Interview: Sean-Marco Foster on his role in Alles Malan

You’ve seen him as Frans in Susters, as the antagonist, Pieter, in the endearing fantasy love story Die Windpomp and your kids might have come across Sean-Marco Vorster as the baddy in the American family comedy feature film Lea to the Rescue (which was filmed in Cape Town, Durban and Port Edward but supposedly takes place in the Brazilian rainforest). Sean-Marco is also the wildly popular telenovela Legacy’s badass protector-in-chief. He is so good at being bad that a lady once walked up to him in Clicks and said: “You should be in jail!”.

Today we’re focussing on one of Sean-Marco’s more likeable characters. Two weeks after writing his final exam at Paarl Boys’ High, Sean-Marco walked onto his first feature film set (Lyfstraf) and nearly a decade later, things have come full circle for him in the role as Nico Malan from Alles Malan, which was filmed in his childhood town.

We talked to Sean-Marco about Afrikaans TV’s most loved family.

There seems to be so much love for Alles Malan if you look at reactions on social media. It is almost reminiscent of how fans reacted to Egoli back in the day. Why do you think this show resonates with South Africans the way it does?

I think South Africa resonates with Alles Malan, because it is truly just a slice of life. It’s quite nuanced but it’s subtle and I think it doesn’t underestimate the audience in any way. It just invites you into the lives of this family, and you know, there are no major major events – It’s not like an event-driven story but a character-driven story and I think people really love that.

Family is at the centre of Alles Malan and the writers drew inspiration for storylines from stories from their own lives. Are there aspects of the show that remind you of your own family life?

Okay, so this is quite a funny question, because in the very first episode of the new season, Lee-Anne (Nicole Fortuin) gives birth to our baby daughter. At the time we were shooting it, I found out that my fiancée was pregnant! So it was a very, very interesting experience having that happen in real life and then playing the character. Obviously, the characters are very different but yeah, myself and Jay Anstey are having a baby girl in December, so that was a bit of a trip, but it was cool!

You play the character of the younger Malan son, Nico, who seems to be a bit of a lost man-child. As a viewer, you kind of feel for the guy because he is a nice dude, but at the same time you want to shake him by the shoulders and make him accept responsibility. Knowing his character flaws, do some aspects of Nico Malan irritate you as well?

I think that, yeah, you used the right phrase. He is a bit of a man-child and I think the character flaw of Nico that irritates me the most would probably be his emotional intelligence. It’s not quite up to par. He doesn’t understand the chain reaction of consequences that plays out when he does something that would hurt someone else. He very rarely sees life from someone else’s perspective. But that’s him in Season 1. In Season 2 he has grown up a bit and that was a nice journey to play.

Likewise, is there anything about Nico that could serve yourself or the viewer as inspiration?

Well, I think in Season 1, the fact that Nico followed his dream and the way he relentlessly followed it was quite inspirational for myself and perhaps for the viewers as well. In Season 2, it’s all about family. So, you know, it is that character journey of growing up and figuring out where life really sits with him.

Actors tend to refer to their co-workers as having a family on set. What was it like working with the likes of Albert Maritz, Elsabé Daneel, Greteli Fincham, Mateo Olivier and of course routinely upsetting your on-set wife, Nicole Fortuin?

We had a three-year break before we started shooting Season 2, so there was a time that I really thought it wasn’t going to happen anymore. But when we got back on set, it was truly amazing just to see everyone and be back in that space. And you know, the characters have already been designed, so we could just focus on the season at hand and it felt like an easy fit, just getting on to set. It felt very familiar.

It’s always great working with the likes of Albert Maritz and Elsabé Daneel. They truly just bring so much experience to the set and it’s just great to be around that – to have guidance. With Grettilli and Mateo it is always great to have fun with that young energy on set. And like you say with Nicole – obviously routinely upsetting her character. She’s just such a rock, man. You know, it’s very important to have a dependable co-star – someone that you can count on to get you through the days, because the schedule, as you might know, is quite intense, shooting six days a week, 12 hours a day. So having a coworker that you trust is everything and working with Nicole Fortuin is just a dream. The whole thing was a wonderful experience.

Alles Malan was filmed around Paarl and Wellington. What was the relationship like with the local community?

Well, I’m actually from Paarl, so to speak. I went to Paarl Boys’ High School and I was there in boarding school, so it was very nice being back there and seeing some of my old friends. It felt like I was visiting old family members, almost. But I also have family in Wellington and their kids actually go to Hugenote Hoërskool where a lot of filming took place.It was a very nice breather from Joburg and extremely nice to be back in the Paarl!

What are three shows that you’re currently watching on Showmax?

I am watching Westworld and of course Legacy and then I’m rewatching the entire Game of Thrones.

Stream Season 1 of Alles Malan on Showmax.