Anel Alexander on playing Marieke Meyer, the moral compass, in M-Net’s ’Inconceivable’

Anel Alexander is no stranger to the TV and film space.

The actress is also a producer with her hubby James Gracie. They own Scramble Productions and are currently working on “Semi-Soet 2”, a spinoff the box office hit with Nico Panagio and Diaan Lawrenson.

She hinted: “The original cast are all coming together again for an unforgettable family comedy, so watch this space.”

In M-Net’s new 13-part drama, “Inconceivable”, she returns to her first love – acting.

Cast as Marieka Meyer, she is at the heart of the story about two best friends since high school, who find their lives thrown into a tailspin when infertility and rivalry penetrate their close-knit circle.

Alexander added: “A group of best friends are faced with some really tough moral dilemmas when one of them commits an inconceivable act.”

“It’s very plot-driven, which I think is going to keep our viewers glued to their screens. It’s been a while since I’ve read a local script that kept me wanting for more at the end of every episode,” she continued.

Expanding on her character, without giving too much away, Alexander revealed: “Marieke is the moral compass of the series. She’s a wife, mother and a gynaecologist, and like most people, her strongest characteristic ends up being her weakest as well. She is very caring and loyal and it is this loyalty to her best friend, Rachel (Carine Rous), that ends up getting her into trouble.”

At the end of the day, she simply wants to “save everybody”.

Since Alexander and her hubby are based in LA, she flew into SA at the start of March to begin shooting. And then the Covid-19 lockdown happened several weeks later.

Shedding light on Marieka’s relationship with Rachel, which spirals out of control, Alexander explained: “Marieke and Rachel have a very deep, complicated friendship. It was forged as teenagers when Rachel’s mom unexpectedly passed away and Marieke kind of adopted Rachel as her little sister. Rachel, however, has a stronger personality, and always dominated the friendship. But Marieke was just glad to follow along and bask in some of ‘perfect’ Rachel’s glory.”

Unfortunately, this loyalty backfires on Marieke when Rachel puts her in an impossible situation. Amid dealing with this, the secret ends up spilling over into Marieke’s marriage.

The actress explained: “I think prior to the inciting incident, Marieke and Wesley (Wayne van Rooyen) had a very healthy relationship.

“They are both just two people who are trying to lead a good life, trying to ‘get it right’.

“They have their ups and downs and disagreements, but overall their kids and their relationship is what matters to them.

“They share everything and I think this is why the events that unfold have such a devastating effect on their relationship as it is the first time Marieke keeps a secret of this magnitude from her husband.”

On what viewers will take away from “Inconceivable”, Alexander shared: “I hope the storylines will make people think about all kinds of big life questions: the meaning of marriage, family, privilege and how an issue always has more than one side to it.

“I hope it will challenge audiences to always try and walk a mile in the other person’s shoe before you judge.”

As for being back on SA soil and working here, she admitted: “I loved being back on a South African set.

“My husband (actor James Gracie) and I have been living and working in LA for almost four years now and it was an absolute treat to do something local again.

“I still maintain SA crew are my favourite species on earth. Under normal circumstances, it is hard to do what we do, and let’s face it, nothing about the last few months have been normal.

“But the crew and cast on ‘Inconceivable’ banded together and I’m very proud to say: ’I’ve been a part of history’. ‘Inconceivable’ is arguably one of the first drama series in the world to have been filmed and completed during Covid-19.’”