HEADLINES:
R/€ 
R/£ From Egoli to a known God
September 18, 2005 Edition 1
Rafiek Mammon
The morning was crisp and chilly as we sat cosily inside a coffee shop. The moment we stepped outside for a photoshoot, two teenage girls approached Neels Van Jaarsveld for his autograph.
And, this happened throughout the interview.
“Strange what 30 seconds on television can do,” he smiles. “I am now known as the ‘eish’ man,” he adds.
This starts a discussion about the brandy advertisement and how he got the whole country mimicking the popular line “met ys, ja...met ys.”
“Funny, it is not what I want to be remembered for,” he laughs.
In the theatre fraternity Van Jaarsveld is definitely not known for this advertisement.On the contrary, he is such a busy person that it is hard to believe he is only 26 years young.
After graduating with his drama degree from Stellenbosch University, Van Jaarsveld is anything but idle. He is one of those young actors who will not wait for a job to come his way. Instead, he would rather hit the keyboard and write a kids theatre piece that “not only creates a job for himself, but also for others.”
It is this kind of dynamism that makes Van Jaarsveld the kind of actor (and person) he is – magnetic and indefatigable. He might have one vocation but he has four jobs within that genre.
Currently, in addition to his role as young farmer, Morne Liebenberg in the star-studded Known Gods, he is also working on three productions, working 15 hours a day, preparing for the upcoming Aardklop Festival at the end of the month. “I rehearse all day, going from one production into the next and I love every second of it,” he says.
Some may remember him from his stint in Backstage (e.tv weekdays at 6.30pm) where he was meant to do two episodes but ended up doing 60 instead.
He also played a villain in Egoli (M-Net weekdays at 6pm) for a brief period. But, it was his powerful presence as sports editor in the locally produced Hard Copy that caught the attention of many.
“Hard Copy was really special. It set new standards in local television production. They are doing a second season, but I am, unfortunately, not able to be in it because I am doing Known Gods.”
Although Van Jaarsveld has only been acting for a relatively short period, he’s achieved early successes. One year after graduating, he won the coveted Slurpie award for best newcomer to the Oudtshoorn Festival in 2002 for his powerhouse performance in Die Goue Seun and, from there, he went on to play in big productions in Afrikaans theatre, working with some of the most respected names in the industry, including Marthinus Basson and Saartjie Botha.
“Theatre is my first love, but when a great opportunity like Known Gods comes along where the great Antoinette Kellermann plays my mom or rather, I should say I play her son, then who am I to refuse?”
And, in true Van Jaarsveld humility he adds: “And really, it isn't just about the talent, it is about the opportunities and those people who believe you can do it.”
About juggling all these different roles, he believes it is a blessing to be able to do what he loves so passionately for so many hours in one day. “Although”, he points out, “there is a fine line between self- esteem and over-confidence.
“I would like to believe that I have enough belief in myself and my abilities to do all the work justice and not to become cocky.”
For Van Jaarsveld it is all about “doing as much as he can with his talent and passion.” And, moreover, not just for himself, but for fellow actors who do not always have work.
“When I write children's shows, I always bear two things in mind.The one is that we need the youngsters to love theatre and to grow up to become older followers, and the second is that whatever I create, creates work for others as well.
“Don't get me wrong, there also has to be a market for it,” says the young theatre entrepeneur.
To conclude, I asked him about a possible magum opus in the making. “I am not nearly ready yet,” he says, and humbly adds, “For that, I need much more life experience.”
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