1 November 2018
Gary Clayton played by Robert Hobbs
In Showmax Original The Girl From St Agnes, the staff and students of a private girls’ school in the Midlands are torn apart by the mysterious death of popular student Lexi Summerveld. As the facts start to emerge, it seems like everyone has something to hide.
Gary is a dairy farmer from a long line of dairy farmers – the Claytons have owned Misty Hills Farm in the Midlands since the 1800s. Gary is an active and influential member of the community, and he clings to his old-school “boys will be boys” beliefs and conservative ways. He sends his daughter Megan to St Agnes, which is where his wife Philippa went to school, and his son Jason to St Ambrose, which is Gary’s alma mater.
Gary wants Jason to follow in his footsteps, and is eager to teach him “how to be a man”. And now, just as it was when Gary was at school, the Clayton Barn Parties are legendary. Gary believes in traditions, and feels they should be upheld – no matter who gets hurt in the process.
About the actor
Robert Hobbs grew up in the Free State and attended university in Cape Town. He says he has “mastered the art of being angry cop number three”, but that’s him being self-deprecating. A Neill Blomkamp favourite, he has starred in the Oscar-nominated District 9, the box office hit Chappie and Blomkamp’s viral Oats Studios shorts Rakka and Firebase, which have over 10m YouTube views between them.
He’s also a familiar face to SA soapie fans, and the international series he’s acted in include To The Ends Of The Earth (opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, no less), Strike Back and Black Sails. You’ll also have seen him in Hollywood movies Serenity, The Challenger, Safe House and Catch A Fire.
The role
Robert has strong views on his character. “He’s the biggest douche on the planet,” he says. “He’s an alpha male in the world he exists in, the king of his domain, a white-privilege farmer.”
But this is Robert Hobbs we’re talking about. He knows that “no one is as one-dimensional as that”.
“If you look at him from the outside,” says Robert, “he looks like a maniac. But he doesn’t see that. He’s very much about family and the idea of lineage and legacy – for him that’s all-important. His actions are motivated by either protecting that lineage and his domain or his family.”
On set
Robert’s experience of working on The Girl From St Agnes was that it allowed him to be “the custodian of [his] character.“
“Working with my co-actor Tessa [Jubber, who plays his wife Philippa] has been a real pleasure. We’ve been like-minded in creating a world, creating characters, creating a family.
Also working with Cindy [Lee] and Catharine [Cooke], the directors, who have come with this particular angle on the story and allowed us to just play and explore. I don’t feel for one moment that I don’t have a say … It’s felt like quite special work, very visceral and real. We’re not just hitting the marks and saying our lines; characters are being developed and built.”
One challenge for Robert, however, was being on set in Ixopo. “It’s quite remote and can go from minus 2 to 36 degrees in one day. It’s mind-blowingly beautiful and suited the production but it’s been a challenge. At the same time, those challenges became quite an important part of the project, because it created a bubble. You couldn’t leave and that fed into the show. That’s the Midlands. You can’t leave there: it’s a bubble.”
Original African stories by local talent
Untying Kantai
Untying Kantai follows King Kantai, a man who has spent 30 years of his life working hard to provide for his family, only to be conned out of his life savings. Stream from 9 May, with new episodes weekly.
Big Girl Small World
Stream the new Kenyan romcom series Big Girl Small World from 8 May, with new episodes every week.
Empini S1
Stream the Showmax Original drama series Empini from 23 May 2024.
Original Sin: My Son The Killer
Original Sin: My Son The Killer follows the murder of Andrea Venter by Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren, who then went on the run from South Africa to Brazil.
Tracking Thabo Bester
From the makers of Devilsdorp and the director of Convict Conman comes the true-crime documentary South Africa has been waiting for. All the episodes are streaming on Showmax.
The Illuminated
The Showmax Original docuseries The Illuminated explores different religious movements in South Africa. Stream now, with new episodes every Wednesday.
Koek S1
The crime comedy Koek, starring Cindy Swanepoel, now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Thursday.
Ekhaya Backpackers S1
Stream the Showmax Original comedy series Ekhaya Backpackers. All the episodes are now streaming.
The Real Housewives Of Lagos S2 Reunion, now streaming
ENO S2: New daughter, more chaos
The best of West Africa
Get up to date with all the drama on Flawsome S2
From shocking revelations to unexpected turns, the drama continues in season 2 of the Nigerian Showmax Original Flawsome, now streaming on Showmax.
Nigerian Idol S9 to stream on Showmax this April
Season 9 of the popular reality TV singing competition Nigerian Idol will be available to stream from 22 April on Showmax.
Must-watch AMVCA-nominated shows on Showmax
Stream AMVCA-nominated shows including Wura, The Real Housewives of Lagos S2 and more, now streaming on Showmax.
Showmax’s Freemen highlights the origin story of Nnewi’s most successful businessmen
The Showmax Original documentary Freemen highlights how Nnewi breeds successful businessmen like Dr Alex Chika Okafor and Dr Cosmas Maduka. All the episodes for Freemen are available to stream.