There’s a moment during the shoot when Prince Grootboom goes quiet. It’s not the kind of silence that feels empty. It’s focused. Intentional. His body is still, but his eyes are doing all the work. You can almost see the switch happen. One second, he’s relaxed, laughing between takes. The next, he’s locked in, present in a way that feels closer to performance than posing.
It makes sense when you sit down with him.
Because this is the version of Prince Grootboom that audiences are now meeting through 180. Not just the polished, charming presence many first saw on screen, but something heavier. More internal. More deliberate. And according to him, it didn’t happen by accident.
The Evolution Happens in the Details
“When you look at your journey so far, how have you evolved as an actor?” I ask. Grootboom doesn’t hesitate. “It’s more about paying attention to what’s going on,” he says. “Really just opening myself up to the character. Immersing myself in the script and the character itself.”
It sounds simple. It isn’t. Earlier in his career, he admits, the work was more technical. Lines. Marks. Execution. What was missing was feeling.
Now, everything has shifted: “I pay more attention to the details. What the story is. What the character is. What the director wants. What the day is looking like. The feel of the scene and the movie.” That word comes up often. Feel. It’s what separates performance from presence. And it’s what’s quietly defining this phase of his career.
A Conscious Shift in Direction
Grootboom is clear about one thing. The evolution is not accidental. It’s a decision. “For the past couple of years I’ve played mostly the same roles,” he says. “Now it’s more of trying to show people a different side of me.” He pauses, then adds with a smile, “I’ve always been the lover boy.” It’s said lightly, but the shift away from that space is deliberate.
“Now I’m trying to choose more of the action side. So people can see that I do have range.”
That word again. Range. Not in the loud, performative sense. But something deeper. Controlled. Internal. The kind of emotion that doesn’t need dialogue to be understood. It’s also why he believes he’s stepping into something new. “Of course,” he says when asked if this feels like a new phase. “God has opened so many doors that I’ve dreamt about. I didn’t think it would come this early, but it’s happening.”
Why 180 Came at the Right Time
Timing matters in any career. For Grootboom, 180 arrived at exactly the moment he was ready to change direction. “Every season of my life I want to do something different,” he explains. “Something must change.” At the time, he had already made a decision. “I said to myself, I want to be an action star. I want to be a movie star.” Then the opportunity showed up. “The role came in, the audition process, the chemistry. The people involved. Everything made me feel like this is the right path.”
It wasn’t just about the genre. It was about what the role demanded from him. “This movie is going to lead me to the place that I want to get to.”
Tapping Into Something Deeper
If previous roles required charm, this one demanded something else entirely. “I think it’s the deep emotion inside of me,” he says. “I never thought I would let go like that.” There’s a level of honesty in the way he describes it. “I’m always guarded. But this time I had to dig deeper.” Preparation became non-negotiable.
“I couldn’t sleep without being prepared. I couldn’t wake up and say I’ll figure it out on set. I had to leave the house ready, get to set ready and just lock in.” That level of commitment came with a cost. “It challenged me because I had to leave everything out there.”
Becoming Something New On Screen
One of the biggest shifts for Grootboom in Netflix’s 180 is the role itself. For the first time, he plays a father. “I’ve never played a father figure before,” he says. “So it had to be beautiful. Light in some moments. Powerful in others. Emotional when it needed to be.”
There was one scene in particular that stayed with him. “It’s when he sees his son through the car window. When I read it, it felt powerful.” That moment, he says, reminded him why he does this. “This is why we entertain. To bring real emotions and moments to life.”
Training for Performance, Not Aesthetics
For a Men’s Health cover, the physical side of the role matters. But Grootboom’s approach might surprise you. In previous projects, his training was more intense. “I spent most of the time in the gym because I was topless,” he says. This time, the approach changed. “I wanted to bulk up a little. I wanted to look like a father. Not like a six pack symbol.”
Instead of long sessions, he scaled it back.“From two hours twice a day to half an hour once a day.” The goal was not aesthetic perfection. It was authenticity.
Movement Comes Naturally
One advantage Grootboom has is his background. “I’m a dancer,” he says. “So tapping into choreography was easy.” That foundation made action sequences feel natural.“I enjoy stunt scenes and action scenes because I know that’s who I am. I’m used to using my body.” Even so, the work still required focus.
“You have to be in the moment. Once you lose it, you can hurt yourself.” It’s here that discipline and instinct meet. “Even if my body is in a bad position, my mind tells me to fix it. That awareness is important.”The most physically demanding moment on set did not come from a stunt. It came from time.
“We shot a fight scene from midnight to 4 am,” he says. Cold weather. Repeated takes. Constant resets.“It was back to back. Camera changes, close-ups, wide shots. It was draining.” This is the side of acting that rarely gets discussed. The endurance. The repetition. The discipline required to deliver the same intensity again and again.
Discipline Beyond the Gym
For Grootboom, discipline is not just physical. “It’s in reading the script. Trusting your choices,” he says. It’s also about focus. “You need to take away everything that is noise. Anything that leads you away from what you’re trying to do.” That mindset becomes essential when a role demands emotional depth.
Some performances are easier to leave behind. This was not one of them. “The hardest part was getting out of the character,” he admits. Even after the director called ‘cut’, he was still inside it. “I’d be locked in a box. Not hearing anything. That’s how Zak [his character in 180] is. Once he makes a decision, that’s it.” It meant that switching off required intention. “You need to step away. Be around people who make you happy. That helps you ease out of it.”
Redefining Strength
For Grootboom, strength is no longer just physical. “It means everything,” he says. “We live in a world where everything is coming at you. Career, family, life.” So how does he stay grounded? “Eat well. Gym. Do what makes you feel like a human being.” Then he adds something that feels central to everything he’s said. “Always remind yourself that you’re still a person. Not just an actor.”
Expanding the Range
Breaking out of familiar roles is not always easy, especially in a smaller industry. “In South Africa, once they see you as something, they keep you there,” he says. So he made a decision.
“I didn’t want to stay there. I wanted to show a different side.” Interestingly, he has also been intentional about how he presents himself off-screen. “With previous characters, I carried them into how I posted, how I dressed. I kept them alive even after the show.” But with this role, it’s different. “This one is hardcore. I can’t live like that all the time.”
Acting Through the Eyes
One of the biggest technical shifts in his performance is subtle. “I discovered something with my eyes,” he says. It’s a technique he studied from international actors. “You don’t need to move your mouth. You can say everything with your eyes.” That restraint gives his performance a different kind of power. One that invites the audience to lean in rather than be told what to feel.
Leading a Film Changes Everything
Being the lead comes with pressure. “It’s very stressful,” he admits. Even now, he has not watched the film. “I’m nervous,” he says, laughing. “I want people to experience it first.” Still, the response has been hard to ignore. “I saw it was trending. The numbers were crazy.” For him, the goal was simple.
“I left everything on set. I didn’t want to over-talk it. Just let the work speak.”
So what comes next? “I want to do more international work,” he says. “I believe I have the range.” It’s not said with arrogance. It’s said with clarity. “My focus now is becoming an international movie star.” And he means it. Despite the shift into action, he is not limiting himself. “I want to try comedy,” he says. “That would be fun.” It’s a reminder that evolution is ongoing. Not fixed.
Beyond the film, Grootboom is aware of the world in which his work exists. Speaking about real-life incidents that mirror the film’s themes, he reflects on something deeper. “We come from a past where a lot of people are traumatised,” he says. “Especially men.” His solution is not simple, but it is honest. “We need to learn to be human again. We need to ground ourselves.” It’s a perspective that adds weight to his performance. Because the anger and emotion on screen are not abstract. They are rooted in reality.
What He Wants You to Feel
At the end of it all, Grootboom is not chasing a specific reaction. “I just want honesty,” he says. Honesty in the performance. In the preparation. In the story. “I hope people felt what I wanted them to feel.” There’s a moment, after the interview wraps, where he resets. The intensity drops.
The focus softens. But if you’ve been paying attention, you realise something. The shift is real. Not just in the roles he’s choosing. But in how he approaches the work. The discipline. The awareness. The intention. Prince Grootboom is not just stepping into a new phase. He’s building it.
Photography: Garreth Barclay
Styling: Onesimo Bam
Grooming: Anelisa Jiyane
Location: Glow Photo & Film Hire
