Share

Bouwer Bosch: We made the kind of film we always wanted to make

READ CHANNEL24'S REVIEW HERE

Cape Town – Bouwer Bosch needs no introduction. The actor, singer and producer is a well-known face in the local entertainment industry. 

In his latest role Bouwer plays Wim a cleaning clerk at a laundromat in the crime comedy Vuil Wasgoed a full length feature of the award-winning short film.

The film centres on Wim and his best friend Kevin (Bennie Fourie). When Wim and Kevin go to a party in a client’s suit they discover a severed finger that a lot of dangerous people are looking for.

We chatted to Bouwer about the film, starring alongside Bennie and his future projects.

Vuil Wasgoed is based on a short film - what changed in your character from the short versus the feature film?

I think the main thing that changed was the fact that my character could be more daring. The Wim of 3 years ago is a changed man in this film. He has a bit more drive but he still backs his best friend Kevin with everything in him.

What’s the best quality about your character, Wim?

The fact that he is so loyal to his friend Kevin. Wim is also very good on his feet so when situations gets tricky he goes with his first impulse, sometimes it works out, other times not, but at least he keeps moving.

What was it like filming with Bennie Fourie, who plays Kevin, in the film?

We have become such good friends over the last few years and to create something with one of your best friends is a massive privilege. We share the same comedy values and it helps a lot with the creative process. Bennie is 'n great actor so he challenges me a lot to be better and give more of Wim on set.

How did you manage to keep a straight face during filming?

It was difficult at times. Morne du Toit our director is very open to improvisation on set so every time on a new take we would have new jokes which made it awesome and fun. After a while you just realise that the sooner you are done with a scene the sooner you can move on and make the day. So sometimes you just had to suck it up for the day and not play around the whole time. There's always that fine balance.

Who was the biggest prankster on set?

We did not really prank each other but I must admit that my whole mission was to make the other characters laugh the whole time while shooting to see if I could get them to break character. It was a great challange and lots of fun.

Your wife, Leandie du Randt Bosch, also stars in the film but her character, Alecia, isn’t a fan of Wim – was that fun or challenging to shoot?

Leandie is an amazing actress so it was fun to see her do her thing on set. Our characters annoy each other so it was fun to think of little ways we could make each scene more fun or annoying for each other. It was great.

What was the most challenging part of this whole process?

We shot the film in 5 weeks and 3 of them were night shoots where we shot from 18:00 - 06:00 - so if you do that after three weeks your whole life is turned around. You wrap at 06:00 and then you drive in traffic home, not to work. So that was challenging to keep the energy and creative juices going after those hours for so long. In the edit we also had to let go of a lot of our favourite jokes which was difficult, you start loving everything and you need to learn to let go of those darlings, that was tough.

 
What was the highlight of this project for you?

Just being able to morph the shortfilm from 2014 into the full length. It was a lot of hard work, our fellow producer Danie Bester is a great mentor and steered the ship in the right direction each time. So the highlight is to say that we made the kind of film we always wanted to make and to make something that is different than other films out there.

Why do you think people should go watch Vuil Wasgoed?

Vuil Wasgoed is a first in terms of the type of comedy it is, its not the typical slapstick we often see. It's a bromantic comedy of two friends who's friendship keeps being tested by everything that could possibly go wrong in their life and also just to support the local industry, by supporting films you support the arts and you are helping to make the arts industry bigger and create more opportunities for stories to be told.

What other projects are you currently working on?

We are busy with the post production on our next film coming out in July 2018 called Thys & Trix - other than that I'm going to focus more on music for 2018 and launching a few development projects to help move SA forward and try to be a more active citizen that is involved in social issues in society.

Vuil Wasgoed opens in cinemas nationwide on Friday, 8 December. 

ALSO READ: The making of Vuil Wasgoed

(Photos: Werner Botha/Plastiek) 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE