| For My Friend |
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In the summer of 1995 a new faze hit the University Of Cape Town’s Drama school. I was a second year student and that year we all discovered the movie Glengarry Glen Ross. Based on the David Mamet play of the same name, this story of the tough life of estate agents found a home in all our young eager actor hearts! Long monologues and tough dialogue-we were right at home! The third year students led by David Isaacs (of S.O.S fame) and Peter Callanghan (where are you Peter?) started the trend. When my year moved to third year, Mark Dymond and I followed their lead. I played the Kevin Spacey character. Mark played the Jack Lemmon character. Peter had played the Alan Arkin character. David had played the Ed Harris character and backstage on Claire Stopford’s production of Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT David Isaacs and I played all the parts for Emil. I had never heard of Emil before that play. He didn’t strike me as anything when we first met. I kept hoping we’d get along because we played the two henchmen. The first two weeks of rehearsal produced little sparks except the usual stuff. Everybody testing everyone else, challenging the director’s concept, breaking up with the girlfriends (me) and generally not investing anytime in good quality cast bonding. That stuff comes later after everyone settles and comes out of their little cocoons of fear, realising that everyone is just as scared as they are. Emil Serfontein is a new young actor, Claire told me when I knew I got a part in the play. Never heard of him. Didn’t strike me as anything when we first met. I kept hoping we’d get along because we were the two henchmen. As usual the first two weeks of rehearsal produced little sparks. Everybody testing everyone else, too busy challenging the director’s concept, breaking up with the girlfriends(me) and generally not investing anytime in good quality cast bonding. That stuff comes later after everyone settles and comes out of their little cocoons of fear, realising that everyone is just as scared as they are. Emil, David and I(we were later joined by Jackson) had small parts, so we kind of stayed on the periphery and watched the great Claire Stopford work with the actors. I was introduced to the great David Dennis, the great Ivan D Lucas, the great Michele Burgers and the great June van March and all the while I chilled out with my greats-David, Emil and Jackson. We were the boys in the back. May the boys in the back come to the fore, said Ivan’s card to us on opening night. We came to the fore alright-all 15 minutes of stage time. He also gave us a mini basketball hoop cause he knew I was a fanatic. I believe in the power of God, Basketball and the power of 35mm. All this while Emil and I were getting close. I dropped him home a number of times and I remember once having to pick him up at the Nico Malan at one o’clock and by 2 he hadn’t showed up. Missed his train he later said. When the production started, the four of us were sent to the back dressing rooms. Maynardville leads in the front, the others in the back. There we would wait for our cues and entertain ourselves. One night David and I reminisced on Glengarry. Emil had never seen it. He was intrigued by it and David and I performed the roles from Ed to Alan, Al to Kevin, jack to Alec, Jonathan and back to Al. But Baldwin’s monologue impressed him the most and David and I took turns doing it. He never got bored and we never got bored. We settled into a routine-everynight once we got off stage for our hour and 15min long hiatus was Glengarry time. It was basketball time. It was also Emil’s time to recite the entire 12th night play. He knew everyone else’s lines. He would sit and act out each character of the play. From Butler to Bridgett, from Leeanne to D Lucas, from Michele to Gavin. And of course there was R.Kelly(before the child molestation scam). Emil loved 12Play and the routine went something like this: sing the song, do the monologue. We bought coca cola 2 litre and it rotated in fours and by the end of the two month run we sold the empties and split the money. Emil pestered us to see Glengarry, I pestered him to cough up the rands and cents to hire the video. And one Saturday afternoon Emil, David, Roshina Ratnam and I sat down to watch Glenagrry Glen Ross. Needless to say all three of us could quote the film now. Initially David and I used to tease Emil and Jackson about various things now, Emil, David and I would tease Jackson. All Jackson had to do was watch Glengarry Glen Ross. After the play finished its run I never saw Emil again. I spoke to him often because he had a part in a movie I was working on called THE FINDERS OF MAD MEN. So usually he would call to find out when it was happening and I would reply soon. We always greeted each other with the same sentence “you call yourself a salesman you son of a bitch”-usually followed by laughter. I couldn’t believe how we had become good friends. He got good reviews for playing the lead in Marthinus Basson’s BOKLIED, I had moved to Jo’burg to be in Gray Hofmeyers ISIDINGO-THE NEED. In December of ’98 I told myself I need to speak to Emil, the number I had for him seemed non existent. Marthinus gave me a new number for him. You must call Emil I said. You must call Emil I said in January. Tell him the film is about to happen. Call Emil I said in Febuary. Tell him the film is not about to happen but it would happen soon. Call Emil. After Basketball practice one night Bo Petersen called me and told me that Emil had been killed in a car accident. I’m trying to remember the last time we spoke. I’m trying to remember if I told him I had changed the name of the film. I’m trying to remember if I told him his part was going to be bigger. I’m trying but all I can remember is a space of 2months in a dressing room where four men bonded and two bonded the most. Numerous phone calls back and forth. I’m trying but all I remember is our variation on the Baldwin line “you call yourself an actor you son of a bitch?” You were an actor Emil. You were going to be great. I’m trying to freeze that image of the 5ft boy with the cap on top of his head and his shirt tucked in looking very smart. I’m trying to remember that smile. I’m trying but all I can think about is that we never got a chance to immortalize Emil on 35mm. |
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