Lexi Summerveld played by Jane de Wet

In Showmax Original The Girl From St Agnes, a private girls’ school in the Midlands is torn apart by the mysterious death of a popular student. So who was Lexi Summerveld, and who could possibly have wanted her dead?

Alexis “Lexi” Summerveld has it all. She’s beautiful, popular, a high achiever with a bright future … until it’s all cut tragically short. Lexi has a complex home life. Her parents have extremely different views on things – her mom is a psychologist with liberal views, while her dad is a conservative psychiatrist. To cope with their rebellious child in the wake of their divorce, Lexi’s mom reluctantly agreed to send Lexi to St Agnes.

Lexi is smart, and has played the system at high school to her advantage. From her first day, she set out to become the Queen Bee, making friends with the right people: brainy Jenna and rich Megan (whose brother happens to be the hottest bachelor around).

Lexi realised quickly that collecting other people’s secrets made her powerful – but it also put her in a dangerous position. And the web that she weaves to trap others finally catches her instead …

About the actress

Jane de Wet (22) graduated from Stellenbosch with a BComm management sciences degree in 2017 – but straight after graduation went back to her first loves: dancing and acting. Jane went to Parel Vallei High School in Somerset West in the Cape, an experience she describes as much more grounded and diverse than the fictional world of St Agnes.

The role

She was hand-picked for the role in The Girl from St Agnes by Emmy-nominated casting director Moonyeenn Lee (Tsotsi), and she was gripped immediately.

“I love the writing,” says Jane. “I literally read all eight scripts in one night. I sat there for eight hours and just devoured the narrative because it’s so gripping.

“I fell in love with the story. I knew it was something I really wanted to be part of.”

She also loved her character. “Lexi is intelligent and manipulative, strong and fierce,” she says. “There is so much depth to the character and having the opportunity to go there and explore these issues is extraordinary and very rewarding on a personal level. Not a lot of people get to do that.”

On set
The Girl From St Agnes has an all-female crew, headed up by directors Catharine Cooke and Cindy Lee. It’s a first for SA, and an aspect of filming that Jane particularly enjoyed, especially as this was her first film job.

“I told the directors from the start I’d never done this before; I don’t know what a two-shot is. They were just so supportive from the get-go; they never made me feel incompetent or inept. I’m very grateful to them for that.”