No ordinary guy
I'm not a hero, I’m just an ordinary guy who gets to run out onto the field in front of 50 000 people over the weekend and play rugby, says Schalk Burger, when asked how he dealt with the constant hero-worship of fans when out in public.
Bolander caught up with Schalk, who lives in Wellington, at the Cape Town Stadium last Thursday, during the shooting of a Castle Lager advertisement involving team members from the three major sporting codes: Springboks, Proteas and Bafana Bafana.
The question was prompted by a number of extras clustering around him to take cell phone photographs and to chat to him, while the Springbok enjoyed his lunch. Schalk said it it was sometimes difficult to put a smile on one’s face, but that as a well-known sports person, he had a duty to always engage in a friendly manner.
On the question of associating sport with alcohol, Schalk said that while he respected that fact that there are those who do not consume alcohol, he enjoys a couple of beers or glasses of wine when out and about socially, and that he didn’t feel that it impacted on his performance when on the field.
Schalk and his father, Schalk Burger senior, own the wine farm Welbedacht, producing wine under the label Schalk Burger & Sons.
After lunch, the action moved to the fan walk and the entrance to the stadium, and Schalk and his colleagues displayed great forbearance despite repeated rehearsals and retakes of the scenes.
At one point AB de Villiers, who was participating in the shoot with Schalk, confronted the director and enquired “Why are you talking like that?”which thankfully defused the rising tension on set.
Commenting on the stresses of shooting such an advertisement, Schalk noted that it “comes with the territory” – and that although some of his colleagues are uncomfortable in front of the camera, it is something they do willingly for the overall benefit of the various sporting codes.
Unperturbed by the frequent rehearsals and retakes, and the delays in finding and setting up cameras and equipment, Schalk and AB engaged with the extras in the scene, keeping the tone light and humorous, as the afternoon wore on. Clearly, they’re not just “ordinary guys”.
Written by Carolyn Frost You are reading No ordinary guy articles
