Playing a schoolboy six years his junior was not a difficult task for Summertide actor Jan Combrink who was mentored by one of East London’s most famous sons, Frank Rautenbach, during the shoot.
As the 17-year-old Tristan, Combrink, 23, had to wear a school uniform and be scolded by Rautenbach, who played his father Martin Field in the 52-episode drama series which has become a staple Sunday evening pastime in many South African households.
Combrink, who grew up in Cape Town where he attended Jan van Riebeeck High School and film acting academy ACT, jokes that it was not a stretch for him to act younger than he is.
“It’s funny because I might be six years older than Tristan but I am extremely childish.
“Me walking around set annoying cast and crew was definitely a way to keep the inner teenager with me throughout production.
“I looked at videos of a 16-year-old me and I can say with confidence that nothing has changed.”
Scenes between Combrink and Rautenbach portray a credible father and son relationship — from good-natured ribbing to heartfelt hugs and blistering arguments — and Combrink says this authenticity was achieved behind the scenes.
“It was such a pleasure working with Frank and such a blessing to get to know him as a person.
“He wants the set to be a space of collaboration and love. You realise that quickly when you work with him.
“He brought his guitar to set. He would catch a wave or two when he had a break.
“He brought everything of himself to this set.
“We would sit before our scenes and discuss how we wanted to play them — making changes or adding beats.
“We laughed together, we had heartfelt conversations, we would be silly.
“A full wheel of discovery between us as people made our on-screen characters a lot more connected.
“Tristan and Martin get in a few altercations that are nasty but it is what gives them an even stronger bond.
“As Frank put it: ‘You want your characters to be fighting for each other’.
“I learnt how to navigate the acting world so much better through him and I definitely looked up to him as a mentor.
“I look forward to working with him again.”
His relationship with Martin Field — his Summertide father — and his real dad mirror each other.
“My off-screen father is extremely supportive of my career and whatever pursuits I do to improve myself.
“Martin is similar in that way because he always pushes Tristan to follow his ambition with filmmaking and encourages him to follow his footsteps in conservation.”
Combrink, who is the son of an advocate father and a heritage practitioner mother, says his parents inspired him to be creative and become an artist.
“They showed me pop culture films when I was very young.
“They also raised me in a way that allowed me to pursue whatever I wanted to do. Not everyone has that luxury.”
The acting bug bit early and like most actors, he got a taste of the craft on a school stage before getting cast in the acclaimed 2019 film Moffie about conscription to the SADF during the apartheid era.
“I did a few school plays in high school. My grade 11 production got fourth place in the ATKV Tienertoneel competition.
“Even though I had that experience, I never knew I would pursue acting until I landed a role in Moffie.
“A cast member on set suggested I study acting for film for a year or two.”
Combrink, who is also a model, almost missed the opportunity to appear in the M-Net series which was filmed in Kalk Bay, Simon’s Town, Kommetjie and surrounds.
It was his girlfriend of five years who urged him to audition.
“She is my second voice when I have doubts and is the reason I landed a role in Summertide, actually.
“I almost declined doing the audition because I was meant to go overseas for modelling, but she pushed me and said I should just give it a shot.
“To think that I would’ve missed out on this wonderful experience! She’s worked in the service industry for a while and also works as a model.
“I have been a model for four years. I have mostly done work for brands from overseas but I’ve done a few shoots for Mr Price.
“It’s not my first career choice, but I definitely want to focus on it a bit more. Walking runway isn’t as easy as it looks.”
The fickle nature of both industries meant landing a year’s gig on Summertide was a relief and respite from irregular pay cheques.
“Job security for a year is rare in the industry. So when I saw the contract for Summertide it felt a bit unreal.
“I hit a dry spell in 2022, which was the year after I graduated. I had to bartend throughout the winter.
“The service industry takes a lot out of you and it completely took away my passion for acting for a little while.
“It shows that sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward again.
“It was great being Tristan for this long because as we went on, I could witness his journey and his change throughout the series. Not many get to experience that.”
Filming in a beautiful part of his hometown did not hurt either.
“I loved shooting all over the Cape Peninsula.
“I was sort of a tourist myself in those areas because I’ve never truly explored the harbours, the beaches and the shops there.
“Each place has its own cultural significance and it is amazing to see them represented on screen.
“From the surfers in Kommetjie and Muizenberg to the fisherman communities of Kalk Bay and the navy life of Simon’s Town.
“People were friendly and accommodating wherever we went.”
Now that Summertide has wrapped up — though it will be broadcast until January 2025 — Combrink is missing his cast mates, particularly his pal Matthew Vey, who played Wesley du Plessis in the series.
“I cannot believe a year of shooting has flown by so quickly.
“We’ve said our goodbyes but we know we will see each other soon.
“I’ve known Matthew Vey since we shot Moffie together, so I’ve become really close with him and have spent the most time with him after hours.
“I can’t wait to see the cast again. They are great people.”
Public attention comes as part and parcel of appearing on the small screen weekly, but Combrink’s fans are not the ones you would expect.
“The funny thing is it’s mainly older viewers that recognise me because the younger generation have mostly moved over to streaming.
“I’ve been approached by many older fans and they have all been sweet.
“They are very complimentary and are usually surprised when I don’t have an accent.”
Combrink plans to model abroad for the next few months and then see what roles come his way.
If there are any cowboy roles going, he would be especially keen.
“Modelling is a fantastic opportunity to travel and work. I am aiming to find an acting agent wherever I go so that I can open another door.
“I would like to be challenged by every role and I want to be a chameleon actor and transform into something different every time.
“I am aiming to broaden my skill set too and get better at martial arts, horse-riding, weapons training and maybe stunts.
“I would only leave South Africa if there was a massive opportunity to work abroad.
“For now, I’m just putting my foot in the door here.
“I would also love to play a cowboy if there are any production houses seeing this …”
• Summertide is on M-Net at 6pm on Sundays and is also on DStv Catchup.
