Sky is the limit for Vredehoek actress

Local TV and Film actress Trix Vivier stars in a new local comedy called Van Der Merwe.

For as long as she can remember, Trix Vivier has wanted to perform. Now, the Vredehoek based actress is starring in a local movie and playing the lead in a new TV series.

“I know people always ask actors or performers what was their plan B. But with me there was never a Plan B. As far as I can remember, we used to put on shows and imagine that we were Disney characters. Performing was always something I was going to do with my life.”

She grew up in a home that was passionate about the arts.

Her mom was a drama teacher and coached children in Melkbosstrand.

“She would instigate these games at home where we would dress up in my grandmother’s clothes and sing and dance.”

Trix started dancing at a very young age, beginning with ballet, before moving on to modern and tap dancing and then also gymnastics. After high school, she studied at the Waterfront Theatre School, majoring in drama and dance.

“It’s very hard to balance all of them. When you start your career, you can’t always do what you want to do. You can’t really be picky in the beginning unless you strike it lucky.

“By doing everything, you learn what you want to do. I always knew that I wanted to eventually end up in TV and film.”

However, she also wanted to spend some time working as a professional dancer and ended up working in Turkey for two years.

“Slowly but surely I started to focus more on acting and that drove me more towards film, TV and voice-over work.

“If you want to be really good at something you have to focus a lot of energy on that. I didn’t wanted to be okay at a lot of things. I wanted to excel at one thing. At the same time, as an artist in this country you have to be versatile.”

Towards the end of 2015 she decided she wanted to focus on TV and film work, and in Cape Town, a lot of that is on international productions. “Immediately your borders have shifted. In Johannesburg, for example, the work was very much local. Everything is very much South African which is always very competitive.

“As soon as I moved to Cape Town I started auditioning for international projects. It’s like you take your safety blanket away and say I’m just going to expose myself to those auditions. And you do a lot (of auditions).”

Trix said she was very excited to have landed a role in the local comedy Van Der Merwe which was released on July 28.

But, she said, the role she auditioned for was not the one she ended up playing.

“They wanted to see me and I hardly ever say no to auditions. I went and did it, but it was quite clear that I was too young for the part.

“They called me back to read the role for the receptionist, which is the role that I play. When I read the part it was such a fun and hilarious part and I had never done anything like that before.

“In my mind, it was a done deal that if they offered it to me, I would take it.”

Leading man, Rob van Vuuren, she said, was very funny and she fed off his energy for her own character. “He’s got such great energy and is truly funny. It’s the first time that I’ve done a comedy.”

She said the film, which is about a wedding and two different families coming together, was something that a lot of people could relate to. “It’s a very lekker, light-hearted comedy.”

As South Africa celebrates National Women’s Day this week (yesterday, Wednesday August 9), she had some advice for young aspiring actresses. “Find your individuality, find and identify what makes you different from other people. Use that as your power to be the best version of yourself.

“Never compare yourself to other women or other people. Focus on your strength. If you do that, that’s the key for going places. It’s very relevant in this industry because I used to look at other actresses and thought, oh they’re getting work and I’m not because I don’t sound or look like them.

“What happens is you start to impersonate other people and you lose your pizzazz.”

Trix is currently wrapping up a new 13-part series, called Waterfront, which is set to air in October.