Die Onderonsie's Simon Pretorius on the film, Britney Spears, first 8 sceneActress Simone Pretorius opens up about her character, Jolene, in Showmax's Afrikaans film Die Onderonsie'.
by Nokuthula Ngcobo
01-12-2023 17:18
in Entertainment
Die Onderonsie. Image Supplied
Die Onderonsie (aka The Quarrel) is now streaming on Showmax.
--
When five ex band-mates come together for their annual reunion, a dead body stirs up suspicion and violence among the friends. With tjommies like these, who needs enemies?
ABOUT DIE ONDERONSIE' The debut feature film from multi-award winner Philip Nolte (2023 SAFTA winner Sex in Afrikaans, Silwerskerm award winner Vossie Vergas Homself), the dark comedy co-stars SAFTA nominee Simon Pretorius (Hotel), Binnelanders stars Pietie Beyers and Lindsey Cele, and Getroud Met Rugby stars Adrian Steyn and former Mister World South Africa Sean van Noordwyk. Also look out for 2023 Royalty Soapie Awards nominee Tsholofelo Matshaba (Kedibone in The River) as Detective Mahlangu and David James (Colonel Koobus Venter in District 9) as Thys.
SIMON PRETORIUS ON HER CHARACTER What's your favourite part of Jolene's wardrobe?
--
To be honest, I would never in my life wear what she wore! She's really quite the opposite of myself. She wore bodycon dresses that were super-tight, so I had such a hard time in her wardrobe because I hate stuff that's tight.
But I did wear white, knee-high boots. And those were my own, so they were very comfortable! I don't know why I have white trompoppie [drum majorette] boots.
I love the fact that she wore these high-heeled, white leather boots for going away for a weekend in the bushveld with her friends.
--
Sometimes I feel like once you put the shoes on of a character, that's when you really step into their role. Clothing changes but there's a specific thing about what you'll wear as a shoe.
ALSO READ: It felt like I could redo high school': Melissa Myburgh on Trompoppie'
Her bandbates call Jolene Patricia Lewis after the South African singer. Why Patricia?
Them saying that Jolene is Patricia is not necessarily meant as a compliment. I did wonder if Gen Z would know who Patricia Lewis is, but I know that for people my age and older, especially in the Afrikaans community, she is cemented as an icon of pop stardom, with the hair [Simon mimics Patricia tossing her long, blonde hair], the glam up and stuff. For me, she'll always be that [Simon sings lyrics from Ek Is Lief Vir Jou] Doodgewone man kry 'n salaris - [ordinary guy gets a salary].
ALSO READ: It's a love letter to coloured culture': Actor Dillion Windvogel on Spinners'
So when you were fantasising about being a rock star as a kid, how did you see yourself?
100% Britney! I was a big Britney fan. I had all of the posters and the CDs. I didn't see myself as a rock star. See, it's the hoofmeisie [head girl] in me. I'll take the popstar vibe. Christina [Aguilera] was already a bit too edgy for me. I was very innocent and very naive, so I was Britney just maybe Britney before I'm A Slave 4 You Britney, before the snake around the neck.
Jolene has a gospel pop album out - Spread Your Wings. If she was making the music she really wanted to, what would it be?
I think she wants to do a bit of that Slave 4 U (Britney Spears)! That's the Jolene that she is on the inside, and maybe a bit of a rock chick as well. But the gospel album is just because that's where she's going to make her money, and she knows the market is really loyal. Especially in the Afrikaans market, people swoon over a gospel album. You could be such a hypocrite but if you bring out a gospel album your fans will absolutely love you. So she's doing a gospel album, but she's definitely 100% the opposite of a gospel album singer.
ALSO READ: Showmax drops hilarious trailer for dark comedy Die Onderonsie'
What were your favourite moments in the fight scene between Jolene and Bianca (Lindsey Cele)?
That was so hectic! We really looked forward to that fight. That's my first fight scene! I've done a few slaps across the face, but this was a whole choreography, like a whole dance. The way it starts was lovely. It's just this tension-filled moment where you don't think Bianca's going to do it. And then she just goes in for Jolene. And then later on, we used pans and we knocked each other on the head. That was quite funny. And there was also something about pulling on the hair. All of it was just absolute chaos. Lindsey is a good friend of mine, so I just feel so safe with her. So we really had a lot of fun.
With the scene where Jolene flirts with Chad the pool boy (Dean Goldblum), which moment nearly ended you?
I said to him something about the stars aligning and he was like, Stars? No, sorry, baby girl; I'm an atheist. And that was hysterical for me. The whole scene with Dean was such a highlight; it was pure comedy. I love playing opposite him. He was just so 100% committed to this pool boy character. She's like, You are so absolutely stupid. But okay, well, we're leaning into this. You can always get me with comedy, because comedy is such a difficult thing to write. It's an easy yes for me, you can buy me over with comedy, I'm a cheapskate.
WIN R250 per day with our Christmas Advent Calendar competition - CLICK HERE
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia backs audience-led filmmaking with new insight-driven initiativ...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia refines guidelines for Narrative Content Development and Docume...
02/07/2026
Maxon Autograph: Introduction to working with Tables
Simon Ubsdell July 1, 2026
0 Comments
An overview of Autograph's ridiculously powerful tables...
02/07/2026
Boston Conservatory's Soir e Breaks Records to Fund Student Scholarships The event achieved 127 percent of its fundraising goal in an evening celebrating ...
02/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Med Tech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might thin...
02/07/2026
Summer is heating up - and GeForce NOW is taking players along for the ride.
Start the month with Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains, bringing a galaxy fa...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
Die Onderonsie's Simon Pretorius on the film, Britney Spears, first 8 sceneActress Simone Pretorius opens up about her character, Jolene, in Showmax's Afrikaans film Die Onderonsie'. 
