From ‘uBettina Wethu’ to ‘DiChipi’, Jason Willemse is looking to gain a foothold in the streaming sector
I’ve followed Jason Willemse’s character since 2014 when he bagged his breakthrough soapie role in e.tv’s Scandal! He was cast as Cameron Jansen. His character was part of a new family introduced on the show.
Despite him latching onto other prominent roles since, he has remained as unassuming as he was when he started in the industry.
In the past two years or so, he’s become more active on social media platforms attending a plethora of red-carpet events.
And he’s clinched a few awards along the way for his “uBettina Wethu” role as Wendell.
He won Best Actor honours at this year’s National Film and Television Awards, Best Zikomo Rising Actor of the Year award at the Zikomo Africa Awards and Best Star Actor of the Year at the Shining Stars Africa Awards.
That’s not forgetting his nomination for Best Actor in a Drama at last year’s South Film and Television Awards (Saftas).
He also made an impression at the Varsity Film Expo in Zambia for “Journey Through The Karoo”, a groundbreaking experimental film paying homage to the hearing-impaired community. The short animated movie won Best Stop Motion.
At the time, he said: “My film highlights the power of creative storytelling to inspire inclusion, resilience and a deeper connection to the world around us.”
Interestingly, the project was also selected for the upcoming Joburg Film Festival.
A chuffed Willemse said: “I always wanted to pursue directing and animation was something that interested me.
“Watching Miss SA Mia (le Roux) being crowned and her being from Oudtshoorn, close to my hometown of Ladysmith, was when the idea for the ‘Journey Through The Karoo’ animated short film was born.
“I had no animation background, so I had to go on YouTube for help. I watched hours of tutorials on how to do animation. I am very excited about the opportunity to showcase my short film at the Joburg Film Festival.”
Before delving into his latest role as Mechanic Bae in the SABC1 comedy-drama, “DiChipi”, he unpacked his four-season journey with “uBettina Wethu”.
The latter series certainly marked a pivotal turning point in his career.
Willemse agreed: “It allowed me to play interesting characters and not to be typecast as a gangster, for example.
“Even in the latest show, even though my character has got tattoos, I am trying to break the stereotype that a coloured person can only play such roles.
“The writer said, let’s put tattoos on him because he likes it but let’s give him a proper job.
“With my ‘uBettina’ character, he has autism. I’ve only known of one such character in ‘The Good Doctor’. So that was the only reference I could get. I had to dig deeper.”
Aside from watching YouTube footage about people with autism, he was able to gain a better understanding of his character.
He added: “My biggest fear was offending someone with this role. Since the show, I’ve been complimented by many people for my portrayal. Some parents have praised me for representing a character not often portrayed on TV.
“It has also opened my eyes to everyone being different. The journey was quite good. The people that used to produce ‘Isidingo’ produced ‘uBettina’.
He added that slipping into the skin of Wendell made him come out of his shell and it also earned him the respect of his peers in the industry.
He recalled: “When I went to the Netflix Saftas brunch a few months back, a few well-known actors complimented me. Renate Stuurman said: ‘I think you are going to blow up now’.”
On “DiChipi”, he shared: “So I am still playing characters that are 24, 25 and 26. I’ve never worked with some of the people in the cast.
“The only person I knew was Keenan Angelo Arrison because he’s been in the industry for a while. I’ve only met him once. But when they were looking for somebody to play the father, I suggested him. Ever since then, we’ve been good friends.
“The highlight for me is that the show is mostly focused on women's empowerment. There are a lot of women in front of the camera and behind the scenes. That was quite interesting and I think it’s about time.
“They tried to do something like ‘MTV Shuga’ and ‘Soul Buddyz’. I’m just fortunate enough to be a part of the journey in a supporting role.”
While he is in talks for a presenter gig, which he wasn’t at liberty to talk about, he is eager to gain a foothold in the streaming industry.
Willemse, who is married to SABC3 programme manager Nischette Willemse with whom he shares two daughters, shared: “Now it’s time to try something new, I’m still aiming for my first Netflix project but all in good time.
“Also, with Amazon Prime Video. I need that one role still that will put me on the map for people to take notice but I’m glad I got respect from my peers.”
∎ “DiChipi” airs on SABC1 on Thursdays at 6.30pm.