Namibians star in ‘Gallow Walker’

ELEVEN Namibian novice actors have been cast in major roles in the supernatural Western ‘Gallow Walker’, currently in production in the Namib Desert.

Despite at least four feature films starring big Hollywood names being filmed in Namibia in recent years, no Namibian has ever featured prominently in front of the cameras until now. Two young Swakopmunders, in particular, have attracted the attention of the director and producers of ‘Gallow Walker’.”We have been incredibly lucky with these two roles,” producer Joanne Reay, who also wrote the screenplay, told The Namibian.She is full of praise for David de Beer (9), who plays the role of an apprentice boy, and Frederick Horaseb (15), who plays Aman (the Wesley Snipes character) as a young boy.”David’s role is pivotal in the film and has a significant impact.”Reay said a prominent child role always posed a danger, as it could easily not work.”We were almost certainly going to get a precocious child actor from America.”Instead, the Namibian casting director, Raymond Inichab, “turned up with David” and the director, Andrew Goth, decided he was exactly what was needed.Reay said De Beer’s personality fitted the role: “He is curious, cocky and has an amazing face.”After three days of filming, the producer became even more excited about him.”He has been astonishing, showing so much technical skill without any previous experience.”In the story De Beer, who works in a slaughterhouse, idolises Aman (Snipes) and tries to reach out to him and form a friendship, but Aman shows no interest in him.”This relationship is one of the most poignant in the film,” said Reay.”The child needs to be cute, but not soppy – if it does not work, the heart of the story will be gone.”The “other fantastic performance”, according to Reay, came from Frederick Haraseb, a resident of the DRC informal settlement at Swakopmund.The director saw him walking past his office window one day and immediately recognised that he had a marked resemblance to Wesley Snipes.Haraseb was with one of his parents, who had asked for work at the production office.”He was incredibly shy in the beginning and only too eager to do anything we asked of him,” said Reay.They took him to the film set and told him about the story, and as the day went on he became more interested and started asking questions.”It was amazing; he was everything we could have hoped for.His face on camera is astonishing, just beautiful,” said Reay.She said Snipes had met Horaseb, and was very happy with him.The third Namibian the producer is excited about is Vicky Moller-Forbes from Windhoek, who plays Aman’s mother.She has a pivotal scene with Snipes.”She had an amazing audition.She is such a natural actress,” said Reay.The third child role was given to a girl from Windhoek.Tatum Diergaardt (13), who was found at a shopping mall by the casting crew and did a good audition.For Adolf Engels from Swakop­mund, being cast as the church novice came as a big surprise.Reay said they were eating at a restaurant discussing a specific role and the hair and make-up crew said they needed a young, good-looking boy with naturally blond hair.The next moment Engels walked up as their waiter for the evening, and he was exactly what they were looking for.That was not the last chance encounter with local Swakopmunders.The director went for a medical check-up and realised the doctor he was seeing had exactly the look he wanted for the role as church elder.Dr Wotan Swiegers will be playing in a scene opposite Patrick Bergin, one of the lead actors in the film.The other Namibian actors were found at open casting sessions.They are Sean Naude and Frederick Vilonel, who play Cunny and Poe, the sheriff and his deputy; Herby Blom in the role of Red; Steven Afrikaner as the pulley driver and Nadine van Niekerk as the young blonde.Reay said Snipes was insistent on casting as many Namibians as possible.”He did not want the film to come in, use local resources and just leave.He therefore founded a bursary programme for four Namibian trainees on the production.”One of them has been taken up in the hair and make-up department, one in transport and two on the set.Reay said it was important to Snipes, being an African-American, to promote filmmaking in Africa.The producer did not want to reveal how much these novice actors were being paid, saying it was up to them to disclose it.She said, however, that the rate for actors who have some lines was usually “calculated as an enhanced extra”, while larger roles liked David de Beer’s were negotiated on an individual basis.According to a local film company, every film is unique in setting rates for extras, largely depending on the budget.In previous movies filmed at the coast, background extras were paid between N$125 and N$250 a day, and featured extras who were around the main cast received between N$300 and N$500 a day.In addition, extras receive transport to and from the set, plus two meals a day and refreshments.* Maggi Barnard is a freelance journalist.Two young Swakopmunders, in particular, have attracted the attention of the director and producers of ‘Gallow Walker’.”We have been incredibly lucky with these two roles,” producer Joanne Reay, who also wrote the screenplay, told The Namibian.She is full of praise for David de Beer (9), who plays the role of an apprentice boy, and Frederick Horaseb (15), who plays Aman (the Wesley Snipes character) as a young boy.”David’s role is pivotal in the film and has a significant impact.”Reay said a prominent child role always posed a danger, as it could easily not work.”We were almost certainly going to get a precocious child actor from America.”Instead, the Namibian casting director, Raymond Inichab, “turned up with David” and the director, Andrew Goth, decided he was exactly what was needed.Reay said De Beer’s personality fitted the role: “He is curious, cocky and has an amazing face.”After three days of filming, the producer became even more excited about him.”He has been astonishing, showing so much technical skill without any previous experience.”In the story De Beer, who works in a slaughterhouse, idolises Aman (Snipes) and tries to reach out to him and form a friendship, but Aman shows no interest in him.”This relationship is one of the most poignant in the film,” said Reay.”The child needs to be cute, but not soppy – if it does not work, the heart of the story will be gone.”The “other fantastic performance”, according to Reay, came from Frederick Haraseb, a resident of the DRC informal settlement at Swakopmund.The director saw him walking past his office window one day and immediately recognised that he had a marked resemblance to Wesley Snipes.Haraseb was with one of his parents, who had asked for work at the production office.”He was incredibly shy in the beginning and only too eager to do anything we asked of him,” said Reay.They took him to the film set and told him about the story, and as the day went on he became more interested and started asking questions.”It was amazing; he was everything we could have hoped for.His face on camera is astonishing, just beautiful,” said Reay.She said Snipes had met Horaseb, and was very happy with him.The third Namibian the producer is excited about is Vicky Moller-Forbes from Windhoek, who plays Aman’s mother.She has a pivotal scene with Snipes.”She had an amazing audition.She is such a natural actress,” said Reay.The third child role was given to a girl from Windhoek.Tatum Diergaardt (13), who was found at a shopping mall by the casting crew and did a good audition.For Adolf Engels from Swakop­mund, being cast as the church novice came as a big surprise.Reay said they were eating at a restaurant discussing a specific role and the hair and make-up crew said they needed a young, good-looking boy with naturally blond hair.The next moment Engels walked up as their waiter for the evening, and he was exactly what they were looking for.That was not the last chance encounter with local Swakopmunders.The director went for a medical check-up and realised the doctor he was seeing had exactly the look he wanted for the role as church elder.Dr Wotan Swiegers will be playing in a scene opposite Patrick Bergin, one of the lead actors in the film.The other Namibian actors were found at open casting sessions.They are Sean Naude and Frederick Vilonel, who play Cunny and Poe, the sheriff and his deputy; Herby Blom in the role of Red; Steven Afrikaner as the pulley driver and Nadine van Niekerk as the young blonde.Reay said Snipes was insistent on casting as many Namibians as possible.”He did not want the film to come in, use local resources and just leave.He therefore founded a bursary programme for four Namibian trainees on the production.”One of them has been taken up in the hair and make-up department, one in transport and two on the set.Reay said it was important to Snipes, being an African-American, to promote filmmaking in Africa.The producer did not want to reveal how much these novice actors were being paid, saying it was up to them to disclose it.She said, however, that the rate for actors who have some lines was usually “calculated as an enhanced extra”, while larger roles liked David de Beer’s were negotiated on an individual basis.According to a local film company, every film is unique in setting rates for extras, largely depending on the budget.In previous movies filmed at the coast, background extras were paid between N$125 and N$250 a day, and featured extras who were around the main cast received between N$300 and N$500 a day.In addition, extras receive transport to and from the set, plus two meals a day and refreshments.* Maggi Barnard is a freelance journalist.