Armand Aucamp on his hot role on Troukoors (Wedding Fever)

Armand Aucamp is one of South Africa’s most versatile actors, having made a name with parts like Tom in Die Boekklub, Ben Human in Sterlopers, Jan van Riebeeck in Krotoa, and Jacques Reynhard in the 2015-film Ballade vir ’n Enkeling. He also has his own cooking show, Armand Kook Kaal, and is the author of the eponymous cookbook. He plays Dawid in Troukoors, Showmax’s Original romcom series.

Watch: Troukoors Season 2, streaming from 5 May 2022

Tell us about the character

I play Dawid, one of Jessica’s (Ilse-Lee van Niekerk) loves – the first love. I’m claiming it! She has a few, but I’m number one. And also, a colleague. So, her and I, we work together, but we also make out together. It was kind of fun playing that dynamic between the two of them – what happens behind closed doors, as opposed to the office.

Having said that, I’m the point of departure, so I’m everything that’s wrong in a man! I am the history she learns from. There are certain things she gets from Dawid and which she enjoys, but then there are other things that are more important, and which she doesn’t get from him.

But Dawid has some redeeming qualities, like every person. He is a bit of a chauvinist, and he’s an archetypical patriarchal man. Very ambitious, a little condescending. He’s that new generation chauvinist, that ‘I want you to be a career woman because that turns me on, but don’t surpass me. Remember to know your place. Just stay less successful than I am, but successful enough that I can show you off.’

I based him loosely on Don Draper (the lead character in Mad Men). That’s the type … he’s fucking charming. That’s my point of reference but placed in 2021. So, he says the right things, but there are these traditional male elements shining through. Be successful, but not too much. Have all other men want you, but only I can have you. 

I don’t think it was a challenge in terms of showing the audience something they’ve never seen before or aren’t expecting. With Louis’ writing, he does so much of the work for you. It’s incredible to work with him. It’s fun colouring it in with what you bring to the story, or the character. I don’t think Dawid is a character who will surprise people. Yes, he will challenge the audience, but I think a lot of men will see themselves in Dawid. Or maybe you’ll see your partner in Dawid.

You’ve spoken about a “Dawid” in your past …

I had a relationship like this. So, I actually have two points of reference – it’s Don Draper, and then this ex of mine. (laughs) It’s the first time that I’m ploughing someone else in my life, someone who was so close to me, into a character, because what I usually do is plough Armand into it, different aspects of myself.

Like with Tom from Boekklub. I’m not like him, but there are parts which were similar, and I supplement those parts. I feel like I’m really nothing like this character. So where do I go? I can glean from my experience with this ex. It brought a lot of things to the surface. How did I let that happen? There are certain parts that were fantastic, so I would trade those bad things to have the good things. And that’s also in episode one and two … Dawid is this asshole in the office and toward Jessica in front of other people, but then that night he’s literally lying on her bed in his underwear with a rose. And he’s just oozing charm. Gaslighting realness! So, you’re really living for the ecstasy of tonight.

What drew you to the part?

Because it’s different. I usually play the protagonist and it’s just (sighs) … Dawid isn’t the quintessential antagonist, but it’s fun to get to press a few buttons, and I think I quite enjoyed playing that antagonistic, almost anti-hero.

And of course, every time Louis writes and does something, I’m there straight away if I can be. That’s a big attraction, to work with Louis’s script, to work for his production company. And then with the character. You don’t always get such a big oversight of the character when you do an audition. You get a scene or two, so you must colour it yourself. It’s only once you get the full script that you know where the character is going.

Is it different to make a show destined for streaming?

It’s cool that people will get to binge Troukoors. That’s fun for the viewer, of course. They watch the whole story quickly and they stay invested. And in the milieu we’re in … if you lose their attention, you may lose them completely if they have to wait a week.

The other side is that it’s also great having a three-month-long journey with the viewer, like with Boekklub. That was once a week, and people had to wait, but the excitement was there, and they got to know you over a longer period of time. Where … I can easily tear through a series in a weekend and then in a year’s time, I can’t remember whether I’ve seen it and who played in it. Who was that actor or actress? So, yes, it is a double-edged sword.

How are relationships represented in Troukoors?

It’s refreshing. Hollywood killed romance because it is so unrealistic. Everyone has this sweep-me-off-my-feet-idea and those things happen, but it’s never the perfect sunset with fireworks in the background. That’s what Hollywood made of romance and in the process, they ruined it for the man on the street.

What’s refreshing about this series is that Louis and Albert created realistic stories that also show there’s no one person who is going to be perfect for you. So, there might be someone who gives you sexual gratification, but not emotionally. And then there’s someone who fulfils your emotional needs, but the physical attraction isn’t there. Or someone is too laid back and you want more intensity. You want direction, someone who is beige. You know, those kinds of things.

And I love that he’s telling it from a female perspective. That it’s coming from a female perspective. There’s one character who has, I think, ten lovers, and that’s wonderful because women don’t – especially not in South Africa or in Afrikaans – get portrayed as people with needs of the flesh.

What was the impact of an intimacy coordinator on the set of Troukoors?

It was incredibly interesting. I was sceptical at first. But I’m a gay man and I’ve never been in that position, so I don’t have the frame of reference. I don’t have insight and experience of it. Because I’m a gay man, when I kiss the living daylights from a woman, I know she’ll feel comfortable and no one will feel compromised. So, I went into it with that idea. But what I found so interesting is that intimacy coordination created such a safe space for people to tell their stories. I was so shocked to hear from my co-actors what is going on. Not people who worked in 1980, people who are working now. And I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

The actors did a practical work session, and of course Ilse-Lee and I worked together, but we were also paired with other people, and I was placed in a position where I had to do some of the intimacy exercises with a man. Suddenly the world was flipped, and now I was in that position of “Okay, I’m busy doing something with someone I could be attracted to.” That switched everything for me and gave me a lot of insight. The dynamic changed completely. Because I can tell Ilse-Lee she can grab my butt 100%, and it means nothing. And now, all of a sudden, it’s different. That was hugely insightful to me.  But I think to have that safety net, that just gave us all a voice, where we don’t always have voices. “This is fine. Don’t grab me by the throat, and I don’t need to explain why, but now I have permission to say don’t do it. Don’t touch my ears. You can touch my breasts, that’s okay.” I don’t have insight into what may trigger someone else.

It gave us a voice to be able to say “this is okay and that is not okay”. So, it’s so important, and I’m totally in favour of it. And it’s so interesting because I wasn’t sure about it at first. I have a bit of a “suck it up and let’s get the job done” approach to work, but that’s not the right approach. That was what we were doing, and it wasn’t working.

You should watch because …

Nina described it so well. She says it’s effervescent. It’s like a glass of champagne. And every time I’m on set, I see the world through that beautiful lens. It feels like that. It’s lively, it’s spritely. Bubbles will be coming from the screen. It’s just a feast for the eyes and you’re going to have a laugh. Fantastic entertainment value.

It’s beautifully written, it looks stunning, and we need that now. It’s not something too deep, that’ll have you wringing your hands and pulling at your hair. It’s a genuine representation of what is happening in the Afrikaans community for a younger generation, the younger, newer generation of South African viewers.