatre”) hosting top notch productions all year round!
Everything in the complex is styled to look like Venice, which I loved.
This is where we celebrated New Year’s Eve…. my best New Year’s of them all!!
The fireworks at the stroke of midnight were marvelous!!!
I absolutely loved them.
I think fireworks at midnight on New Year’s is an absolute MUST.
Fireworks & champagne, that’s a true celebration for a new year <3
All these pics are by my brother, Dane Doubell.
Prior to the countdown on New Year’s Eve we enjoyed the award-winning, much-acclaimed musical production Dirty Dancing.
It blew me away!!!
I was really excited to wear my new dress from Forever New, white always looks great against a bit of a tan
me & my bro
On New Year’s Eve we started a special new tradition which I hope will last for a very long time…
We lit 2 beeswax candles which were part of a delicate little ornament I received as a gift from a friend who went to the German Christmas Market last year!
I lit the candle on the left for the old year and blew out all of the past.
Then I lit the candle on the right for the future, and breathed in the light of the new year!
I recently created a quote for myself which is where the premise of this tradition began
Breathe out the past and breathe in the future
I also saw one great quote at Skoobs - my new favourite book store – which held lovely significance for me!
how true!
To top it all off, I threw a lucky penny into this fountain on New Year’s Eve and made a wish ……….. (i’m not telling!)
Okay okay it might have something to do with the necklace i was wearing………….. hehehe
What I totally enjoyed about the Montecasino was walking around the complex popping into this shop and that, grabbing an iced coffee and watching the live entertainment the Monte organizes.
There’s always some entertainment in the centre, from saxophone players to magicians to singers to circus folk.
It’s really the place to be!
I found a book store which I absolutely fell in love with called Skoobs and I really think we need one in Cape Town!!
I also watched two 3D films at the cinema which I adored!!
-Go see them!!
Something we loved to do was take a golf cart during the days from our hotel to the Palazzo and swim in their beautiful pool!
We alternated between swimming at our hotel and the Palazzo hotel, which were both so gorgeous…
with my mom
me!
A few more indulgences were definitely at the breakfast buffet!!
There were so many people at this hotel and in the complex generally.. I knew we’d picked the perfect place to spend New Year as a family
Flying there business class also helped!
G & T is my favourite drink ever
Recently a new favourite that has been added to the list is a rum & orange juice…. you must try it!
my awesome lunch… Thank you South African Airways!
On the last day we visited the Montecasino Bird Gardens ……… and WOOWWWW!
I loved it.
My impressions of the park were that it is very clean and spacious.
Also that they have such a diverse collection of birds.
The birds are well looked after and I was thoroughly delighting in all the various exotic birds they have there…
They hold wonderful bird shows every day at different times of the day.
I really enjoyed it much more than I first thought I would – I felt like a kid again!
There was one creature I particularly liked, and that was the chameleon!
I also liked the snake, seeing as 2013 is the year of the snake!
It also turns out I’m more afraid of birds than I realized… when handling some exotic bird at one point, one of his friends flew onto my head and I got the biggest fright ever!
I screamed so loud I probably scared most the patrons, and lucky for you I have a very embarrassing video !
It was a nightmare, but my brother seemed to enjoy it, haha!
I calmed my nerves at a nearby waterfall – gorgeous!
Finally, that night, we went and got a super Thai Massage!
Those massages are absolutely something else – very rough but heavenly at the same time!
We did a foot massage and then went into a full body “deep tissue” thai massage.
Absolutely incredible!
They actually manipulate your entire body as part of the massage.
It’s quite something – had me stretching in positions I never knew I could!
The parlour where the Thai spa was lay inside the Montecasino complex, making it very convenient for us!
I just remember walking in and smelling the sweet scent of vanilla incense…. it was stunning <3
I loved everything about this place and it certainly made me add “get a thai massage at least once a month” to my resolutions list!
Here is some more info on Thai massages (I found it quite interesting!)
Traditional Thai massage is based on the belief that all life force spirals around special pathways, or prana pathways, in the body. There are 72 000 invisible energy lines, which make up the energy body. Any blockage along these lines can cause disease (dis-ease) on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. Thai massage focuses on 10 important lines, called sen sip. By releasing any blocked energy along the sen lines, prana can flow freely, thereby restoring balance, health and harmony in the body.
Traditional Thai massage is a combination of acupressure, reflexology and yogic exercises, or gentle stretching, which manipulates the energy lines and so diminishes tension, stimulates metabolism and creates a feeling of wellbeing and vitality. Unlike some other therapies, you will feel refreshed and energized after a Thai massage, rather than sedated and lethargic.
After a glorious holiday in Johannesburg, we flew back to my home town Port Elizabeth where I am currently writing to you from!
Stay tuned for more updates as I go out into 2013 living outside my comfort zone!
As I attempt to keep my resolutions, start some interesting new hobbies, get daring & get snapping away to bring you some awesome photo moments!
My friend Gabi recently launched a fashion label and beauty spa with her sister Kelly.
They had a fabulous launch at their premises in Annerley street in Rondebosch yesterday, and what a turn out it received!
They truly outdid themselves for the event, honouring a fashion label they began in memory of their mother.
They call themselves “Milq and Honey” House of Fashion, Health & Beauty, and you can like their Facebook page HERE.
I personally love the name.
Gabi says to me she is the ‘Milq’ in “Milq and Honey”, hahaha!
Well the line is very fiery just like her and I was so impressed with what I saw in the show which followed soon after the guests arrived.
Well done to the whole Milq & Honey team on a beautiful collection!
The show took about 40 mins and by the look on people’s faces, everyone loved what they saw.
After my fourth daquiri (courtesy of Mainstay who set up a bar there), I just remember good music, sun, beautiful eats platters going around, a red carpet and balloons!
- Oh yes! There was also a lady doing Henna hand art.
The rest is a delicious strawberry-flavoured blur!
I remember at one point I took a tour of the premises. I thought the spaces of the rooms were great- very big, high ceilings, clean and professional.
I also loved the scent of vanilla I smelt in every treatment room.
The professional photos are coming soon (courtesy of Paul Ward), I’m sure they’ll be much better-looking than mine!
But you get the idea!
Thank you again Milq & Honey for a fantastic event!
And thank you to Chica Loca in Cavendish for dressing me for this event.
If there’s one group who can sure throw a party………. it’s the Cosmo Clan!
They truly outdid themselves this year at their Swimwear Pool Party which was held at Shandiz Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, Mandela Rhodes Place, corner of Wale and Burg Street, Cape Town.
I dressed up in my sexiest best and joined them for what was an evening nothing short of Cosmolicious!
I mean, honestly!
What a way to kick start Summer.
Everything was big, bold & colourful.
I thoroughly enjoyed some of the eye candy that was walking around serving the food and giving away free stuff!
It started at 5pm and wrapped up at 10pm.
with SABC Expresso Show’s Graeme Richards
with Playmate of the year Jade Fairbrother & SABC Expresso Show’s Leigh-Anne Williams
opening our fortune cookies
Sure, I’ll have a towel! Thanks.
I barely remember much as there was so much going on all around me; I have flashes of swirling ice cream, a swimwear show, Revlon painting my nails, Dentyne giving me gum, Billabong’s pool of balls (sounds bad) to win my hat, trying on Bronx shoes, Goldfish playing and firedancers putting on a good show!
The whole thing was so utterly 4D if you pressed your nose to this blog post you could probably smell the chocolate mousse from these guys -
COSMOPOLITAN turned up the heat this weekend to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of summer. Held at Shandiz Mandela Rhodes Place, the crystal clear pool with its cityscape backdrop was the perfect way to enjoy the first of many pool parties this festive season. Guests were treated to cocktails, delicious snacks, loads of ice cream and some very hot bodies. The stunning Anthea Schotlz opened the event with a sexy sunset session followed by an amazing performance by Goldfish.
I bought their flagship wine for myself – The Boet Erasmus 2009.
We shot their video profile for Skybok recently as a result!
I made a new friend in The Pillsbury man while we walked around -
and I entered a competition to win this car -
Oh yeah!
The wine tasting was way too much fun..
I laughed as I overheard the organizer tell one of the wine stalls to stop giving out such large portions in the ‘tastings’ because people were getting frisky..
Haha!
I went with my good friend Candice and we had a fabulous time sampling this new champagne vodka that’s out.
Oh yes, and some shots of I can’t remember what.
and some cocktails..
and some new Bubblegum flavoured liqueur by a company called Smooch Beverages
- Ok ok, I honestly can’t remember much, but I know I got this green scarf and a photo on a wall as a prize.
– What an incredible, fabulous experience this was!!
Being in the heart of London as a South African representative for TOP MODEL WORLDWIDE and feeling more proudly South African than ever!
Two weeks in the UK – one of which was entirely dedicated to the runway show and its surrounding PR and events.
The whole experience was something I’ve been looking forward to for some time!
And what a gloriously rewarding adventure it was!!
Held at The Hilton Metropole in London, the show featured models from all around the world showing the designs of renowned designers & labels – including Gianni Lilliu, Luna Sky, Analili New York by Daisy & Mac Bermuda, Fabryan, Eva Grygo, Wot The Frok by Naomi Quarrinton, Garcia by Daisy & Mac Bermuda, Remus Uomo, Gingerbread and Omar Mansoor, who showed at London Fashion Week this year!
Probably my favourite of the events leading up to the show was the VIP Pre-show launch party held at a nightclub in SOHO!
It was such a radical nightclub! I love the floor!
Everyone was there – models, judges, sponsors, stylists – and we all just met each other and partied the night away!
The theme was “Naughty or Nice” and, well, I bought some devil horns, a bowtie and a tail:)
The actual show was totally nerve-racking!
But I didn’t fall on my behind so I’m well pleased! Ha!
The winner was a super girl from Nigeria who I became great friends with!
A few days after jet-setting home, I had to down a Redbull and take myself off to The Loop Nightclub in Cape Town to MC the Traffic Clothing Winter Collection Fashion Show!
Yikes, still feeling the backlash of an 11-hour flight earlier in the week, I was not my prettiest!
- At least I was behind the microphone this time and not on the runway!
It was a show put on by Younique Concepts – started by one of South Africa’s top female DJ’s Vanessa Holliday, in this pic below.
Also in the pic below is the owner of The Loop nightclub, Mark Lifman.
It was an incredible event run by a very efficient and professional group of people – all at Younique Concepts!
There was a HUGE crowd and amazing music by Monique Pascal which the 10 models supplied by Twenty Management modeled to!
There were brilliant prize give-aways from the likes of Rikkis Taxis, Traffic clothing and the Pepper Club – amongst others!
And sponsors/contributors for the night included GQ and Glamour Magazines, Redken, Gordon’s Gin, Vida e caffè, Le Chocolatier, Soft Lips and more!
…So in other words it was a fabulous night enjoyed by all
I had an amazing time in the UK! Still sorting through all of my photos.
I made invaluable contacts, met brilliant girls from all over the world… and have got some golden opportunities!! I will say no more…. watch this space!
On one of the days we managed to go to Buckingham Palace -
Thought I saw Harry peeking out from one of the rooms….
So the big event right now on everyone’s lips is the up-coming FCM Fashion Party.
In case you didn’t know, ‘FCM’ stands for “Ferial’s Closet Makeover” – a Couture designer label, hot on the South African scene.
All clothes are designed by the talented and sassy Ferial Dawood.
I wrote a blog article about the label not so long ago (see the article HERE).
Taking over the glamorous night life with sexy designs in Cape Town & Johannesburg, it’s been featured in local and international Fashion Shoots, Fashion Shows and Celeb styling.
The show takes place on the 3rd of March at 21:30 at Club 169 on Long Street and other fashion designers who will be featured are ‘Phi Casa’ and ‘RedBow’.
So things in the film world have certainly heated up and I’ve gotten quite a bit of work as well as gone to a great deal of castings and auditions in the past two months. This is all since joining my agent Samantha Bernhardi!
Time now for my Christmas break
One thing to remember about going to castings is that just attending them doesn’t mean you’re actually going to get the job.
You may think you’ve done very well in the room and you may even get a ‘callback’ or an ‘option’ (meaning that out of everyone they saw, you and a few others have been ‘optioned’ for the role pending the director’s final choice)
…….but it doesn’t always mean you’ve got the job.
Nope.
It’s not until you get the final call saying that you’ve been ‘confirmed’ or ‘booked’ for the job do you pop the champagne, if you catch my drift
For those of you who are wondering what a casting looks like, well this is it
– A whole bunch of people waiting to go into a room and act out a scene that the advert requires.
Here is a snap of a typical casting:
Everyone ‘signs in’ when they arrive at the casting venue and gets a number.
They put it on their chest and wait their turn to go in.
In Cape Town, there are different casting studios (as they are called) around town.
From KFC to Emirates to Aquelle, there’s also been BKK Mobil Oil, ASDA, Ferrero Rocher, Queenspark, Standard Bank, Liqui Fruit, Savannah and a Russian pasta called Shebeneskie (to name a few).
I booked a commercial for Fortuneo bank in France which I shot two weeks ago – the product is a credit card.
For my first ever commercial, I really enjoyed it! Looking forward to more!
Here it is:
Of course I have gone to auditions for a feature film or two, as well as a British series for next year…. those ones take a bit longer until you hear back (so holding thumbs).
I’ve also MC’d a couple of events in the past few weeks – one for a selection of up-and-coming designers in the FCM Fashion Show at the trendy ZAR nightclub here in Cape Town, and another for a Varsity College function. It was a group of students who were completing their final year practical assignment.
For those of you who don’t know what “MC” stands for… it’s short for “Master of Ceremonies”.
I really love MC’ing – I love organisation and structure, so overseeing that an event runs smoothly is my forté! Hehe
Here is a snap of some of the models:
It’s a very rewarding experience.
For fashion shows specifically, I love helping the DJ select the playlist for each designer. I also love the research aspect of each designer and their label – their influences, their target market and how they got where they are.
I enjoy communicating that to an audience as the models walk by.
Here is a snap I took of the crowd:
The welcome is my favourite part of the event, as it’s my job to set the mood for the night.
What really works nicely is if the organiser has something to offer the guests such as canapés, cocktails, gifts or a raffle later on.
I must say that being part of these events makes me want to be involved with event management! Looks like sooo much fun (although stressful, I’m sure)
What I love about the Longstreet brand is that it’s sassy, fresh, stylish & dynamic! It’s very colourful and vibrant..beautiful pieces for daytime..
We shot in Longstreet and Kalk Bay.
I’m also still looking for a sponsor for Top Model Worldwide… ok, so I haven’t actually been ‘looking’ just yet – but I should be!!
London is a mere 4 months away!
I took a few new snaps for the competition’s marketing… Yes, they involved me in a swimsuit on a beach! Eeeek!
I have included them in the gallery below.
You can also click here to view the snaps – Swimwear
and Click here to view the rest of the snaps from that day not included in this article – Beauty Shots
I need sponsorship for the outfits I’ll be wearing to all the launches and parties surrounding the PR and marketing for the competition up in London.
The sponsorship is £175 and includes:
* Up to 4 months prominent web presence for the sponsor or sponsor’s company/brand
throughout the build up to the Grand Final shows (March 2012) with continuous logo branding
and web link on the individually sponsored Grand Finalists page at http://www.topmodeluk.com or http://www.topmodelworldwide.com – the main Top Model professional campaign websites.
* Branding association via any press achieved by, or with, the sponsored Grand Finalist.
* Consent to use the sponsored model throughout the show build up for any local press and PR.
Non commercial use only and subject to availability and reasonable reimbursements, if applicable.
* A pair of tickets to the Top Model UK or Top Model Worldwide Grand Final show that
the sponsored Grand Finalist is appearing in (March 2012) at the Hilton Metropole, London
(Value £80).
In addition to wearing my sponsor’s apparel at press events, I’ll mention them on all my social networking platforms.
Here are the links to my Twitter and Facebook page:
Next on my list for interviewing is the sassy Scott Cooper.
Now living here and working in the film and theatre industries, Scott hails originally from East London……… Ah, a fellow Eastern Caper in the room!
He’s lived in South Africa all his life but also lived for two years in London, six months in Wales, one year in Vancouver and six months on a cruise liner (whoa, impressive)
He studied at AFDA where he did a B/A in Live Performance and has also trained under critically acclaimed actress Aletta Bezuidenhout at the Screen Actors Studio in Cape Town.
He’s done tons of commercials – including for Nivea, Ritters Sports chocolate, Pepsi, Spur and more.
He’s won awards and received praised reviews for his roles in theatre performances – such as for his role in Agatha Christie’s Appointment with Death as well as for his portrayal of ‘Mr Darcy’ in the first ever stage production of Pride & Prejudice in South Africa.
In 2007 he was involved in a film called The World Unseen and he has the lead role in a trilogy of films coming up called Second Son, not to mention 3 episodes of Smallville that he’s done.
He’s also the lead role in a movie being shot next year called On Her Day as well as having a supporting role in another film, Vinegar Blues.
We meet at Melissa’s in Newlands and the up-beat atmosphere of the coffee bar matches his personality!
We do our greetings, I order my double strong filter coffee and get right to work as an interviewer (cue for spectacles and notepad please………….!)
Tamika: So you’re from East London! What is your fondest memory from there?
Scott: Yes that’s correct. My fondest memory….hmm…that would have to be going to Buffalo Park cricket ground with my dad – that’s where I learnt my love for cricket.
Tamika: And after school, what did you do?
Scott: Six months after I left school I went to London. One GAP year turned into two!
Tamika: You worked on a film called The World Unseen – what was that about and what was your role there?
Scott: It’s a film set in Apartheid South Africa and it centers on forbidden relationships… namely the lesbian relationship that develops between two Indian women.
Tamika: You’re attached to many projects, one of them being the lead role in a trilogy of films called Second Son (based on the novels by Glenn Grant), which will start shooting in 2012? Tell us about it.
Scott: The script grabbed me. It’s a South African production even though it’s set in many places around the world. It’s to do with cloning and also touches on themes of spirituality and abortion. My character is Sven Granger who is anti-cloning and anti-abortion. A few A-list actors have actually been approached for the role of the lead protagonist, for instance Sam Neil and Anthony Hopkins!
Tamika: You lived in Canada for some time, what was it like and how does the industry there differ from ours here?
Scott: It was an awesome experience. Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever been to. It’s actually known as the ‘Hollywood of the North’. The industry there is very similar to ours here in terms of the fact that a lot of U.S. productions get shot over there.
Tamika: How long are you planning on staying in South Africa – do you have plans to move to another country?
Scott: I used to be among those who just wanted to leave and go abroad. But let me say this; the grass here is greener than I thought it was. One day of course I would love to go to New York and even perform on Broadway, but for now I really feel we are approaching a Golden Era in our film industry in South Africa. For me, now, here is the place to be.
Tamika: I understand you’re also very talented in the theatre? What were some of your most memorable and rewarding roles?
Scott: I haven’t done a lot, but portraying Mr Darcy in Pride & Prejudice was a rewarding experience for me.
Tamika: You’ve done numerous TV commercials for the USA, UK, Germany, Russia, and the Netherlands – which was your favourite experience?
Scott: Pepsi Max was awesome! It was for Russia and I got to drive a Russian Lada on dirt roads surrounded by hot blondes! Very nice…….. (this was followed by a big grin as he took a sip of his green tea)
Tamika: Haha! So who is your agent here in Cape Town?
Scott: APM.
Tamika: Do you ever go back to East London to visit?
Scott: I go about once a year to see my family.
Tamika: What’s in the pipeline for you at the moment, what films or theatre pieces are you working on?
Scott: There’s a BBC docu-drama called Mankind which I’m shooting next week. I’m the lead in a Canadian film called On Her Day which shoots next year in Canada and the supporting role in a South African comedy coming up called Vinegar Blues. Then of course there’s the trilogy Second Son which I’m playing the lead in that starts shooting in 2012. I’ve also been cast in a supporting role for the film Black Jesus (working title).
Tamika: Do you also model?
Scott: Not particularly. I’ve never been into modelling but I just recently joined DNA Models here in Cape Town. I thought ‘why not!’
Tamika: What are your favourite South African films?
Scott:Yesterday, Sweet & Short, Paljas, District 9 and The Gods Must Be Crazy.
Tamika: Where do you party, usually?
Scott: Wherever the wind blows me. I like Kalk Bay side because I live there; so Cape to Cuba is one of the places I enjoy. I also like Zula Bar here in Cape Town.
Tamika: What’s in the boot of your car right now?
Scott: A box of tricks.
Tamika: Do you have siblings?
Scott: Yip. Two sisters and a brother.
Tamika: What does your family do – your mom, your dad?
Scott: My mother is…. let’s just say, a socialite And my dad works for the Twining’s Tea company. They live in Nigeria.
Tamika: What’s your health routine like – Diet, gym etc.? Do you do anything interesting like yoga or boxing on the side?
Scott: I like to gym regularly and I eat very healthily…
Tamika: Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?
Scott: Married with kids. Country doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I have a very successful career and am working with the best of the best consistently.
Tamika: What’s your favourite work or pet project right now?
Scott: I’m writing a screenplay… but I can’t say anymore, hehe! I try to find time to work on it in between auditions, shooting for films or commercials and my work as a drama teacher at the Helen O’Grady Drama Academy.
Tamika: What is one interesting thing about you that your followers don’t know?
Scott: I have a complete fascination with magic… so I love the circus. I also love cricket – but hey, that’s no secret. Ummm…. I love Westerns…. And another interesting passion of mine is looking up where famous movies were shot and making a point of going there when I travel. For instance, when I was in San Fransisco I made my way to where Mrs Doubtfire was shot and knocked on the door of her house! I’ve also been to Bridget Jones’ flat in London and I’ve touched the blue door from Notting Hill. Next month I’m taking a road trip through the U.S, through the Midwest, so I’m hopefully going to get a chance to visit some more places from films that have been shot up there!
Tamika: Name a place you love – Can be in Cape Town, Canada, or even in the good old Eastern Cape, South Africa!
Scott: I love Noordhoek beach and anywhere in the Eastern Cape is special for me.
Tamika: Do you do any charity work?
Scott: I don’t do any charity work per se, but I like to think I practice charity-giving every day in my own small way.
Tamika: What do you tell yourself when you walk out of an audition?
Scott: I say; “I want that!” and then I move on.
If you want to follow him on Twitter, he goes by @scottcooper_
I’m also still looking for a sponsor for Top Model Worldwide… ok, so I haven’t actually been ‘looking’ just yet – but I should be!!
