South African actress Marie Botha appeared on the popular TV show The Penguin, playing the role of a magpie.
Despite living in cosmopolitan New York for more than a decade, South African actress Marie Botha's Afrikaans “boredom'' remains undiminished.
“I will always be a South African. It is impossible and I never want to let go of the Afrikaans 'Boalemeisie' in me,” Botha said.
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Afrikaans New Yorker
They both guest starred in the latest episode of the popular TV series. penguin I am drawing a magpie character.
she chatted with The Citizen He said this during an interview with South African reporters on Tuesday.
“I'm proud that when I return home to South Africa, I immediately revert to my South African accent,” Botha said.
But she is cynical about the uncertainty of her Afrikaans language. She spoke to this magazine after completing an interview with Afrikaans radio station RSG.
“I literally feel like I've done something terrible because I don't speak much Afrikaans anymore. All I was thinking about was my primary school principal and whether she would listen. That was it,” she said with a laugh.
Viewers will get to know Botha's character, Magpie, in the fourth episode, which focuses on why protagonist Sofia Falcone (played by Cristin Milioti) is known as “The Hangman” in the story. .
The two are introduced on Falcone's first night at Arkham Asylum, where the dual personality Magpie is also a patient.
penguin It airs every Monday on Showmax and M-Net.
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Preparing for the role
From ordering every comic book featuring Magpie on eBay to researching similar characters, Botha crossed every 't' and dotted every 'i' to prepare for this intense role. Ta.
“I looked at the Arkham and Asylum aspects again.” batman And I studied the scene where Paul Dano appears as the Riddler in Arkham. I have also seen some movies that are set in mental hospitals,” Botha said.
One of the movies Bota saw was a classic movie girl, interrupted Starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie.
“I watched it and really put my mind into it and immersed myself in it. It's very intense. [the role]”
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Chemistry with Cristin Milioti
Botha only appears in three scenes in the episode, but they're all important because of how they relate to Falcone's character.
This meant that the South African player needed chemistry with Milioti to make the scene more appealing.
“I'm a guest star, so my responsibility is to support the lead actress and her journey throughout the episode. This episode is about Sofia Falcone's spiral and how Arkham Asylum can be so unpleasant and traumatic. ,” Botha said.
“We worked really hard on the three scenes and drove them really deep. When two actors who want to play each other come together, it's actually almost magical and it was really special,” the Mzansi actress said. I said no.
“She's such a lovely person, so kind and funny. She just clicks as soon as we start acting, so it's really cool to see that contrast. She's so enthusiastic and focused.
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Channeling the Squeamish Villain
Botha studied at New York University's acclaimed Tisch School of the Arts.
After receiving her bachelor's degree with honors, she enrolled in the master's program at the prestigious Yale School of Drama.
She said the lessons she learned there also helped her convey the magpie's screeching voice.
“I was very fortunate to attend undergraduate and graduate school at Yale University and receive vocal training there, which is unparalleled. I'm used to it. It's important for me to have a different vocal range for every character I work with.”
She also dipped into Bellatrix Lestrange and Moaning Myrtle. harry potter For inspiration.
“I kind of put together a tapestry of different female villain voices and how they create dissonance and discomfort in the characters they deal with.”
Botha was so good at portraying the magpie that fellow actress Deirdre O'Connell figuratively patted her on the back at the show's premiere.
“She said, 'Oh my God, your voice is driving us crazy when we're editing.'”
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show success
penguin has garnered 5.3 million viewers since its release, breaking records on the Max streaming service and only in the US.
“It feels surreal. I knew the Magpies would react in some way, but I'm shocked, overwhelmed, grateful and humbled by this whole thing. It's unbelievable.” said Botha.
She hopes series executive producer Matt Reeves will let her work on Magpie, as she wants to explore more about the character.
“she [Magpie] “'' has an undeveloped story, so if the viewers and fans want to see it, I would love to take it on. I did all the research for these three scenes and was so excited to see where this character was going. I really love her. She is a very important person to me. ”
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new yorker residence
Botha was born in Pretoria and grew up in the northern suburbs of Joburg. She left South Africa at the young age of 18 and has now lived in New York for 14 years.
“There's no place like South Africa. This is and always will be my favorite place in the world. I come here. [New York] It was definitely a bit of a culture shock, but the diversity of New York means you can be anyone here and fit in,” she said.
One of the things that brought the actress into New York's cultural melting pot was a record store on Brooklyn's Van Brunt Street.
“I love records,” she says.
“My favorite thing to do is walk into an old-fashioned record store and actually pick up a record…the excitement you get when you find what you're looking for.I love music and I'm interested in music. there is [Sixto] Rodriguez. ”
She said the last record she bought was a Jim Croce record.
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