An aspiring actress from Elsies River got a shot at her dream after landing a role in a new Afrikaans series called Volmaakte Gelukskoot.
A grateful Ann Benjamin, 48, from Avonwood is proof that you are never too old to fulfil your passion and says she is overjoyed for the opportunity as she had given up on her dreams a long time ago.
She plays the role of Ouma Pam and landed the spot in 2022 after someone at work sent her the link for auditions in Brackenfell.
The excited mom says: “I was very nervous because I cannot perform in front of people, or so I thought, and on the day of the audition the place was packed.
“The day before I told myself that I am not doing it. My son told me ‘Mommy, what if you are good? What if they like you? You will forever question yourself’.
“So I took his advice and auditioned and when I took the stage they were very happy with me.”
“I got an email stating that I made it but I needed to pay a fee of R16 500 which I didn’t have.
“They emailed me back that I was one of 28 people out of 900 that got a bursary to be part of the movie.
“We had workshops in Melkbosstrand for four weeks to prepare ourselves for the movie and I borrowed money to attend but it paid off.”
The short film was shot in one day at Velddrif Golf Course on 1 May 2023.
She says learning the words and how things work on set was a challenge but she stood her ground.
Ann explains: “My advice to anyone is to Google and ask for help and you can do anything you put your mind to by asking God and you are never too old to fulfil your dreams.”
Catch Ann every Saturday morning at 9am on Volmaakte Gelukskoot and repeat Wednesdays at 10:30pm on Via or YouTube.
marsha.dean@inl.co.za