21 Questions with Lyle Jacobs

21 Questions for Lyle Jacobs

Young, talented Lyle Jacobs chats to us about his role in Backstage. Earlier this year he landed the part of a first year film student, CJ, when he won the “Backstage Superstars”. This was a talent competition that judged singing and dancing skills. He speaks about his work schedule and how he balances being a full-time student at the University of Pretoria (UP) and acting in the soap.

Lyle reveals that he is able to relate to the character he plays, a moral guy who gives advice, doesn’t drink or smoke, and who comes from a broken home. So far, CJ’s role has been somewhat minor, but we can expect to see more of him, as his storyline picks up.

First, some biographical details:

1. Where and when were you born?
Cape Town, October 23 1983

2. Which schools did you attend?
Primary school in Lands Down, Cape Town. I moved to Sun City in 1992 and stayed there for 4 years. I then moved to Pretoria and attended Willowridge high school. (He was the only coloured prefect!)

3. What have you been doing since you left school?
I joined Youth For Christ (YFC), a mission group based in the Eastern Cape and worked as a youth pastor. During this time I became involved in singing and dancing. I also coached soccer and athletics.

4. What are you studying currently?
A degree in Sports Science

5. What church do you attend?
Hatfield Christian Church in Hatfield, Pretoria

6. Would you call yourself religious?
No, not really. I’m actually quite liberal.

7. Did you watch Backstage before you auditioned?
I was an “occasional viewer” of the soap.

8. Have you always wanted to act?
My passion is actually music, and it was through my singing that I became involved with acting.

9. What type of music do you enjoy?
Craig David, Maroon 5, RNB and kwaito although I don’t understand what the words mean. As long as it’s good music I listen to it.

10. Do you plan to pursue an acting career?
At the moment I’d like to focus on my singing. I’m still working on finding a unique style, and then I still need to decide if I want to make music to sell. Right now, it [singing] is something I enjoy doing, and is not necessarily a ploy to make money.

11. When you aren’t studying/ shooting, what do you enjoy doing?
Chilling with friends, playing chess and adventure golf. I also play the piano and go for voice training at the Pretoria Technikon.

12. Who are your favourite actors?
Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington and Jude Law. Not forgetting Angelina Jolie.

13. What car do you drive?
A white Porsche…I mean an Opel Kadett

14. What’s your schedule like?
On days that I shoot, I have to wake up at 5am then drive the 65km it takes to get to Joburg. It takes a lot of discipline, plus learning lines also requires self-control.
I also attend lectures for my course at UP.

15. On the set, which cast members do you get along best with?
Different shifts and heavy hours don’t really give one a chance to socialise. But between takes, I sometimes play chess with some of the other cast members.

16. Love interest?

I’m single at the moment.

17. Have you done much travelling?
I have been all over South Africa.

18. What is your favourite local holiday destination?
Cape Town

19. What about travelling overseas?
Not yet but I plan to soon.

20. Where do you see yourself 5 yrs from now?
I prefer to think of it as what I’d like to accomplish in the next two years; I want to have completed my degree, so that I have something to fall back on, seeing as the entertainment industry can be quite fickle. After that, who knows, the sky’s the limit.

21. What do you think of Bruinou.com and the concept?
I haven’t been on the website yet but I plan to do so soon. It definitely did strike me that there needed to be some medium for showcasing Coloured people.

Thanks for the interview Lyle. From everybody @Bruinou.com…YOU GO BOY!!