The #OnlyTheBest Content Showcase was a working holiday which meant i worked, but i also holidayed. Lol. One of the perks of being there was meeting the hot 'brothers' from the television version of iconic movie, "From Dusk till Dawn".
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| Gotta get those autographs in! |
D.J Cotrona (the cute one) and Zane Holtz (the eyes-that-pierce-into-your-soul-one) were at the MNET Africa showcase and also special guests at Vuzu AMP's anniversary party. Plus, i wasn't stalking them i promise, but they also did a bit of chilling by the seaside and i just happened to catch them again.
Honestly, the Multichoice Content Showcase Extravaganza reached fever pitch when the stars of From Dusk Till Dawn: the series arrived
at a press junket held at The Plantation Club in Mauritius. D.J and Zane s.h.a.r.ed the thrills of working on the show as the Gecko brothers,
roles played by George Clooney and Quinton Tarantino in the movie.
Cotrona had high praise for actors and directors from the continent
who have gained global exposure. “South Africa is one of the countries that has
amazing actors and directors. I’m a huge Sci-Fi fan and I love the way Neil
Blomkamp takes high concepts and grounds them in reality,” he said. “Trevor
Noah is hilarious – taking over The Daily
Show is like taking over America and I love watching him. There’s amazing
African talent crossing over in a big way in the international industry, both
in front of and behind the camera.”
“If you’re talented and good at what you do, you can make it anywhere –
it’s about being there and being right for the part,” was Holtz’ encouraging
advice for aspiring African actors. “I’m 15 years into my career - I started
when I was 13 or 14. It took me a long time of living in Los Angeles and
auditioning to get a part – and now I’m in a series that is traveling around
the world! There’s no definitive timeframe for success – just believe it, do
it, and stick with it until you get it!” Quizzed about whether he would take on
a role, telling African stories, he said he would work with anyone, from any
country, if the story he was presented with was good and the director and his
fellow cast were talented. “Whether from Africa, Europe, anywhere – I’d love to
work with any team I thought had an important story to tell, and would tell it
well.”
The duo discussed their love for the original From Dusk Till Dawn film, and paid tribute to director Robert
Rodriguez for his vision and ability to bring a fresh perspective to a 20
year-old film, on the small screen. “The series is really giving us the chance
to re-establish the characters on TV,” said Holtz. “The first season sees a
retelling of the origin story, but it also opens up more avenues for other
stories to be told, showing the characters in a new light.” Cotrona said he was
a big fan of the film and held it close to his heart as a fan. “Anytime you’re
a fan of something you feel protective of it, and you don’t want anyone to mess
with it. Luckily we’re working with the talented, original director and playing
characters written by Quinton Tarantino, which is a dream come true for me,” he
said.
Asked about the process of bringing the series to life, Cotrona revealed
that a large part of the production value is down to director Robert Rodriguez’
ability to work on a shoestring budget. “Robert made his first film, El Mariachi, for $7 000, which he helped
raise by volunteering to take experimental medicines in University studies!” he
said. “We don’t have a massive budget for the series, but what we get on the
screen belies that. Robert shows that you don’t need a lot of money to make
something look compelling and interesting – it’s about the vision and the
story.”
It takes 4-5 months of shooting 12-15 hours a day to produce a season of
From Dusk Till Dawn, a challenge
which the pair relish. “We also do a lot
of our effects without computers – Robert enjoys using real-world action –
explosions, fights, car chases and fights,” said Cotrona.
Cotrona also discussed the revival television has experienced over the
last few years. “A couple of years ago,
when everything started going digital, people thought TV would be dead,” he
said. “Now it seems like the opposite has happened. I’m not an expert, but my
opinion is that in order for a film to be financially successful, it needs to
be a hit everywhere – not just in the US. “As a result, you can’t tell such
specific stories in film – the most successful films these days seem to be the
ones with big characters and stories that a global audience understands. If
you’re a director with a specific vision or a particular story, you have to
look at series. The way people watch series is also different now – and we’re
all watching the same shows at the same time, across the planet. It’s like a
new version of film – a 10-hour movie – where actors and directors can tell
their stories in a longer format.” He said that there was no longer space to be
either a ‘TV actor’ or a ‘film actor’: “The best story wins and it’s a level
playing field.”
Both Zane and D.J. invited From Dusk Till Dawn fans from the
continent to reach out to them on social media. Tweet them on @DJCotrona and
@zaneholtz, and on instagram, @djcotrona and @zanerayholtz.
Will they follow back? Well...
