Showmax has viewers at the edge of their seat with their popular new university drama ‘Wyfie’ now streaming on the app. The series is an edgy, youthful and urban Afrikaans drama that follows four females as they navigate the complicated world of university life and how they walk the thin line between mischief and wrongdoing to survive. According to head writer Marcel Spaumer, Wyfie is a celebration of the friendships you make as you move out of home and in with other people for the first time. The R18 series is full of drama and has made for some dramatic viewing.
With the first 26 episodes (of 45) now available to binge on Showmax, we chat to Kristen Raath, who plays Kyla, to find out more about the series that is taking the platform by storm.
Tell us more about your character, Kyla.
Kyla is from a small town. She is very religious and very in control. She is a very good student, with a lot of pressure on her because of the responsibilities she has. In general, she is not the ideal student when it comes to partying, but she is the ideal student for a lecturer because she studies when she needs to study. (laughs)
Does Kyla’s university experience reflect your own experience of being a student?
I completely resonate with Kyla. A hundred percent. I think I was Kyla when I was younger, and now we’re learning a little bit from each other. I studied through Unisa for my IT degree, so I can’t really talk about the university days. But what is so precious is that Kyla is actually just a bit of a recluse. She doesn’t go out, she doesn’t live a life outside of a book, and I can relate to that quite a bit. At Unisa, I had to teach myself, and I also locked myself away like that, very similar to how Kyla keeps herself behind the books. It’s so wonderful because now I’m also experiencing university through this series – by telling these stories, it’s as if I’m at university and it’s a lot of fun!
Tell us more about the other actresses and how you get along as a team. Does the friendship between the characters reflect the friendships with women you have in your own life?
Definitely. Beáta [Bena Green], who plays Shay, was also involved in my previous project and we are best friends. I don’t have many girlfriends, but all of us instantly clicked. We had seen a lot of each other on social media and liked each other a lot. For example, Mienke [Ehlers] – her style and fashion sense are incredible. I’ve been watching her for years – which probably sounds creepy now! I think we [the four lead actresses] were also aware of how important our bond with each other is [for the project]. That we should have good chemistry for how we would go through the project. But we didn’t need to force it. It was just so perfect; like it was supposed to happen.
Why should people watch Wyfie?
People should watch Wyfie because it’s going to push boundaries. These are stories that are not necessarily told in our language or our culture, but they are what people live, even though we are ashamed to talk about them. We’re going to step on a lot of people’s toes, but if you want to watch real stories with heart, with humour, with a heartbeat, I think you should watch this series.
Can you talk a little about your music career and where your heart lies? Music or acting?
I think by now I can definitively say that acting is my great love, but it’s still very difficult for me to choose between music and acting because I still write music as a form of therapy. For now, in this season of my life, acting is the most important to me. Maybe things will change. Never say never.
Watch the trailer below and stream ‘Wyfie’ now.
