Veteran actor Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha has thrown shade at casting directors who are hiring “models” and influencers based on their social media following for soapies.
Mofokeng wa Makhetha said this at the weekend at the South African Film Awards (SAFTAs) while giving an acceptance speech.
The Scandal! actor was accepting an award after the telenovela won a gong for the most popular television soap or telenovela.
“Producers, directors, cast, actors… not models, achieving huge reactions from the audience. Because we want to act and we respect our craft. It’s not about the number of followers you have but the craft that you bring to the set. And those of us who are actors bafethu nothing lasts like discipline and professionalism,” he said.
Mofokeng wa Makhetha further took to social media to expand his thoughts penning down this post: “You get on set ready to rehearse. The influencer arrives 2 hours late and it’s no issue.
“They saunter into the dressing room and then the makeup artists have to work around the phone that is glued to their hand. They finally get on set and the director has to be careful not to cross them. The producers and the channel must always be happy.”
He further wrote: “The scene is blocked and you feature prominently when they are not in a close-up. Then the cherry on the cake is when you are told to tone down your acting because you are not number 1 on the call sheet. You dare not upstage or upset the ‘Lead’. This is not an exaggeration. Acting is like playing a tennis game. It’s a give-and-take. The more you give to your fellow actors, the more they give you – the more you challenge each other. Then the magic happens. It’s painful to play against a wall.”
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