Neels Van Jaarsveld is instantly recognisable to South African audiences from the “met uys” Klipdrift adverts, but he’s also had a prolific career in local dramas, with roles in Binnelanders, Known Gods, Backstage, and Hard Copy.

After roles in Goodbye Bafana, The Poseidon Adventure and White Wedding, Neels landed a lead role opposite Ryan Phillipe, Taylor Kitsch and Frank Rautenbach in the Steven Silver film, The Bang Bang Club. He plays Portuguese photographer Joao Silva, one of the two surviving members of the four combat photographers who captured the final days of Apartheid. Neels met Joao shortly into filming. “It was key working with Joao. We got very close. We would go into the townships and afterwards play some pool or have a cold beer. This gave me the opportunity to play him more acutely. It was truly an exhilarating experience having him there, but it was also an emotional experience. I could see what he was going through and I had to mimic that.”

Neels had a very specific method to how he approached the role. “I didn’t go for total mimic, but I got the essence of what he was about. I wanted to capture his idea and not try to be him.”