Crime comedy Koek – about a Cape Town housewife who discovers evidence her husband is having an affair with a stripper – is now streaming on Showmax.
Cindy Swanepoel, who won SAFTA and Silwerskerm awards last year as Annelize in Binnelanders, stars in Koek as Christelle, with screen legend Sandra Prinsloo as the brandy-drinking, cigar-smoking, leopard-print loving, kidney-stealing mob boss she’s soon in debt to.
Written by SAFTA and Silwerskerm-winning showrunner Christiaan Olwagen (Kanarie, Recipes for Love & Murder), the R18 DLNSV Showmax Original is directed and filmed by SAFTA and Silwerskerm-winning director and cinematographer Johannes Pieter Nel (Magda Louw, Die Tragiese Saak van Pamina Vermaak, Die Brug).
‘KOEK’ DIRECTOR ON CHOOSING THE BEST ACTOR’S FOR ROLES
“I don’t think Christiaan has ever written a weak script, and I immediately knew that this type of story had never been told in Afrikaans. This made me very excited. It’s funny, it’s sexy and it’s real,” Nel raved about Olwagen.
Further talking about the series, Nel revealed that Olwagen wrote the roles of Moekie and Lulu especially for Sandra (Prinsloo) and Ashley (de Lange).
“Our big headache at the beginning was who would play Christelle, but Cindy Swanepoel immediately came to mind. I know Cindy from Stellenbosch drama days and I have always been aware of her incredible talents in drama and comedy. She also comes across as very relatable.
“I’d worked with Cindy on the second season of Magda Louw, which we filmed just before Koek, so I really couldn’t see anyone else in the role,” Nel explained.
Asked if there is anyone he was impressed or surprised you in their role, Nel said: “All the actors were exceptional, but I have to single out Llandi Beeslaar (Stefanie) and Clayton Evertson (Pitbull).”
He continued: “From the outset, the biggest thing was that it had to be believable. The viewer must be able to believe that something like this can happen. This was also one of the reasons why I decided to move the story world from Cape Town to the northern suburbs.”
PROMINENT THEMES IN THE SERIES
Nel also explained that the characters had to come across as grounded because the situations they find themselves in are ridiculous enough.
In Koek, some of the most important or prominent themes are that of infidelity and how easily someone will give up a marriage of years for a few minutes of cheating.
“The dynamics between men and women – and specifically the role of women in not only marriage but also in society as a whole.
“And how you should never underestimate yourself, because you can always surprise yourself with what you are capable of,” Nel said.