Albert Pretorius is a performer who operates with the quiet, methodical precision of a master craftsman, leaving behind “no residue” as he seamlessly dissolves into the skin of his characters. From his early days performing for “tannies” in the rural heart of Volksrus to becoming one of South Africa’s most versatile and disciplined fixtures of stage and screen, Pretorius has cultivated a reputation for being remarkably grounded – a man who starts his day at 5am with a cup of coffee and a script, trusting his initial instincts to find the humanity in even the most complex or difficult roles. In this candid conversation, we delve into his formative influences and why the art of disappearing is ultimately a pursuit of truth.
Did you always want to become an actor growing up?
Yes, I always performed. I grew up on a farm in Volksrus, Mpumalanga. I was always singing for the “tannies” at the corporation in town, and they would give me two cents, five cents, or whatever… when I was 11, I had an amazing English teacher, Juffrou Bokkie, and she gave us the classic oral where you have to go, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” …I realized, but if I’m an actor, I can be all those things and I don’t have to choose. And I love performing and since then, when I realized that, it just all made sense. I think I became quite, I think, an annoying child. Like I would sell raffle tickets with the goal to go to Hollywood and I’m an 11-year-old.
Did you do school plays and standout moments like that?
We didn’t have drama in our school, but I started taking extra acting classes with Shareen Swartz… She didn’t treat me like a child. We were chatting about existentialism and mediocrity in art. It was fascinating and stimulating.
She really raised you in the craft.
Completely… In my matric year, we did the ATKV-Tienertoneel competitions… in my final year, we won. That was a highlight. We were in a cold, cold Bloemfontein. The play was called The Sound of Boeremusiek. It was this weird satire about a family that inherits R34 million and then a transit truck gets hijacked.
What was kind of your big breakthrough role as an actor? What got you noticed?
I think when we were in drama school, me and two friends did a play. A big theatre producer came and saw it, and then she started us on the circuit. People started going, “Okay, it’s Albert.” Then the year after that, I had a role in Binnelanders, so that was my first TV thing.
I’ve said before that you’re one of the most underrated actors in South Africa. How do you prepare? What is your secret?
I don’t have a secret! …I trust my first read instinct. The feeling I get for the character when I read a script for the first time – I listen to that and build on it… I like to do it mostly in the morning. I’ll get up sometimes at 5am or something and then I would put in a nice two or three-hour session… sitting with a cup of coffee in the garden. And then by like eight o’clock, I feel like I’ve done my work for the day… and then all that stuff just lingers.
Have you ever encountered a character that was difficult to empathize with?
No, I quite like to lean into those. One of the first rules you learn in acting school is never judge your character. I find the complexities of those guys interesting. Yes, some are harder than others – Boetie Boer was not easy… you also kind of lie to yourself or try to lie as he would to himself. I always find those challenges really exciting.
How do you think playing the most famous boss in television history will change things for you?
I don’t think it will much. I try not to think of “career” in a sense of “What is this going to do for me?” I think Mads Mikkelsen said it best:
“If you only think about your career and where you want to be, and you just do the projects to get there, but you end up not having a great career, then you have nothing. But if you do the projects and you just love doing every project, maybe at the end of it you’ll have a career. And if you don’t, at least you’ll have had fun with every project.”
I do show for show… I’ve also learned that in South Africa – sorry to say – the ceiling is quite low. I don’t think I’m suddenly going to be offered millions of rands and live in a mansion… I’m not going to move to LA and start from scratch. What I’m so grateful for – I told my father-in-law this when he asked why I didn’t move to England or America – is that if you really make it there, you can live comfortably, but I wouldn’t like the fame. I’m quite a private person. There’s also the fact that I’ve had such great opportunities here that I would never have had there.
What’s the best acting advice you’ve ever received?
It was a lecturer in my second year during a production of The Seagull. She said two things:
Detail is the hallmark of anything worthwhile. Work as detailed as you possibly can.
Don’t act with kids or animals.