Hildegardt Whites after gut-wrenching scene in Skemergrond: ‘My heart breaks for Lily’

For months, viewers wondered what secret Lily Louw (Hildegardt Whites) was hiding from everyone – until Wednesday night, when she accidentally bared all in an emotional scene with Erica Pienaar (Shimmy Isaacs) in kykNET&kie’s telenovela Skemergrond.

Lily left Everlasting Farm at the age of 16 without saying a word, and for all these years, her family and friends wondered why she had disappeared.

When Lily returned to Gemoedsdrif after 17 years with her daughter, Amber (Talia Davis), it became clear she was hiding a big secret.

Amber quickly became friends with Erica’s son, Louis (William Adams), but from the get-go, Lily was unhappy about it and forbade Amber from talking to Louis, warning that they would leave South Africa again if she did.

Amber found it difficult to keep this promise without any explanation. After catching the two teenagers together, Lily rushed to Erica’s house in an emotional state and demanded that Louis stay away from Amber.

Erica couldn’t understand why Lily was so furious, and then the bombshell dropped: Erica’s father, Abel, is Amber’s biological father. Abel raped Lily at the age of 16.

“I was very nervous shooting this scene because I knew it was the one moment where Lily had to speak her truth. It was emotional. It was rough. I will never forget it – my whole body was shaking. As an actor, I enjoyed it, but it’s a difficult story to tell, and I think when Lily feels, she feels deeply. I don’t think she ever allowed anyone to talk about her past. Her mouth just opened, and the truth spilled out. I’m getting chills again, thinking about it!” says Hildegardt.

According to Hildegardt, the atmosphere on set was different during the filming of this scene.

“I can only remember the floor being dead silent. When they said they were happy with the scene, it just hung in the air. Nobody spoke – it was intense.”

Hildegardt was shocked when she read the script for the first time.

“My first reaction as an actress was: ‘Wow, hectic!’ But what a great acting opportunity. And as a person, my heart broke for Lily. As I went through the lines, I could see and feel Lily’s pain.”

She hopes that viewers will now have more understanding for Lily.

“She has her flaws, but once you hear her story, it explains why she is the way she is. Imagine, she was just a 16-year-old girl when she left the farm. She carried that rapist’s child and had to raise the baby while seeing his face every day. It’s heartbreaking. I’m getting teary again because the story touched me so deeply. But despite everything, she loves her child unconditionally and had to embrace life.”

Skemergrond airs every Monday to Thursday at 19:30 on kykNET&kie (DStv channel 145). It’s also available on DStv Stream and Catch Up.