Desiré Gardner on updating Reënboogrant for a new generation

As an actress, she’s best known for ageing up to play Magda Louw in the series of the same name - a role that’s won her two consecutive Silwerskerm Awards for best actress in a comedy. But did you know that Desiré Gardner is also a scriptwriter on that series, and has been nominated for a SAFTA for her work? 

Now, Desiré brings her writing talents to Reënboogrant, a new Showmax telenovela premiering on Wednesday, 15 January 2025. 

Inspired by Louise van Niekerk’s bestselling 90s young adult novels, Reënboogrant is a Tshwane-set teen series centred on the Brink family. Minke Marais (Mooiweer en Warm, Nuwejaar and Summertide) and Mila de Villiers (Wyfie) co-star as Grade 10 sisters Shani and Sunette, with Paul Strydom (Spooksoeker) as their older brother, Dolf, who is in Matric. 

Watch the trailer for Reënboogrant

Also look out for Diepe Waters’ duo Righard van Jaarsveld and Johnny Potsanyane among the teen cast, as well as ex-Miss Teen Namibia finalist Marelee Ferreira and Xander Venter in their Showmax debuts. 

André Velts heads up the directing team with Sonvelt Media producing. Sonvelt Media won the 2024 SAFTA for Best Made For TV Movie for ‘n Tyd van Waterpere.

Roz Els spoke to Desiré about her role as the head writer on the Showmax adaption. 

Had you already read the book series when André and producer Soné (Combrink) approached you?

I knew about the books when I was younger, but I hadn’t read them. A lot of young people read the books in the 90s for escapism. So just the title alone already evokes some nostalgia. When I was initially approached, I got all the books and read them. I have to say, it was like suddenly being a kid again. I grew up in the 90s, so it was so specific to that period, and it almost felt like I was reading it as a kid. I sat through nights and said, “I’m going to stop reading now, I’m going to stop reading now…” - and then I just kept going. I enjoyed it so much and thought, “I wish I had read this when I was in Standard 5 and 6 [Grades 7 and 8].”

What do you think is so special about the story of Reënboogrant?

These are books that catch you off guard with how well-written they are. You see the house in the book. You smell the rooms. You can close your eyes and you are in Reënboogrant.

Even though it was written many years ago, it’s still refreshing today. There’s great storytelling, brave stories and great characters that sometimes catch you off guard. They’ll sometimes upset and anger you, but you’ll keep reading because you want to know what happens. It’s very entertaining. 

The main characters, in particular, do unexpected things. For example, Shani does not always make the right decision and she also makes a lot of unexpected choices. You expect Shani to do one thing and then she does something completely different. That bravery in storytelling is something I really enjoy and makes the characters so interesting and three-dimensional to me.

Is the series also set in the 90s?

Showmax wanted a modern version of Reënboogrant, so the series uses the books as inspiration but has a more modern angle.  

How do you balance staying faithful to the original material with making it relatable to today’s viewer?

The original material is there for us as a starting point. You want to honour the book, while also making it contemporary enough so that viewers find it believable that it’s set in 2024. You know what you have and you honour and respect the material, but you take your eraser and you change a little here and there and then you take another pencil and add a little, and so on. 

There were storylines that we created or changed to make them contemporary, but a lot of our love stories and love triangles are like they happened in the book, with just little things that changed. They’re teenagers and they’re in love and when you’re a teenager in love, it’s still just butterflies everywhere you look! (Laughs) 

You want to weave in new storylines without alienating anyone – not the people who read and loved those books in the 90s, and not today’s teenagers.

My dream is that a 16-year-old teenager can watch and relate to it, while her 40-year-old mother, who read the books back in the day, now also enjoys watching the series, and sighs and goes, “Oh, Shani!” Or can tell their teenager how they were a Shani or a Sunette or an Ans. That is the dream – that both the new and the old “Shanis” can relate to it.

How did you go about updating the books to 2024? 

When you want to write something contemporary, you have to look at what has changed between then and now. 

One of the big changes is that social media and technology have developed significantly and now play a very big role. Social media has a huge impact on kids in school – even the kids who don’t have social media. Also, now we don’t just show up at someone’s house – we send a WhatsApp first.

On an emotional level, mental health is a bigger priority today.  People are now more open to talking about things that are bothering us. There is a greater understanding of ourselves, especially among young people. Young people are definitely more aware of the things they experience and feel.

So it wasn't just about changing the bicycle in the story to a car; it’s something that bleeds through to every aspect of the characters’ lives.

Without giving anything away – which themes or storylines in the series are you particularly excited about?

Even the characters you don't necessarily agree with crawl so deep into your heart and under your skin that you end up wanting to fight for them. What is particularly interesting to me is how the antagonist systematically gets under your skin.  Before you can catch yourself, you actually want them to be okay, you want them to change, and you vouch for them. You can't stay mad at these characters. I think if our viewers can get mad at our characters at times and say, “Oh no, man!” or, “Why is that?” or, “It just doesn’t make sense that she would do that!” that’s a good sign. Those storylines excite me.

Then we touch on the themes that teenagers struggle with, the themes that are big in teenagers' lives today. Dreams that don't come true. Love that isn’t reciprocated; when you are madly in love with someone and you can't have them. Some teenagers feel their voices are not heard and how they then express that frustration in different ways.

I’m also excited about our newly created storylines between the parents, Maryna and Herman. Their three oldest children are already in high school, but they still find themselves at odds with how they should handle things.

Are we going to see you acting in Reënboogrant too? 

(Laughs) No, I’m just behind the scenes. But I enjoyed it so much. It is really an incredible experience.