Schalk Bezuidenhout on his first role as a romantic lead

Stand-up comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout takes on his first lead role in a romantic comedy in the Showmax Original film Soos Pynappel op Pizza, set to release on Valentine’s Day. 

The two-time Comics Choice winner is no stranger to the acting game though – aside from his comedy stage shenanigans, Schalk has starred in the award-winning Kanarie, won a SAFTA for his role as Danny in the acclaimed sitcom Hotel, and was nominated for his hilarious portrayal of Attie in Bennie Fourie-led sitcom, Taktiek. 

In Soos Pynappel op Pizza, Schalk stars alongside multiple Standard Bank Ovation award winner Kate Pinchuck, best known to Showmax viewers for her hilarious, SAFTA-nominated performance as Taryn in Tali’s Baby Diary.

Watch the trailer for Soos Pynappel op Pizza

Roz Els spoke to Schalk to find out more about becoming a romantic leading man. 

Tell us more about Waldo and how he fits into the story.

When we first meet Waldo, his heart has been broken, and he’s very down and depressed. He’s also living with his parents. Because he’s a chef, he cooks for them in exchange for living there. His parents are hippies and very open about sex and the like, but they’ve had enough of him feeling sorry for himself, and force him to go to a singles retreat. He really, really doesn’t want to go. He’s a very stick-in-the-arse kind of person… Not on purpose. He’s not a rugby captain-type arsehole; he just has a stick up his arse. But he goes to the retreat and that’s where he meets Becca [Kate Pinchuck]. She’s an Instagram chef, not professionally trained like he is, but she has thousands of followers on social media, and her brother dared her to attend the retreat. 

Could you relate to Waldo?

I could definitely relate to being in that slump of having your heart broken and now you are stuck in this hole, and you need motivation to get yourself out of it. 

I’ve been heartbroken before, but I’ve never been single for long – not because I go looking for relationships, but because when I meet someone and I like them, I go for it. I don’t play games. If I like someone, I tell them. It doesn’t have to be a complicated thing. 

Because I started my stand-up career so young, and because it needs my complete focus and attention, I’ve always felt that a relationship should be an easy thing in my life. It shouldn’t be something that detracts or distracts, it should be additive. 

I am very similar to Waldo, because I am also quite a romantic. I’m that guy that usually says the big things a bit too early… 

Kate is also a lot like her character, Becca. She’s very sassy. 

You and Kate have been friends for a long time. What was the best thing about working with her? 

Well, she is hilarious. I knew she would be great in the film, and she is. And because we’re friends, we didn’t need to do any chemistry work for our characters. Also, if you’re very comfortable with each other – like we are – you can push the boundaries more because you know this person is fine with it, and if they aren’t, they are also comfortable enough to just say, “Don’t do that.”  

We met on the circuit and immediately became friends. It’s actually kind of funny to me, as her friend who has known her for as long as she’s been doing stand-up, to see her now as a married woman. As long as I have known her, she never wanted to get too serious with anyone, and her relationships were relatively short. 

I don’t know whether the director or the producers knew that we were both so similar to our characters in some ways, but that’s how it worked out. 

How did you get involved in the film?

I’ve known Zandré [Coetzer, producer at Nagvlug] since 2016. We worked together on five seasons of Hotel, Die Ware Naarheid, and, more recently, on Taktiek, so she knows me very well. What’s nice with someone like Zandré on board, she already knows me and my abilities so well that I didn’t need to go through a whole audition process. 

Was starring in a romcom something new for you?

The only other romcom that I’ve ever done was Kaalgat Karel. In that, I played the sidekick. So, in terms of being the lead, this was definitely a first. 

What I like about it is that both Kate and I tend to be cast as sidekick characters because of our looks. My curly hair usually puts me in the category of the Quirky Best Friend or something like that. And Kate is also often typecast in roles like Sassy Best Friend, who is usually just a cheerleader for the main character. So I don’t think most people will expect us as leads, but I think it’s really refreshing. 

In some ways, this movie is a bit of an underdog story, and you root for the characters even more because they’re more relatable. 

How does this differ from other local romcoms?

We don’t go full-on balls to the walls, but I think in comparison with a lot of Afrikaans romcoms, this one is more on the raunchy side. We talk more openly about sex. But the film eases you in. It’s palatable enough that the tannies will say, “Oh, this is quite naughty!” but it isn’t hardcore. I would have liked, and I think Kate will agree with me, to have gone more in the direction of super raunchy, but that wouldn’t necessarily have been the best decision. 

Was there a lot of improv between the two of you?

Morné [Strydom, the director] had to tone us down quite a bit because we often go for the joke so much that we miss the sincere moments. The thing with comedians is that we’re like, “Sincerity? Eww!” But I think we found a beautiful balance. 

It’s also better to create out of abundance – so improv 10 jokes and then Morné can say, “I like three of those; cut the rest.” But at least you’re giving him more than enough options instead of holding yourself back; I’d rather put everything on the table. I don’t overthink it: I just start with something and go from there. 

Any challenges during filming?

Shooting in July in a very rainy and cold Cape Town! We also only had three weeks (to film). You can do that if the film is written – like it was – to take place in mainly one location. You can move a lot quicker. But Morné had to make a lot of sacrifices; he really had to kill his darlings, because there were, for example, things that he planned to shoot outside, and then he had to change the whole scene to film inside because of the weather. But he took it on the chin. He’s very adaptable. 

Pineapple on pizza?

Yes! I love Hawaiian pizza, but it only works if it’s pineapple and ham, no other combination.