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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
34 SOUTH ACTRESS PROVES BIG IS BETTER:
MARGUERITA FREEKS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS

“I’ve always been a big woman,” says 25-year-old Marguerita Freeks. The voluptuous Grassy Park local is proving that big is better, with lead roles in a new film, 34 South, and a popular Cape Town musical, Three Tons of Fun.
Last year, Marguerita was also supposed to perform in Spain. “I was so excited. It would have been my first time overseas. But the Friday before the Sunday we were going to leave, they got an email from Spain to say I couldn’t come anymore, because I was too fat.” Now when Marguerita goes for auditions, she first asks if they’re considering “fat chicks, so I don’t waste my time and I don’t waste their time.”
Marguerita, who is fluent in English and Afrikaans, is available for interviews in Cape Town to coincide with the eagerly anticipated release of 34 South on March 11, 2005.

FULL STORY

34 South is the wickedly funny story of Frank September and his mates, who are desperate to leave Cape Town and get to Jo’burg. Unfortunately, they have no money, no transport and no contacts in The City of Gold. Undeterred by mere technicalities, the crew set out on the ride of their lives. Not only is 34 South a heartwarming and thought-provoking road-movie about sex, drugs and ballroom dancing, it’s also the first South African film to be directed by a black woman, Maganthrie Pillay, in the 100-year history of local cinema.
“I’ve always been a big woman,” says Marguerita Freeks. The Grassy Park local is proving that big is better, with lead roles in a new film, 34 South, and a popular Cape Town musical, Three Tons of Fun. This year, Marguerita was also supposed to perform in Spain. “I was so excited. It would have been my first time overseas. But the Friday before we were going to leave, they got an email from Spain to say I couldn’t come anymore because I was too fat.” Now when Marguerita goes for auditions, she first asks if they’re considering “fat chicks, so I don’t waste my time and I don’t waste their time.”
“People have a warped vision of what beauty is. There’s a specific size you have to be in order to be on screen. That is one of the crappiest parts of being in this industry. I have felt frustrated but I haven’t felt the need to go on a diet. I’m not going to buy some Bioslim. I’m happy with who I am, with my size and my weight.”
Marguerita got her first break while still in high school, when she was cast in two theatre productions at The Baxter, David Kramer and Taliep Pietersen’s Poison, and Michael Williams’ Who Killed Jimmy Valentine. After studying acting at City Varsity, however, roles dried up, and Marguerita became stuck in a rut of waitering six days a week. “It was hectic. I stopped singing and performing for a couple of years.” Her escape came when she was cast in 34 South as Jamillah, a Moslem who’s supposed to get married but runs away to pursue a music career in Jo’burg. “I had the most amazing experience being in the movie. On the last day of filming, I felt like if I had to die then, I’d be content.”
She also identified with the themes of the film. “The story made all of us think. We spoke a lot about being coloured. 34 South gave me a new sense of being proud of being who I am. Now I can say that I’m a coloured and not be ashamed of it.”
Marguerita dreams of cutting her own album one day. “I love music,” she says. “Hip hop is my first love.” She’s been able to combine her passion for acting and song in 3 Tons of Fun, a cabaret tribute show to late Sixties’ and Seventies’ soul, which was well received at On Broadway and Manhattan. The equally popular sequel, Three Tons of Fun and Then Some, has just finished its run.
But life hasn’t always been this good. She went out with Stuart Hermanus, a DJ, for four years. Even after they broke up, they remained good friends, and he was cast alongside her in 34 South as Aggro. However, in 2001, he had an epileptic seizure and died of asphyxiation at age 25.
“A month before that a friend of mine was shot and killed. December Stuart died. January my uncle Salie had a heart attack and died. Feb my other uncle, Arthur, had lung cancer and passed away. June, Natalie, a friend of mine, got married and within a month, her husband Mark had an accident and died – a drunk driver drove into him. It was hectic, but it was a highpoint as well as a low point. Death made me think a lot about life. It’s made me appreciate things a lot.”
Happily, the industry is also starting to appreciate Marguerita Freeks a lot. Expect to see and hear much more of her gorgeous curves and velvet voice in the future. After all, in Africa, big is still beautiful.
The release of 34 South will be staggered from March 11 to tie-in with a province-by-province road-show beginning in Cape Town. “This film is just going to blow people away. So maybe this movie is going to be my big break.” Marguerita, who is fluent in English and Afrikaans, will be available for interviews in Cape Town to coincide with the eagerly anticipated release of 34 South.

ISSUED BY:
Kevin Kriedemann
Film Publicist
Tel: +27(0)83 556 2346
Email: kevinkr@mweb.co.za