If you were in a sticky situation and needed someone to lend you R20....Could you call on Tanya van Graan? We found out!
ZAlebs: Could you lend us 20 bucks? We promise to refund you as soon as pay day is here?
Tanya: Sorry what?
ZAlebs: Could you please lend us 20 bucks…
Tanya: Errr…
ZAlebs: Well then, that was a great ice-breaker don’t you think? (Laughs)
Tanya: (Laughs) you guys are silly…I would’ve lent you 100 bucks!
ZAlebs: Oh, why thank you! Now let’s get down to business...Which were your favourite local music videos to appear on and why?
It would definitely be Prime Circles’ music video - As Long As I Am Here. I absolutely love Prime Circle. It was fun shooting that video because the director was also someone I’d studied with in film school, so the environment was quite artistic and I enjoyed that thoroughly.
Can you talk about some of the challenges in filming either a movie or series? Any behind the scenes anecdotes you can share with us?
I think that in our industry it’s hard enough to actually even get the job or the role, but once you’re in, it becomes such a relief because one of the greatest challenges is actually waiting for that call to let you know that you’ve got a role in a movie. Even when you still filming the movie you have so many expectations of how a scene should pan out but it ends up being the complete opposite of what you were hoping for, which kind of hinders your performance especially if it’s a mass production because there’s so many people and changes on set that it kind of distracts your focus on the task at hand. However, if you have a great passion for what you do, the challenges just become motivation to work harder and be the best in your craft.
In your opinion what is the most exciting and difficult part about being Tanya Van Graan?
(Giggles) The most exciting part of my life is definitely the part where I’m living my dream and using my God-given talents. It makes me have great faith in the direction my career is taking which is such a blessing, a lot of people would love to do what they love as a profession but never get the chance to do so. The difficult part is just the baggage that comes with being an artist, you know, things which you aren’t prepared to face but have to and at times it’s hard because it’s not necessarily who you are. The part about being a celebrity just comes with the job description and unfortunately in this industry you have to develop a thick skin fast.
You released an album in 2010 titled Nuwe Season. Could you tell us a bit about that?
You know, when I recorded Nuwe Season, it was kind of like an experimental project for myself. I studied musical theatre and singing is part of my artistry and obviously I did it in Afrikaans which is my home language. But after that I didn’t really pursue it further - like doing shows or anything like that because it was really just an experimental project. It was done very fast and yes, I did work with some other co-writers who wrote beautiful songs, and ja, it was definitely fun experience.
Winter’s around the corner what would you suggest are the 3 in items for ladies to wear during winter?
It really depends because if you look at fashion overseas in comparison to our winter fashion, it’s slightly different simply because our South African winter isn’t exactly as cold as a European or American winter. So we can’t always wear furry coats and hats because chances are during the day, it becomes a bit warm. For me this winter, it definitely is all about coats - different texture and colour coats. If it’s warm you can just take it off. Also, a warm pair of skinny jeans will definitely do for this season. I think one can be daring with colours. I don’t really follow a specific guideline for winter. Whatever I think looks cute for the day will do. Your personality plays a big role on how you want to dress up.