Francois Jacobs on improvised one-liners, raunchy laughs and racy shorts in 'Khaki Fever'

I caught up with Francois Jacobs a few days after “Khaki Fever” debuted on Showmax. 

He was still over the moon at bagging the Best Supporting Actor accolade at this year’s kykNET Silwerskerm Awards for Film and TV.

Directed by Brett Michael Innes, the R-rated comedy centres on a group of close-knit game rangers working at Zalisa Lodge, a family-owned private game reserve in South Africa, run by Anel (Trix Vivier), who is a stickler for rules.

Although she isn’t a fan of her rangers' reckless behaviour - or their nicknames for each other - she is distracted by Magda (Ilse Klink), an insufferable guest who refuses to leave until they locate her French bulldog, Chardonnay. 

Meanwhile, her rangers - Marco (Abel Knobel), Daniel (Christopher Jaftha), Albie (Jacobs), Stoffel (Liam Bosman), Cobus (Sean Brebnor) and Nicola (Anja Taljaard) - have a secret wager going for the “King of Khaki” title. 

Whoever bags the most hookups walks away with the tips at the end of the season.

While Jaftha is the film’s drawcard with his come-hither looks, charm, chiselled features, and six-pack, Jacobs, for me, stood out for his character’s side-splittling sexcapades and punchlines. 

On his first-ever Silwerskerm win, the “Black Gold” actor said: “It’s my second time nominated, and it came as such a shock; I didn’t really expect it. It means that people actually appreciate your work.”

After Michael Innes revealed in another interview that all those insanely funny lines were penned by Jacobs, he revealed more about this joke book that’s been percolating over time. 

Jacobs, stiffling his laughter, admitted, “Okay, so the script was fantastic, and you don't get the opportunity a lot to play around with the script. But what made Brett so fantastic and Nick (Ahlers, the co-writer) was that they allowed us to use that as a guideline and to make it our own.

“The character immediately just jumped off the page, and I could just imagine this Albie character, all the mischief and saying that he would go about and do. Now, over the years, you build up a bit of an arsenal of things that you work on or tried in other movies, or didn’t quite work, or directors would say, yeah, I love it, but I don't think that's going to work for this.

“So, you pack it away in storage, and when a movie like this comes, I mean, just you move it all off the shelf and see what hits. And Brett has allowed me to empty the whole shelf. Popping those one-liners was great fun.”

Jacobs added, “It’s really nice and refreshing to see directors allow actors to play around with things, and a lot of things also just came up in the moment, so improv was a big part of this film. 

“And it's just reading the room, reading the moment and playing fully to it and in it.

While this raunchy movie has left Mzansi in stitches, I asked Jacobs what his initial reaction was when he saw the script. 

“I went, ‘Wow, how are they going to clear this with the channel. It was really shocking, but at the same time, refreshing. We are moving towards a more HBO audience because people do watch these raunchy kinds of comedies, and they love it. 

“So reading the script was really out there and quite shocking, refreshing, as I said, but I said, I want to be part of making history. I'm in. Let's go.”

On his character going for the low-hanging fruit in the contest, which provided huge comic relief, he chuckled: “It was quite challenging playing into that because it’s not your typical man that goes for someone that’s completely wrapped in bandages, you know. It was really something else, I can at least say that. And one of the funnest characters to have played. 

“I was so glad that Albie was given to me. I had no idea as to how to approach it until the actual day, and it’s that typical thing of reading the moment, reading the vibe, and just going with it and going flat out.”

Of course, I had to ask about those tight shorts that played perfectly into the “gird your loins” moments in the film. 

He chuckled and added that he was wearing one while doing the interview. 

Jacobs added, “I’m from Nelspruit, this is everyday attire. They are quite short, they are quite tight, but some sexiness comes when you put them on.”

As for Jacobs' mentoring scenes with Bosman, which were a highlight for sure, he shared, “You won’t believe the full circle that we have walked through. So Liam’s first film, ‘Vir die Voëls’, he played the younger version of me, but I’m talking as a little kid.

"That was the first time we met. And it was quite exciting seeing him on set as a full-grown man and also showing him the ropes once again (laughs). It was fabulous working with him. I think he’s a stunning actor and what he’s achieved in such a short time is amazing.”

Although this film was shot in two weeks, the camaraderie on set translated into fabulous on-screen chemistry. The cast played their well-etched roles sublimely. 

The adroit direction and perfectly-timed comedy meant a steady stream of laughs in what is a pioneering offering on SA screens. 

∎ “Khaki Fever” is streaming on Showmax.