Greg Kriek at the premiere of Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire.
- Cape Town-born actor Greg Kriek plays the role of Marcus in ‘Rebel Moon – Part 1: A Child of Fire’.
- On Wednesday, the film had its Hollywood premiere with the star-studded cast at the TCL Chinese Theatre.
- Director Zack Snyder specifically requested Kriek to deliver some of his lines in Afrikaans, including ‘voetsek’ (go away) and ‘gesiggie’ (face).
Cape Town-born actor and producer Greg Kriek was among the star-studded cast in attendance, at Wednesday night’s Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s Rebel Moon – Part 1: A Child of Fire at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre.
Directed by Zack Snyder, the sci-fi space adventure film is about a peaceful colony on the edge of a distant moon galaxy which feels threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force. The film stars Algerian actor Sofia Boutella, Benin-born Djimon Hounsou and British actor Charlie Hunnam.
Kriek, who was born in Cape Town, has over 100 film and TV credits over the past nine years and starred in the Emmy-winning The Serengeti Rules in addition to the four-time Emmy-nominated Die Hart 2: Die Harter series. He is also an official member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and a voting member of the Emmy Awards, scheduled for 15 January 2024 in Los Angeles.
Greg Kriek at the premiere of Rebel Moon.
Photo: Samuel Levin
“It’s a dream come true, getting to represent South Africa on one of the world’s biggest stages at the Rebel Moon LA premiere,” Kriek told News24.
“This is a whole new cinematic universe where South Africa is represented, and I can’t wait for you to see the movie.”
The 35-year-old actor plays the role of Marcus, a ruthless villain-soldier who is one of the main antagonists in the film.
“I’m part of the ‘otherworld’ – one of the ‘baddies’ – and I even speak Afrikaans in the movie. Zach (Snyder) had spent time previously in Cape Town directing commercials, so he has a major affinity for Cape Town and a special love for South Africa. He specifically asked me to speak Afrikaans, with words like ‘gesiggie’ (face) and ‘voetsek’ (go away), which really captured the essence of Marcus’ rough character.”
“We shot the film in 2022, and despite the shutdown during the actors’ strike in Hollywood, we really got so lucky as Rebel Moon has been one of the first films to come out of the strike era. Tonight, the stars have come out in full force, and it’s been so great seeing everyone again. We filmed all over California and different parts of the world – they built an entire village to scale, and everything was built from scratch with so many details influenced by cultures across the world.”
Rebel Moon has its Hollywood premiere at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre.
Photo: Samuel Levin
Janet du Plessis, the owner of Artistes Personal Management (APM) Agency Cape Town, remembered the young Kriek from almost a decade ago. “Greg’s first-ever job was as a reader for a South African casting director for the TV series Homeland in 2014,” she recalled. “He came into our agency with these funny pointed shoes and his charming floppy hairstyle – but there was something quite exceptional about him.”
She continued, “He started to get involved in the production side of the local film industry and ended up being one of the directors of (SABC’s) Top Billing. And now, he’s grown and blossomed into working with Scarlett Johansson and Anthony Hopkins.”
Local film producer Cobus van den Berg has been close with Kriek since the actor’s first audition in 2013 for the film Born to Win. “The lead character was supposed to be tall, dark, and handsome,” recalled van den Berg.
“And then a day later, Greg walked in to say ‘hi’ at the audition, and he was not tall, not dark – but he was handsome – and there was something about Greg that I just felt like, ‘this is our guy’, and he was willing to dye his hair, so he got the role, he carried that whole movie with excellence, and I am so proud of him.”
Djimon Hounsou plays General Titus and Greg plays Marcus in the film.
Photo: Samuel Levin
Kriek added, “For 2023 I had nine releases, and so far next year I think I’ve got about six releases lined up. I feel so blessed, mainly surviving through the (actor’s) strike and the pandemic. My big thing to anyone aspiring to be in the entertainment industry, is that you literally have to scratch and crawl.”
“But at the end of the day, I love the fact that there’s something powerful in this life when you have intention and work hard. And then trust the process that possibly one day, you might land up on Hollywood Boulevard on the big screen and watch your dreams come true.”
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Netflix’s Rebel Moon – Part 1: A Child of Fire is scheduled for a limited theatrical release, followed by streaming worldwide on 22 December.