Appearing in the crime-action series, Uncle Billy, from left, are Samantha Brink, Nic Matthee, Margaret Gertse, Charlene Bruiners, Eugene Adonis and, in front, Conwill Bowie. Picture: supplied
Tokai actress Samantha Brink heats up the screen in Uncle Billy, a new locally produced crime-action series.
At 45, the mother of one will be reprising the role of an assassin, showing off her martial arts and gun-play skills.
Brink entered the film industry six years ago, featuring in local TV series such as Suidooster and Arendsvlei. She was cast as an assassin in an action film, Bitter Rise of the Ring Master, and then appeared in a psychological thriller, STRESS, both produced by Touched by Style Community Arts Projects and Films, a community-based arts organisation.
"Working in the film industry requires hard work and can be financially challenging initially, but it's crucial to have strong willpower and the ability to control and hone your skills to overcome these challenges," says Brink.
The seven-episode Uncle Billy follows the life of a high school caretaker, Uncle Billy, played by Nic Matthee, of Delft, who survives a brutal attack. Through his unexpected survival, he becomes the hero his community needs to project it from criminals. As he sets out to find those responsible for his brutal attack, Uncle Billy confronts unlikely rivals, including the assassin, Sam Swat, played by Brink.
"There's a lot of action in this film project. I engage in mixed martial arts, street fighting and tactical firearm sequences in most scenes. The adrenalin rush is intense during gunfight scenes, and, for a woman, it's almost like a stress reliever to spar with big guys," says Brink.
She hopes to see more women in active and creative roles and aspires to open her own facility to nurture local talent in acting, stunt training, fitness, and performing arts education.
Matthee, who is also the project manager for Touched By Style Community Arts Projects and Films, says filming for the project began in May. The first two episodes premiered on YouTube at the end of September and October.
“We usually put out four short films per year. This is the first series that we have ever done. We decided on doing a short-film series of seven episodes to give more opportunity for talented people to participate in this project.”
Brink's willingness to test the boundaries makes her a popular casting choice, he says.
“Number one, she's extremely talented, and she's not shy to test the boundaries. Previously, she had no experience acting in an action production, only stage and TV drama, but this time, we included her because she had a lot of willpower to train, doing martial arts, firearms training, and she succeeded.”
The third episode is due for release on Wednesday November 27 on the Touched By Style Community Arts Projects and Films YouTube channel.