Film News South Africa

Spud's “Mermaid” announced

East London-born Genna Blair has been selected to play the role of Debbie “The Mermaid” in the film version of John van de Ruit's Spud novel. Blair, a Grade 11 student, is an accomplished dancer and actress and an active participant in a variety of sports.

Blair has acted in plays throughout her school career and trained in ballet for six years before switching to modern dancing. In Grade 8, she qualified for a spot in the SA Rowing Championships and was selected as one of the country's youngest dancers to perform at Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches in 2009.

Miss Teenage Pageant

Despite her hectic academic, dancing, acting and sporting schedule, Blair has also found time to work as a photographic model and was a runner-up in the 2008 Dee M Fashion Promotions Miss Teenage Pageant.

Spud: The Movie producers Ross Garland and Brad Logan say that Genna stood out from the crowd of young actors who auditioned to play Mermaid. “Genna is a beautiful, multi-talented young lady who displayed a great understanding of the Mermaid character in her audition,” said Garland. Logan added: “She is the perfect actress for the role - her vitality and passion for acting really elevated her above the rest of the girls who auditioned and we're sure she's really going to blow everyone away.”

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