SA actor is in seventh heaven

Actor Carl Beukes is in the middle of a purple patch, one more radiant than he could ever have hoped for.

The 38-year-old got married two months ago (enjoying a Zanzibar honeymoon), just after filming upcoming drone warfare thriller Eye in the Sky alongside award-winning actors Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul.

To top it off, the US supernatural drama, Dominion - in which he plays the archangel Gabriel, and which was shot entirely in Cape Town - was recently renewed for a second season Stateside.

The show premiered on M-Net Edge (DStv channel 102) this week, and filming in Cape Town (for season two) resumes next month.

Beukes said that his audition was initially for a "small role" that would escape most viewers as he was in costume all the time.

But when he nailed the monologue, his role was expanded.

Local actress Kim Engelbrecht also appears on the show, as Sergeant Noma Banks.

Dominion, which is based on the 2010 film Legion, is set 25 years after The Extinction War, when archangel Gabriel waged a war against mankind with an army of seraphs. It is a far cry from any other role Beukes has ever played. His biggest role on local television was as Paul McPherson on the long-running SABC3 soapie, Isidingo.

Beukes also told The Times about working with Sienna Miller on HBO's The Girl, which was also shot in Cape Town, and with Helen Mirren on Eye in the Sky, which is directed by South African director Gavin Hood ( X-Men Origins: Wolverine , Tsotsi ).

He said: "I was stuck in a room with her [Mirren]. She knows her stuff, and she doesn't pretend to be nice if she really doesn't want to be. She was amazing to watch. It was an awesome experience."

But it was Miller who made him weak at the knees.

He said: "My wife knows I have a soft spot for her. I had a little crush on her before the production, and a huge one afterwards. She was so chilled and lovely. She's more beautiful than any picture of her. We really got on too. We still chat on Facebook, but not as much as before. It's not like she came to my wedding," he said.

Dominion is on Mondays at 8pm on M-Net Edge (DStv channel 102).