{"id":22654,"date":"2024-08-06T22:07:34","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T20:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=22654"},"modified":"2024-08-06T22:09:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T20:09:06","slug":"melissa-de-vries-on-how-arendsvlei-and-mince-jou-hare-changed-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2024\/08\/06\/melissa-de-vries-on-how-arendsvlei-and-mince-jou-hare-changed-the-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Melissa de Vries on How &#8220;Arendsvlei&#8221; and &#8220;Mince Jou Hare&#8221; Changed the Game"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Melissa de Vries (Sasha Daniels in <em>Arendsvlei, <\/em>Bronwyn in <em>Taktiek<\/em>) stars in <em>Mince Jou Hare<\/em> as Frieda, who quits her factory job to set up a hair salon in her home, disrupting the lives of her family, neighbours and clients in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Showmax Original sitcom is inspired by the true story of Frieda, the mother of award-winning comedian Shimmy Isaacs, who writes and co-produces.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/showmax.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"159\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/showmax.png?resize=450%2C159&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20947\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/showmax.png?w=450&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/showmax.png?resize=300%2C106&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>With the full season of <em>Mince Jou Hare <\/em>available to binge from this Monday, 12 August 2024, Caryn Welby-Solomon chats to Mel to find out more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How would you describe <em>Mince Jou Hare<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a sitcom that revolves around Frieda and her salon. <em>Mince Jou Hare<\/em> is about a woman going for her dreams and it\u2019s about relationships. Everyone wants to be in that house. The customers come for more than a hair treatment, because it&#8217;s a safe space where they can let their walls down and escape from their own realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tell us about your character.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frieda, Frieda, Frieda \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She is very relatable: a woman who is trying her best to start her own business while running a household. She works hard and she is honest and loyal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shimmy always used to say that statistically her mom was not supposed to make it. She was supposed to stay in the factory. But she proved the statistics wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She shows that it\u2019s possible to do whatever you put your mind to. It&#8217;s not about where you come from, but where you are going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What attracted you to this role?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Firstly, it was well written. It was so easy to learn the lines. I understood the world because of how the characters spoke \u2013 their interactions felt familiar. One of my sisters, Sharon \u201cSussie\u201d Maarman, had her own hair salon. She\u2019s not with us anymore but it reminded me of that world that I grew up in and how the hairstylist interacts with her clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the audition I had the most fun because we got to play, and whether I got the role or not, it was an experience that gave me so much hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why should people watch <em>Mince Jou Hare<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s funny, it&#8217;s about family and they will see themselves \u2013 or their aunt or cousin or dad \u2013 on screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a show that gives hope and puts a smile on your face and heart. We need more of these types of stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In your YouTube interview series <em>A Walk With Mel<\/em>you\u2019ve spoken to other actors about their experiences in the industry. What have you noticed about how the industry has changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Walk with Mel Feat Dynamic Dance #Dance #Studio #capetown\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bZeDbd9EeuU?list=PLqSVO7M_xZjBWMGuqyiff2XogqzgMKeSa\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When I was<strong> <\/strong>growing up, I didn\u2019t think it was possible for me to do this. Obviously I watched TV, but I didn\u2019t really see people who looked like me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then eventually <em>Arendsvlei <\/em>happened. I feel like that show really changed the game for me because it was a full cast of Coloured people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since I began to interview Coloured actors, now versus then, you can see the difference. We are very talented people and didn&#8217;t always have access or resources to go into this industry full time, but I see more and more Coloured people creating their own. The younger people are more courageous because they have a social media platform and they see people who look like them and sound like them on TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m grateful to everyone who paved the way for us. They have shown us it&#8217;s possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mince Jou Hare <\/em>has also helped to show that it\u2019s possible. This show celebrates the people of towns like Worcester. Here\u2019s a middle-class family trying their best to create a better life for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So your dreams are achievable; you just need to work on your craft. It\u2019s a marathon, not a sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Frieda quits her job to start a hair salon in her house | Mince Jou Hare | Coming soon to Showmax\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-s9VuybH48k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>ABOUT <em>MINCE JOU HARE<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The feel-good small-town comedy is directed by <em>Spinners<\/em> star David Isaacs, co-creator of <em>Joe Barber <\/em>and <em>G.I.L.<\/em> Roberta Durrant produces through Penguin Films, the company behind International Emmy nominees <em>Stokvel <\/em>and <em>Home Affairs; <\/em>classic SA comedies like the Rose d\u2019Or nominee <em>Madam &amp; Eve and <\/em>triple SAFTA winner <em>G.I.L.; <\/em>and long-running dramas <em>Arendsvlei<\/em> and <em>Sara Se Geheim<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Opposite Mel, <em>Mince Jou Hare <\/em>stars comedian Dugald Pieterse as her husband, Vincent, Fleur du Cap nominee Bianca Flanders (<em>Troukoors; N\u00earens, Noord-Kaap<\/em>) as her best friend, Julia, and Franka Kirby in a breakthrough role as her daughter, Jody. Frieda&#8217;s neighbour, Oompie, is played by Gershwin Mias, who is up for 2024 Silwerskerm Awards for Best Supporting Actor for both Comedy and Drama, as Shaun in <em>Magda Louw<\/em> and Kaliel Glakus in<em> Die Byl <\/em>respectively.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Melissa de Vries (Sasha Daniels in Arendsvlei, Bronwyn in Taktiek) stars in Mince Jou Hare as Frieda, who quits her factory job to set up a hair salon in her home, disrupting the lives of her family, neighbours and clients in the process. The Showmax Original sitcom is inspired by the true story of Frieda,&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2024\/08\/06\/melissa-de-vries-on-how-arendsvlei-and-mince-jou-hare-changed-the-game\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Melissa de Vries on How &#8220;Arendsvlei&#8221; and &#8220;Mince Jou Hare&#8221; Changed the Game<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MelissaDeVries-MinceJouHare-Showmax.jpg?fit=450%2C254&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}