Bennie Fourie and Mila Guy with their boy, Karoo. (Photo: Mizanne van Wyk/Maroela Media)
For almost a decade, the actors Mila Guy and Bennie Fourie were bosom friends. Yes, they admit, there have been times when the butterflies have started making bulbous makeups when they saw each other, but patience was ultimately the watchword.
Today, this chosen couple has not only been married for a few years, but also the parents of an adorable one-year-old boy, Karoo.
Mila comes to say hello in the street just outside their house in Bellville in the Western Cape. The family dog, Huxley, eagerly runs ahead.
“If he doesn’t greet you in the street, he will get hopelessly too excited,” says Mila as we walk into the house. The house is an outgrowth of the couple’s creativity in the entertainment world. And when you think of Mila and her presence in the entertainment industry, it makes sense that the house is so colorful yet tidy.
Mila walks to the kitchen and packs home-made sweet snacks in a plate. She makes coffee while Bennie and Karoo, just woken up after a nap, make themselves at home on the couch.
There is a feeling of tranquility, but above all love in this house. Karoo feeds Huxley the chips that his mother has so carefully put in a plate for him, deadpan.
(Photo: Mizanne van Wyk/Maroela Media)
Mila and Bennie only realized this when the third morsel disappeared from Huxley’s mouth. They laugh and admit: “They are best friends, it happens often.”
Karoo has just started walking and every now and then falls over his clumsy toddler feet.
The couple married in 2023 and moved into this very house later that same year. Much of the decor is a direct result of Mila’s personality and creativity.
“We are very lucky. We bought this house from people who spent about eight years redoing the house,” says Bennie.
The previous owners were also creative souls, and many of the spaces in the house already fit the Fourie couple like a glove.
“Mila arrived here and added her splashes of color and made it our own,” says Bennie.
Sometimes they look at each other and realize how lucky they are to have finally found each other this way. After years of friendship, they are still amazed to know that they are not only married, but also parents.
“We are best friends. We are now living our dream,” says Mila. “We liked each other here and there over the years, but it was never time.”
Benny adds that they had to grow and develop as individuals before they could become romantically involved. Mila agrees.
“When you’re in your twenties, you don’t always know yourself that well. You meet someone, but you don’t really look properly at your list of what you’re looking for in a relationship,” she says.
“When I did it for the first time, the first time I realized that I may have a list and what is on that list, Benny just started to make sense to me. He is the list.”
Today they are very happy, but Bennie confesses that they struggled a lot with each other in the seven preceding years of friendship. They were often stuck, but today they consider this period as a much-needed part of their story.
“There are no secrets. We know everything about each other,” says Bennie. “It was necessary to go through that period where we struggled with each other.”
In some ways they may be very similar, but in many others these two are as different as night and day. It’s an aspect of their relationship that works wonderfully, they say. Benny relaxes by being busy and working with his hands, and Mila relaxes by completely shutting down and clearing her head.
Benny laughs when he quotes a well-known English expression: “Opposites attract, you know.”
They jokingly joke about the fact that Karoo can only say one word: “Mamma.” While we talk, Karoo explores the living area and is occasionally called back by his parents.
“Are you not going to say anything then? Just ‘Mum’?” teases Bennie.
(Mizanne van Wyk/Maroela Media)
Although there was an adjustment period after Karoo’s birth, they thrive in the change. Benny still has many dreams for his career, but nothing brings more joy than going home and spending time with his wife and son.
“It feels like you kicked open a door you didn’t know existed. I got married at 34, and all I thought was: Thank you. Because I don’t think life should be all about you for so long. Now the purpose of life really makes sense to me,” says Bennie.
Mila says again that she had to adapt a lot as a mother, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
“For a mother, it’s a bit of a different adjustment. A father can go back to work; he has to keep doing what he’s doing, because he has to provide. A mother’s whole rhythm changes. She has to say goodbye to the old version of herself in a way. Priorities change, and there’s always someone who needs you.
“You go through a bit of a lonely season. You are alone at home with your baby – everyone else is working and doing their things, and you have to figure out what the new rhythm is. You have to systematically find yourself again. You no longer only think about yourself; you have to take care of someone else.
“It’s an adjustment, but it’s fun. It’s wonderful to experience the world through his eyes, read stories and experience things with him,” she says of little Karoo.
Mila is constantly honing her skills. She wasn’t exactly a keen home cook before Karoo’s arrival, but now she looks at the kitchen completely differently.
She now strives to be much more involved in the kitchen – something she is very proud of.
One of the most enjoyable parts of parenthood, they say, is the privilege of watching the other person grow and blossom in this new role.
“Mila is someone who focuses a lot on being fully present in the moment. This is something that was so beautiful to me before Karoo came, but now it’s even more beautiful. It’s only about the now. My head has always been on what comes next, and she just manages to be in the moment,” says Bennie.
For her part, Mila realized how valuable a good teammate is.
“I realized how well I got married. I have a partner who supports me. And this is especially important for you as a woman – your hormones are all over the show. I experienced a bit of anxiety and struggled with breastfeeding at the beginning.
“I know I can count on Bennie. He is present and he understands. You also just have to laugh together. On many of those late nights, Bennie woke up with me and sat with me. We laughed a lot,” she says.
Benny cannot imagine life any other way. He is an actor, writer and director – but above all father and husband.
“These two are my lifelong project.”