A startling climax to episode five sees the end of Mia and drives Traffic into even darker terrain. We chat to actress Trudy Van Rooy about her character.
Playing Mia marks 26-year-old Trudy’s TV debut. And what a debut it is. Few can boast having a major role in a critically good TV series alongside industry stars like Bonnie Mbluli.
The University of Cape Town graduate tells us more about what her days on set was like and what she’ll be up to next.
Did you have to do any preparation for this character?
For me it was about identifying what about Mia is similar to me. I did see a lot of myself in the character. So ja, it was about finding those similarities.
Mia lies to her parents, is she a problem child?
No, I don’t think she’s a problem child at all. She’s just curious and unfortunately she doesn’t come from the kind of home where that curiosity is allowed to be explored. Her father is very strict and controlling. And when you’re in this type of environment where you’re not allowed to do what you would like - you find your own way of doing it.
What is Mia’s relationship like with Jacques?
She wants to be close to Jacques because he’s Dini’s best friend. And Jacques is also just that chilled out kind of guy. She wants to uplift people, she works at the church. In Jacques she sees somebody who is troubled and she wants to help him and guide him as best she can.
What’s her relationship like with Dini?
With Dini its attraction. He’s a little bit older than her and he’s got that kind of masculinity and strength and that kind of swag about him. He’s different and that’s what’s appealing – he’s completely outside of the world that she knows.
What was the best part about being on the set of Traffic?
It’s my fourth year of being a professional actor and Traffic is my television debut. So I learned a lot on set, about how television set works. The crew is so funny, I loved the joking and banter in-between takes with the DOP (director of photography) and the lighting guys and the props guys.
Were there any fun, funny, or odd moments from set that stands out for you?
Well I had to do a few pole dancing lessons for Mia’s character along with my co-star Lauren Joseph. And the first day we shot our pole dancing scene, one of the actors (can’t remember his name now) just jumped on the pole and did a whole bunch of crazy moves that took us a month of training for. I was jealous!
So we see your character die in tonight’s episode, it’s a bit of a shock. Did you know from the beginning Mia is going to die?
After I got the role and the script I saw that Mia is killed.
Do you know who the killer is?
I know who the killer is, but I think everybody will be very surprised to find out who the killer is at the end of the day.
What’s next for you?
I just got a part in the new Oliver Hermanus movie Endless River and we’ll start shooting in April. I’m very excited about that!
Watch Traffic! every Wednesday at 9:35PM.
