Move over Kim K, I've met The Flash star Kim Engelbrecht

A lot of fuss had been made of actress Kim Engelbrecht scoring a role on hit US TV series The Flash, so I was filled with a mixture of anxiety and excitement as I drove to meet her at a swanky office in Johannesburg in October.

It was a feeling you can hardly shake, a sense of privilege but also a sense of pride that "one of our own" was making it big overseas, made only stronger by the fact many of us had come know her quite well from watching her play the role of Lolly on SABC 3 soapie Isidingo.

"Hi! It's nice to meet you," she greets me, with a smile. We sit down and I immediately feel more comfortable. Does she have an idea that she is perhaps the most talked about actress in the country at the moment and South Africa's hope for our next big "entertainment export"?

"It was amazing working with actors like Grant Gustin (who plays The Flash) and Neil Sandilands, who is also a South African. I am coming into a show that is the biggest on its network and is already on its fourth season. It has a huge fan base and that comes with a huge amount of pressure. I understand that it is a big show. That it is a big deal (for South Africa) and I just really want to do well," she said.

If she's nervous from the pressure she doesn't show it, instead "she moves the conversation to how the likes of Trevor Noah, Fana Mokoena, Pearl Thusi and Charlize Theron had paved the way for international success before.

"You have all these people who are doing amazing things and people are becoming more used to the fact that we can do the job. All those people open doors for me. They open doors for all of us. You don't realise how they pave the way for you," she said.

Her only anxiety is how people will receive her character.

"I don't know how I will be received. I hope that they like my character, but I will just take it as it comes. I am excited to head back and watch the show's debut," she said.

Kim has acted on several international productions, including UK series Mad Dogs and American apocalyptic supernatural series Dominion, before landing the role as a highly intelligent engineer called 'The Mechanic' on The Flash. However, she is more than comfortable to reveal she had auditioned for several international roles before only to be turned down.

"I have been looking for international roles for the last year. I have been constantly auditioning and sent, like, a million tapes. I went overseas to meet directors. So I have been working. You realise that some roles are not made for you and you move to the next thing. It is not about international recognition. I just want to have fun with my roles. Personally, I just want to act ," she said.