From meme to movie magic: Zandélle Meyer and Marelize Horn unpack the parallel realities of 'My F*k, Marelize'

“My F*k, Marelize”, a 19-second clip that went viral six years ago, has been adapted into a feature film, which has premiered in cinemas across South Africa and Namibia on Friday.

While the video had everyone in stitches and has since become a catchphrase for any public blunders, the story behind it is poignant. Brett Michael Innes, a passionate film-maker and storyteller, felt strongly about sharing the deeper narrative. 

Filmed in Namibia, the story is set against the backdrop of WIKA, which is the annual Windhoek Carnival.

At the heart of it is Heidi (Je-ani Swiegelaar), the matriarch of the Horn family. A strong-willed woman, she loves her family and, like every mom, she wants the best for her children: Marelize (Zandélle Meyer) and her older sister, Wilmari (Nichola Viviers).

However, her decision to keep her cancer battle a secret from her daughters backfires on her.

At its heart, the story is a dramatic, heartfelt, and humorous unfolding of events.

I managed to steal the real Marelize Horn and Meyer, the actress who plays her, at the recently held 13th Silwerskerm festival. 

Meyer, who walked away with the Best Supporting Actress honours for “My F*k, Marelize” at the kykNET Silwerskerm Awards for Film and TV, was chuffed to make her movie debut in such a prominent project. 

She recalled, “I finished on ‘Wyfie’ and then I got this brief saying they are making a film about ‘My F*k, Marelize. I saw Brett’s name and Nagvlug Films, and I was like, I’m going to audition for this role, and I’m gonna give it my all.”

It clearly paid off because she clinched the part.

Meyer revealed that at the table read, director Zandré Coetzer gave them insight into the Horn family, their quirks and how Marelize and her sister would dress up matchy-matchy.

She added, “While being in Namibia, which was my first time there and doing a film, it’s typical of when you’re in a small town. Also, I’ve just been doing soapies and series, so I felt very privileged. Imagine doing a film that wasn’t well-received (laughs).”

Meyer continued: “When I read the script and it said that Marelize drives into a rugby pole, she drives into a dustbin … I was like, ‘Do you have a stunt actress?’. And they said they did.”

However, when she met her stunt double, she decided to do the stunts herself.  

She explained, “Now, we didn’t look the same, so it was not going to work. I decided to be fearless and got a crash course from the stunt coach.”

On why actors playing the Horn family struck a chord with audiences, Meyer revealed: “We all knew one another before coming onto the project, like Je-Ani Swiegelaar, we worked together on ‘Binnelanders’, and she's obviously the main cast, I just had a couple of story arcs going in and out.

"But we never worked together, and it's strange,  you would think on a soapie set, because you're in the same show, you would know one another, but we didn't really. And it was the same with Nichola Viviers.

“It was only on the set of ‘My F*k, Marelize’ that we got to spend time together and actually got to know one another and built a friendship. That lovely energy off-screen translates onscreen.”

REAL TALK WITH MARELIZE

Boy, oh boy, talk about a bundle of energy. Marelize, 25, is that and more. She was excited to unpack her thoughts on the big screen release, shed light on her family and herself. 

She notes, “You know the part in the movie where my sister says she’s going to drop out. That really did happen. At that point in our lives, we were willing to shave our heads and stuff like that because there’s no reason for any of us to ever go through life alone. 

“We wanted to make sure mommy knows that she had a hand to hold. And she truly did tell us that she would stop treatment - it was a real threat - if we allowed it to affect us.”

Marelize added, “The funniest thing is my mom’s such a contradiction because she’s this tiny woman - the cutest little thing ever - but she’s fierce.”

The closeness of the family on screen wasn’t a stretch from the real Horn family. 

She continued, “Although so many things were happening around us, we kind of got a reality check that we are moving too fast and that, although we would love life to stand still for a moment, it's not going to, we have to make it stand still. And we did. 

“We all came together again. And I feel like there's always a part in everyone's family, like there's a time frame where suddenly, you aren't as close in it anymore. You kind of grow apart, children grow up, parents, you know, develop different personalities from when they were married, stuff like that, and then all of a sudden, we had this big thing in front of us, and we had to come together again.

“Although it was truly not a great experience and I would love to never go through it again, I'm thankful for it as well, because today we can stand very strong as a family and say that we've been through hell together and we've walked through the fire.”

As for her dad, Marelize added, “So that's another walking contradiction. My dad is about two metres tall, and he used to be a rugby player, so he's a big man; however, he is the biggest and softest teddy bear that this world has ever seen. 

“All he wants is a hug, and he just wants you to hold his hand. When we were younger, we could never hold his hand. So we always just held onto his pinkie. I am 25 years old now, and I still only hold onto his pinky, and that's kind of just who he is.

“He hates it when we cry, but it's not because we're being emotional; it's because he doesn't know what to do. It's like he wants to put a Band-Aid on everything to make it better.”

Marezlie added, “What we've learned through this whole process is that your parents are all just human, and it's also their first time on Earth. Give them some leniency.”

Even though the accident-prone Marelize is still recognised everywhere she goes, she is living her best life with her family always by her side. 

She worked as an au pair in Amsterdam, which is why she was trying to learn to ride a bike, and she went skydiving with her mom.

She laughs about having the best relationship with gravity and admits to having a secret yearning to try her hand at acting. 

∎ “My F*k, Marelize” is showing at cinemas nationwide.