DeWet Du Toit’s childhood dream wasn’t to become a firefighter or an astronaut, he had a much bigger vision for himself — he wanted to be Hollywood’s next Tarzan on the big screen.
DeWet and his twin brother, Rudolf, have nurtured and worked tirelessly on that dream for the past 12 years, producing short videos for his YouTube channel with his 207,000 subscribers.
It racked up an incredible 50 million views with its very entertaining low budget Tarzan shorts, and he does all of this in hopes that Hollywood will notice him and make him the next Tarzan.
Considered a superhero in its own right, Tarzan has taken a back seat in recent years in favor of other superhero films such as AquamanThor, X-men, Venom, Ant-Man and the legion of other Marvel superhero movies.
The last Tarzan the film was released in 2016, but according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures picked up the screen rights to the classic hero and reportedly plans to reimagine the Edgar Rice Buroughs character for the 21stst century.
Could this mean DeWet’s dream will finally come true?
The citizen sat down with the actor and his “sidekick” and twin brother, Rudolf, to talk about their recently launched five-part series Tarzan van George which aired on kykNET on Sunday, February 26, and their dream of heading to Hollywood and producing their new short film, Tarzan never dies.
Watch the interview with the Tarzan of Africa below:
Tarzan van George
Produced by famed radio and TV presenter, Rian van Heerden, the five-part series traces Tarzan’s story through the years. Viewers also meet DeWet’s family who explain their fascination with the character. We follow DeWet and Rudolph to Los Angeles where he visits Hollywood Boulevard in his Tarzan costume.
Photo: Lisa Skinner
Fascinated by Tarzan since childhood
DeWet says he was around 6 or 7 years old when he started reading the Tarzan comics, but he didn’t really get much involved with the character until his early twenties when he started reading the books.
“At the time, I read an article online that said Hollywood was going to do a new Tarzan movie and they are looking for an unknown actor to play the role. That’s when I decided to really get into it, because I’m an unknown actor, so I really started getting into character and I started doing shorts and doing photo shoots to see how far I could really go.
Rudolf became involved with Tarzan at the same time, and the two brothers worked together to make their short films. Rudolf didn’t just direct the camera, sometimes he was also involved in some of the scenes in the films they made.
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Get into character
We’ve all come to know Tarzan like a black-haired Adonis with chiseled abs and sculpted arms and legs and with the real African Tarzan, DeWet is no different.
The actor says he still loves his KFC and is less strict about his diet during the “off seasons”.
“Normally, when I get closer to a shoot, let’s say about three months before starting a short film or Tarzan project, I’m on a much stricter diet — high protein, less carbs and KFCs, and I’m going to the gym five days a week,” DeWet says.
Rudolf says they’re both very active, outdoor people, so gaining weight isn’t really a concern for them.
Photo: Lisa Skinner
A day in the life of Tarzan
As an actor, DeWet doesn’t have a 9-to-5 job and usually starts his day at the gym, which he says anchors him for the day. When the brothers are done pumping iron, they collaborate their ideas and work on some scripts – both for Tarzan projects and other projects.
Once the work is done, the brothers go hiking in the Outeniqua Mountains.
For DeWet, there isn’t just one big accomplishment that stands out. He says every day is an accomplishment for them because they have come so far.
“It’s a long process to get where you want to be and every time you embark on a new project, it opens new doors for you. The project with kykNET is definitely one of our biggest accomplishments, because we went to America, which opened a lot of doors for us.
Future plans
Short film by DeWet and Rudolf Tarzan never dies will be released soon after their series of five episodes, Tarzan van George ends on kykNET. Without giving anything away, DeWet says there are also some exciting projects in the works following their visit to Los Angeles.
The brothers plan to permanently move to Los Angeles to pursue their acting careers. “Los Angeles is the mecca of cinema and now is the time for us to take the plunge as well.”
Still looking for Jane
DeWet and Rudolf are still single, looking for their Jane. When asked what qualities he looks for in a woman, DeWet jokes that she must be able to ride an elephant.
“In real life though,” DeWet says his perfect Jane is an outdoors person who loves nature, has a lot of self-respect, likes to roam freely, and isn’t tied to routine and rules. “, says DeWet.
Tarzan van George begins Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m. on kykNET (DStv channel 144) and will be available on Catch Up.