Jacques Adriaanse graduated from PALI in 2018 as part of Group 12. Jacques played the role of Donald Smith in the film Hammarskjöld which is currently screening in Europe and the UK. He has had an incredible career as an actor thus far and has been particularly busy this year, we asked him to share a few highlights.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work on another Netflix feature film end of last year in Durban and Johannesburg with a wonderful team and kickstarted 2024 with a short film directed by Christopher van der Westhuizen, which will be premiering very soon - one of the best experiences yet and truly a gift to work with such a hands-on collaborative director, every step of the process, nothing like feeling held on a set. Hammarskjöld by Per Fly(filmed two years ago) is also currently enjoying a European & UK cinema-run wherein I played Donald Smith and got to work with Mikael Persbrandt (Sex Education, Foundation, The Hobbit and others). I also had the opportunity to play butcher “Johannes Joubert” on the last season of Arendsvlei. I recently also worked on two other local series and a pilot I cannot yet disclose (#NDAs). Furthermore I’ve been elected as an Exco-member at SAGA (South African Guild of Actors) - I’m also very excited for an Aardklop Play “Forte” this year with Rika Sennet and hope to see you all there!”
When Jacques joined PALI he was busy studying Law and we were very curious to find out when he realised he would like to pursue acting as a career.
“My brain has been everywhere in terms of the big C word - from Imagineering at Walt Disney World to Performing to Medicine to Law to Psychiatry, but in all honesty I think I technically knew that I wanted to perform probably when I was about four years old… I recall how my parents used to drop me at my former opera singer grandmother back then, when they would go to work. I would watch her giving singing lessons to students, I was mesmerised and enjoyed every single second thereof, I started singing “dis heerlike lente,die winter’s verby…” skipping through her home and recall her mentioning it to my parents, overjoyed. My mom, a teacher then, also used to conduct choirs and the school recitals at Laerskool Baile Park in Potchefstroom and I would sit in on the rehearsals many a time - it definitely sparked a love for the performing arts in me. It was an admired art-form in our house, music, singing and performing. Fast forward to doing school plays and musicals in High School (Potchefstroom Gimnasium) singing in the National Choir Academy’s North West Youth Choir (Under Niekie van der Walt), ending up twice at the ATKV Tienertoneel Finals at Aardklop and getting nominated for Best Actor twice in a row- I decided to go study BCom(Law) at the University of Pretoria - I know… At first I thought let me perhaps focus on entertainment law after many actors told me the necessity there of and to not worry about studying Drama but rather to find other means to train as an actor/performer. I also didn’t know enough to truly understand what I actually wanted to pursue, I just knew I wanted to ‘put a ding in the universe’ as Steve Jobs would say. Upon following the final advice of a psychologist who said “Perhaps Start with BCom(Law), BUT DO NOT TAKE ON ANY EXTRA-MURAL ACTIVITIES IN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF STUDYING!” -I auditioned for choir within two weeks of starting my studies at the University and ended up singing my heart out for Tuks Camerata under conductor Dr Michael Barrett for 3 years. In my second year of BCom(Law) studies I realised that I missed acting and decided to approach Donalee Roberts while they were marketing 'Vir Altyd' at Brooklyn Mall to ask her if she could recommend any part-time acting classes (I waited for her outside the bathrooms to be exact - to her shock - no comment) and she suggested PALI. I then started with Meisner classes which soon became full time classes at PALI (while simultaneously studying BCom(Law)) - still unsure about pursuing acting as a career, but deep down knowing I wanted to as I loved every single second of it. Fast forward to my final BCom(Law) year where I did everything I loved: singing and coaching serenade, singing choir, acting, but my grades slowly suffering in the pursuit thereof. The year went from winning best Youth Choir in the world at the prestigious Grand Prix of Nations in Riga, Latvia to driving into a violent riot with my then girlfriend, my car getting thrown with a brick on the driver’s side and getting assaulted in a park shortly thereafter- I cracked completely, phoned my mom one day to hear how the dogs were and ended up crying in the law library’s bathroom while having to write taxation that evening. My mind and emotions kept spiraling out of control and faced disappointment after disappointment, even missing one of my best friends’ weddings. That was it, that was the turning point, the bungee jump, something had to change and I knew I needed help. I ended up at a brilliant psychologist and it was there I realised that I actually knew what I wanted to do all along and that maybe the riot was the best thing to have ever happened to me, it made me realise I’m alive and we have much more control over our time than we proclaim - I paused my studies, with incredibly supportive parents and embarked on this crazy journey. So perhaps in short, driving into a protest and facing near death was the moment I knew I wanted to pursue acting as a career. How poetic.
We asked Jacques whether he has a favourite memory of his time at PALI.
“Wow. So many.
1.Running around Ilke König's family home as the only person on lights for a short-film we shot - I respect all lighting departments on sets more than they could ever really know because of this. Shoutout to all the hard working crews!
Gods of My Country/Religiously Political by Johann Smith - this made me join PALI as a full time student and also took us to Grahamstown National Arts Festival - what a joy!
Liefde op die Lyn by Tiaan Nortjé - YESSS!
Plekke! by Johann Smith - Directed by Kaz McFadden - I have never laughed harder and been more serious at the same time.
Rumours - dir. Tash Hadjinocailedes - final year, wow makes me emotional.
Practicing a kissing scene with Ilke for Andre’s on-camera-class for an entire afternoon, just for André to tell us we are not doing the scene in class anymore. We couldn’t stop laughing about it!
André’s classes - ma se kinders - that’s all.
Blind Mice - dir. Lara Lourens - I had a massive freakout moment with a wall in this film and used it for my showreel, 'walls were hurt during filming this’ - thanks LARA! “
"... driving into a protest and facing near death was the moment I knew I wanted to pursue acting as a career."
Jacques also shared some of the lessons he has learned in the industry so far…
1. Your coach, your agent, your team only work as hard as you do.
2. Auditioning is your job.
3. We don’t audition for a role, but rather for a career.
4. A door shuts a window opens.
5. Manage your career like you’d manage your own business - acting is a business, you are the CEO.
6. Know how to do your taxes as an actor - you’ll thank me later. (Hint: get a tax advisor!)
7. Always be ready to find the cheese (Book Reference: “Who Moved My Cheese? - Dr Spencer Johnson”)
8. It’s not about you, it’s about the story.
9. We are deep collaborators.
10. Become a professional listener.
11. Learn to be vulnerable in your life to be vulnerable in your acting.
12. Allow yourself to have fun.
13. Celebrate, don’t criticise.
14. Surround yourself with doers not complainers.
15. "Don’t let the noise of others opinions drown out your inner voice” - Steve Jobs
16. Don’t be afraid to jump.
17. Stay in class. There’s an oscar-winning actor in LA still in acting class, so what’s your excuse?
18. Don’t let every audition become your identity. There’s life outside of acting, and acting is life, so find life!
19. DO COMMERCIAL AUDITIONS, even if they suck sometimes, your bank account and improv skills will thank you!
20. Know set-protocols.
21. READ YOUR CONTRACT ALWAYS!
22. Your agent works for you.
23. Always have a monologue or two ready in your arsenal.
24. Fail hard!
25. Sometimes acting feels uncomfortable and that’s okay.
26. Be gentle with your heart and keep it open, it is your instrument after all.
27. Don’t be afraid to risk it.
28. Your scene partner is the most important person in the room.
29. Ask before assuming.
30. Find the real ones, don’t let the transactional ones kill your soul.
31. Have friends outside the industry.
32. Have a weekly artist day.
33. JOIN SAGA.
34. And many more lessons to come… I trust.
Jacques also shared some advice for aspiring actors:
1. Decide that you are an artist and start.
2. Find your why! - And find it again! - SIMON SINEK
3. Become an eternal learner.
4. Go read The Man in the Arena Speech by Theodore Roosevelt
5. Have a daily schedule, be on top of your business as an actor, perhaps read Atomic Habits to help with that.
6. Hone your craft daily.
7. Learn accents.
8. Read books on acting.
9. Stay humble.
10. Make your own work, do a 48 hour. Learn, learn and learn.
11. Be professional and be a team-player.
12. Show up even when don’t feel like it.
13. Play Rihanna’s ‘Work’ song to motivate you.
14. Tell yourself 'I’m excited' when you feel ‘anxious’.
15. Love hard!
16. Rinse and repeat.
We are incredibly proud of everything Jacques has achieved in the six years since he graduated from PALI and we are very excited to see what the future holds in for this passionate performer.
