Zarelda de Bruin on her breakout debut role in Spooksoeker

Now streaming on Showmax, Spooksoeker follows Warno (Rico Immelman), an ordinary 15-year-old boy, who discovers that he has the extraordinary ability to see ghosts – and to get rid of them. It's a strange new world for Warno, but luckily he has his best friends, Allies (Joshwin Dyson) and Melissa (Zarelda de Bruin) by his side.

Watch the trailer for Spooksoeker

Roz Els spoke to 17-year-old Zarelda, a grade 11 student at Durbanville High School in Cape Town, about her debut role.

Is this your first role on screen?

Yes, this is my very first role, and also my very first time auditioning for anything. When I got the role, I hadn't even been signed to an agency yet, but everything fell into place so perfectly. I'm still so surprised how everything worked out for me – this role was my first of everything.

How did you land the role of Melissa?

My acting coach and the head of the culture department at my school, Delia Pereira, asked me one day if I would be interested in auditioning for a Showmax series. I didn't know what it was about, I only received a description of the character, Melissa. I didn't know how the audition process worked either, but she helped me to record an audition tape and sent it through on my behalf. I am very grateful that she helped and mentored me through the whole process. It was Delia Pereira who helped make this opportunity a reality for me.

I really didn't expect that I would get a callback. I took a chance and just hoped for the best. A few weeks later I had the callback, and another few weeks later there was a meeting with the producers where they told me that I got the role. 

Has acting been your passion for a long time?

I've been acting all my life – not professionally, rather school concerts and little things like that. But I've always been drawn to acting, and film, and the industry. I remember, at the beginning of the year, I had to do a school assignment where I had to make a poster of my biggest dream. I filled the whole poster with pictures of being an actress. And two months later I got the part. So yes, it has always been a dream, but I never thought that it would become a reality.

How would you describe Melissa?

I feel like everyone is going to describe her as the typical girl-next-door character. She's very smart and she's a journalist, so she notices things that others miss. She is also very interested in things that others wouldn't even think twice about. She is a caring person, and she wants to help the people around her. And even though it may be by putting herself in strange situations and testing her moral compass, she's willing to do it because she loves the people around her. Sometimes, I read the script and would think, "Why are you doing this?" (laughs). Because it was stuff I would never do in real life. Melissa is sometimes very presumptuous.

What are the similarities and differences between you and Melissa? 

We are very similar in terms of how we see things. We both have very sound moral compasses. We both see situations as very black and white, and we both need to find the grey areas. In the series, Melissa manages it very well, whereas I, of course, have to go on my own journey to find those grey areas. 

How we differ? She is very much in other people’s business (laughs). I mind my own business.

How did you prepare for the role?

I wish I had read the books beforehand! I am familiar with the author, François Bloemhof, but I have not yet read the books.

What was really important to me was to understand Melissa, and understand why she does the things she does. To better understand her choices, I also had to find a lot of myself in the character. I created my own backstory for her. For example, what happened to her mother is never really discussed, so I tried to think about what her childhood might have been like to understand who she is now. Through her character development, I was able to get an idea of ​​how she was in the past and how she has grown up.

How was the experience of your first lead role?

It was challenging but very enjoyable. I struggled a lot with imposter syndrome for the first few weeks. I doubted my abilities a lot, and I had to learn to believe in myself and gain confidence. I'm used to theatre and I have confidence in myself on stage, but theatre and television are different and I had to gain new confidence in myself. The first few weeks were very difficult for me, not because of the circumstances around me, but because of my belief in myself. I had to sit down with myself and remind myself that I got the role for a reason and that I deserved to be there. I received an awful lot of support, from my own family and also on set. My friends, my mom, and everyone helped with that a lot. The atmosphere on set was also just so positive every day. 

The experience was just incredible. I don't feel it could have been better.

Spooksoeker has such a stacked cast, from SAFTA winners June van Merch and Morné Visser to the likes of Daneel van der Walt, David Isaacs, Deon Coetzee, Ira Blanckenberg, Ivan Zimmerman, Izel Bezuidenhout, Jane de Wet, Laudo Liebenberg, Marguerite van Eeden, Roeline Daneel, Terence Bridgett, and Waldemar Schultz. 

Yes, there was a new face every day. Sometimes it was very intimidating, but I tried to take something out of every day, talk to the actors, and learn by doing. Because I had no experience before this, I tried to find lessons in everything.

Was there anyone you bonded with on set?

I got on very well with Frieda van den Heever, who plays my mother figure. We've learned a lot from each other and she's just so amazing. She's so cool. If I am a mother one day, I want to be exactly like her!

And the other two actors who make up your trio in the story, Joshwin Dyson and Rico Immelman?

I am so grateful to have been able to work with them! We talk every day! I can't believe there was a time in my life when I didn't know them; it's so strange for me to think about it. I love them very much, and it was amazing to share this experience with them.

How was going back to school? 

It was a very big adjustment! (laughs) I think the first two weeks Rico and I were back at school we complained to each other every day! (laughs) Because we have just lived out our dreams and we were so free, and now we are trapped in school again! 

Do you believe in ghosts?

I kept asking people on set if they believed in ghosts! I believe in the idea of ​​ghosts, but I don't think it is how Spooksoeker depicts it. (laughs)

Spooksoeker releases new episodes on Showmax every Thursday.