I Fell In Love And Married The Boy Next Door!

Actress and entrepreneur Hayley Owen, 32, sits down with Julia Bain to talk about acting, feeling star-struck, and the secret to her happy marriage.

- Julia Bain

Hayley Owen is best known for her role as the feisty game ranger Angie on the M-Net soap opera the Wild, but she’s also had roles on a number of other locally-loved soapies like Isidingo, high Rollers and Generations: the Legacy. Hayley grew up in Joburg and, In 2007, she graduated with an honours in dramatic arts from the University of Witwatersrand. In 2009, she set her sights on London, where she joined a community theatre company doing educational theatre, playback theatre. While living in London, she cut her teeth on tv by being a late-night presenter on the sky Gambling channel. Hayley’s skills aren’t limited to tv, either: she’s presented and produced the charity radio feature called One Wingz of change on hot 91.9 FM, and she’s also hosted her own radio show, called the Hayley O show, on online radio station, Ballz Visual Radio. In 2012, Hayley started her own business called Actorvate, to help connect brands and PR companies with the right celebrities, performers and influencers. She’s used her educational theatre background to talk to learners about digital literacy, peer pressure and bullying. She lives in Bryanston with her husband Shaun Watters, 35, and their spaniel, Percy.

Growing up, my sister and I would put on plays every Sunday and charge our parents 50c to watch.

My gran, who was an amateur actress in Durban, had so many costumes from her acting days and we’d dress up in them for our performances. My love of acting definitely comes from my gran, but having a sister with a dramatic flair certainly encouraged it too.

I can’t remember deciding to study drama at university; it was just a natural progression.