Rob van Vuuren: Van der Merwe movie pokes fun at Afrikaners
Comedian Rob van Vuuren says his latest film, Van Der Merwe - the Movie, pokes fun at the man at the centre of many an Afrikaans joke, but in a good way.
"I grew up with Van Der Merwe jokes so I always had a picture in my mind, not knowing that picture was me," he told MornéJK.
He says it was important to create the character, Van Der Merwe, with heart.
"He is a clown, the guy who messes up and is always in trouble but it was important that he is believable and someone that the audience would root for. In the end he is the hero," Van Vuuren says.
The movie is centred around Van's daughter, Marike, who returns home from a gap year in England with a new fiancé, George, a British medical student.
Not only does Van have to come to terms with the fact that his daughter is marrying an Englishman but he is also pressured by his bossy, traditional father to put an end to the relationship.
This puts Van in a precarious situation, as he must either risk the wrath of his father by condoning the wedding or obey his father and risk losing his daughter forever.
Rob says that Van's look was very important and that his transformation helped immensely in finding the character.
"I don't look anything like him. The director asked me if I would be willing to put on a fat suit, grow a snor and going bald - I was like, yes, yes and YES!" Van Vuuren says.
Van will be rolling into cinemas, with this two-tone khakis, on the 28th of July 2018.