Showmax has just unveiled the trailer for "Mince Jou Hare"

This Mother’s Day, comedian Shimmy Isaacs is stepping up her gift game by giving her mother, Frieda, something truly special: her very own Showmax Original series!

Showmax has just unveiled the trailer for "Mince Jou Hare," a heartwarming sitcom set to premiere on May 20, 2024. The show follows Frieda as she embarks on a new adventure, leaving her factory job behind to open a hair salon in her home in the fictional town of Hex Valley, Western Cape.

Watch the trailer:

Melissa de Vries takes on the lead role of Frieda, with comedian Dugald Pieterse playing her husband Vincent, and Bianca Flanders portraying her best friend Julia. Franka Kirby makes her mark as Frieda's daughter Jody in a breakthrough performance.

The ensemble cast boasts a lineup of talented actors including Keenan Arrison, Lee-Ann van Rooi, Euodia Samson, and Gershwin Mias, with Emile Smit rounding out the cast as Frieda's lovestruck neighbor.

Directed by David Isaacs and featuring a theme song by YouTube sensation Early B, "Mince Jou Hare" promises to be a delightful addition to Showmax's offerings. Produced by multi-award-winner Roberta Durrant through Penguin Films, known for their stellar track record in producing acclaimed South African content, the series is set to captivate audiences with its charm and humor.

In an interview with Caryn Welby-Solomon, Shimmy Isaacs shared her excitement about the series and what it means to her family:

What inspired you to create, write and produce Mince Jou Hare?

My mother’s story is very much a part of my story and it felt like an important one to tell. 

Worcester was a factory town and my mother was a factory worker. When she quit her job at the factory and she said that she was done working for someone else, this was a significant event in my life. 

She did everything that she set out to do. I was a child, so this was the first time I saw someone make a promise to themselves and then do it. It inspired me, that I could also dream big, and could achieve what I promised myself that I would. My mother represents faith to me.

So I wanted to introduce others to the inspiration that my mother, Frieda, is, and to the lively world of small towns like Worcester. 

Why did you set Mince Jou Hare in Hex Valley?

Hex Valley is inspired by Worcester, where I grew up, so it will always have a special place in my heart. 

But this is about highlighting characters and people that are often overlooked, who don’t sound like what we are used to. I always say that coloured people are not monolithic people; they don’t just come from Cape Town and the Cape Flats. They even speak Afrikaans differently in Worcester.

I also thought it was important to celebrate the small-town values of towns like Worcester, where it is still customary to stand up for the elderly, and help aunties cross the road, for example. We need to go back to the spaces that value respect and kindness.

What importance did hair have in the story that you are telling?

I don't think it's something that I particularly fixated on. My mother's an actual hairdresser, but I must say that growing up, I only ever saw three hairstyles. This story is ultimately about a woman who wants to just succeed in life and is willing to do whatever she has to do to make that happen. 

For a story that is so close to your heart, how did you go about casting the roles?

Melissa [De Vries], who plays Frieda, has been with the project since day one, since I filmed the original pilot five years ago. I originally wrote the script with another actor in mind but they were unavailable. But then Melissa walked into the audition, and she took the character in a whole new direction, and I embraced that. I learned to be open to her interpretation of the character. And since then we’ve all grown and Melissa and I have ended up working together on other TV shows and I learned to know her a lot better. It’s good to know my actors if I intend to write for them, so that I can imbue the characters with the characteristics of the actor.

Another actor that I’ve worked with is Gershwin [Mias], who plays the character of Oompie. I was specifically able to write for him because my mind was made up that he was the perfect actor for the part, even before Showmax said yes. And then when we started playing around with his wardrobe – which was inspired by Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – he truly transformed into the character.

The only actor I hadn’t worked with before is Bianca Flanders, who plays Julia. She’s brand new on my radar. I originally wrote the character of Julia to play myself, as I did in the original pilot. But when I saw Bianca’s tape, I prayed about it and asked God to give me objectiveness, and let me see the art. And this allowed me to see that Bianca was right for the role, because she was not like any of the actors we saw and it showed the diversity of people in Worcester. Bianca shows the more English side of the people from Worcester. I love how she brings such gentleness to the character of Julia. But there is also this element of sadness because she is unlucky in love. You just want her to find happiness and love.

What do you want audiences to take away from watching Mince Jou Hare?

I want them to learn that it is okay to be themselves first and foremost. But I always say, ‘Be yourself with goals.’ 

Look at Vincent, Frieda’s husband. He's that content guy. And then you look at his wife. Yin and yang. You need balance in life. You need the one that's okay and that says we're enough and then you need the other one that says it's okay, we can work harder, so we can have more holidays.

What I want people to take away from Mince Jou Hare is they can do both. They can work hard and have a good time. And know that they're enough, no matter what that is.

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