There’s trouble brewing in Ruiterbosch as veteran soapie vixen Marisa Drummond joins kykNET’s “Suidooster” as Orpa Blignaut.
On Thursday, June 1, viewers will be introduced to Orpa and her husband James (Dries Botha from Erfsondes).
The couple are missionaries aiming to call Ruiterbosch home. It doesn’t take long before they get involved with the church in the close-knit community where Siya (Gantane Kusch) is the pastor.
Coming in with the intention of causing riffs, Orpa knows all too well how to pull the wool over the eyes of trusting people.
IOL Entertainment caught up with Drummond before her debut.
She said: “Orpa has absolutely no conscience whatsoever. She and her husband James are the real deal when it comes to con artists. They find their way to Ruiterbosch in a seemingly innocent way.”
Drummond added: “My experience has been nothing but delightful. From the production team, crew, all the way to the actors. I did dialogue coaching for ‘Suidooster’ in 2019 and this time I was able to join in the fun.”
Drummond relocated to Cape Town from Johannesburg in 2019 and is one of Mzansi’s treasured actors.
Loyal soapie fans might also remember her as the vicious Kimberly Lewis-Haines from “Isidingo”, Alexa from “Binnelanders” or even the serial killer, Vera Nel, in “Die Byl”.
When asked what name she would choose as a soapy vixen, she replied: “ if I could choose my name, it would be Esmerelda Verwey. Don’t ask me why, but it simply sounds as if she can really mix things up in a very unpleasant way.”
It’s clear that Drummond has played way too much bad-girl roles on South African TV over the years.
“Every role I accept, be it on stage or in front of the camera as director or writer, gets 100% of my attention and love. I get smitten with every character and their stories and every project comes with new challenges and delight.”
Her career breakthrough was when she starred in the comedy series “Hester & Bester”.
She adds: “All the series by Willie Esterhuysen is very popular amongst South Africans. What made this series stand out for me, was the unusual and illogical way the characters were presented. For instance, their ‘larger than life’ exaggerated view of life.
“The four characters, Bessie and Trompie and the beloved two sisters were all extremely colourful – not in set, decor, costume and makeup – but also in their storylines and vocabulary.
“It was a dysfunctional family that at times made viewers forget about their own family ‘construction’, she says, tongue in cheek.
Their iconic expressions and what they entailed, are still alive today. Just think about words like ‘slapslet’, ‘lugmatras’, ‘laat ontwikkel’.”
Watch “Suidooster” on Mondays to Fridays at 6pm on kykNET (DStv channel 144) and at 6.30pm on kykNET & Kie (DStv channel 145.