The new action-thriller film Hunting Jessica Brok, starring Danica de la Rey (also known as Danica Jones), takes the next step in the evolution of the local female action hero.
Since launching her career in 2015, the Pietermaritzburg-born actor has been unstoppable from the stage to the small and big screen, making her mark in Asinamali, Aya, Darby and the Dead, as well as Generations: The Legacy.
The 35-year-old star takes Sowetan through the evolution of the local female action hero:
How different was it being on the set of Hunting Jessica Brok?
No character is ever easy to embody, but portraying Jessica Brok was particularly challenging. I had two weeks to prepare, while international actors typically get up to four months.
I trained with the stunt team and did my research on Black Ops, the mindset and what it takes to embody such a role by speaking to the director and people around me who had more experience and information on it.
The set was unpredictable. One day you walk in and you’re told you’re going to do a monologue while handling a snake and the other day, you have a scene with a hawk. Going into filming, I was already injured and covered in bruises from the intense training, which helped fuel the character even more.
Jessica is a mother with a Black Ops background who’s suddenly thrust into a situation she never imagined. She’s forced to fight her way through it to save the one she loves.
What did you take away from the character?
Given the current state of our country, women need to see themselves winning fights. That’s why action series like Unseen, led by Gail Mabalane, or Marked, with Lerato Mvelase, resonate so deeply. For the past six years, we’ve seen a growing wave of SA women fronting action-packed productions – but we still have a long way to go compared to Hollywood.
The first time I truly felt “Okay, a South African woman can lead an action series”, was when I watched Queen Sono. Since then, we’ve been inching forward. Showing grit matters. Women in action films remind us that submission isn’t the only option – fighting back is powerful, too.
What are your hopes for the SA female action hero?
We need to extend ourselves into worlds that we haven’t created ourselves. I believe South Africans are artistically strong enough to stand in a scene with Denzel Washington, and we don’t have to mimic our authenticity. We are different as South Africans. We get two weeks to prepare for roles while international actors get six months.
Our superpower is that we have the determination that trumps any experience because we go there with the openness to do the work, regardless of what it looks like. I also believe that this craft is medicine in the best way. Whether it’s to make you feel good, meeting yourself or showing people [themselves] when they feel unseen, I hope to represent SA on an international front.
This film will be in SA cinemas on August 22 and will showcase in over a hundred cinemas in the US in September – this is quite unheard of, as it’s usually expected for us to showcase South African stories to be viable artists, but this wasn’t the case for this film.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.