As Cape Town-born actress Tarryn Wyngaard’s career soars, she understands the challenges faced by young Thespians.
Wyngaard, who grew up on the tough streets of Bonteheuwel, recently landed a leading role in a new Showmax original series, Pulse.
Wyngaard bagged a SAFTA for ‘Best supporting actress’ in the movie Stam last year. She said she never realised how much winning a SAFTA would mean to her.
“It meant being accepted in the acting community, which I really value,” she said.
Trying to catch break in the South African movie industry is daunting.
“The unemployment rate is so high, and there are so many (other) challenges,” she said.
She added that a business side hustle comes in handy. “I encourage anyone to run their own business and take the risks necessary to succeed.”
The actress, who often received high marks for maths, shocked everyone with her choice of career.
“I always leaned towards the arts. I have a drama degree from UCT but still did mathematics on a university level as part of my course,” she said.
Wyngaard’s first introduction to the big screen came when she played the role of Jenny in Noem My Skollie, released in 2018 when she was 26.
“That was when the acting bug bit. It motivated me to do more film and TV,” she said.
The actress’ new role as Jaz, an indie gaming creator in the new TV series Pulse, is set to wow crowds when it debuts on June 23.
The show was voted one of the 25 buzziest series at this year’s international television market, the MIPTV festival in Cannes, France.
Pulse is a horror series that sees a group of gaming creators stuck in a video game. In each episode, the characters are forced to pass each level, which becomes increasingly difficult.
Filmed over nine weeks between South Africa and Mauritius, Wyngaard described the filming as “very intense”.
“The series is shot in a black box where gamers are locked in because of an electromagnet pulse that shuts the building down,” she said.
“The pulse fries their brains, and they lose their minds as they try to escape.”
Wyngaard said there were parts of her personality that resonated with her character in the series.
“Jaz is hyper-focused on her career, and I tend to do the same when I have a new role. I geek out completely and get sucked into the world of the character I play,” she said.
The show also stars veteran actor Thapelo Mokoena, who plays a narcissistic producer, as well as Sven Ruygrok from the movie Spud and two-time Silwerskerm winner Carel Nel.
Viewers also got to know Wyngaard in her role as Ilke Bastiaan, a teenage mother on Arendsvlei.
And when she is not working, Wyngaard likes to explore nature.
“We have such beautiful mountains and hiking (trails). And doing yoga in nature grounds me,” she said.
“I don’t think many people know this about me, but I am a homebody. I love being at home when I’m not doing anything.”
She attributes her relevance to consistently working on herself and honing her craft.
“Apart from working on your craft, you have to work on yourself. Self-improvement is a continuous process, and I think it shows in the work,” she said.
Shortly after graduating from university, Wyngaard said she met Hollywood actor Sean Penn at the One & Only hotel in Cape Town, who gave her advice she has never forgotten.
“He told me that, ‘The camera is a magnifying glass. You don’t have to act. You just have to be. That serves me even in life. I remind myself how important it is to live.”
In the coming months, Wyngaard hopes to work on more international projects.