Not everyone is warm and welcoming to new faces entering the entertainment industry, according to seasoned South African actress Zikhona Sodlaka.
Sodlaka, who recently joined Gqeberha: The Empire, a Mzansi Magic telenovela that has gripped the soul of the nation, was speaking in an interview with kwaNtu-BPM podcast this week.
“In my 18 years of being in this industry, I always have to remind myself to be welcoming and patient with the new actors, that is my mantra, said the award-winning actress.
“The role that I play on Gqeberha: The Empire made me find myself in that position, [working with] everyone who was making their debut on the show. I am welcoming to my colleagues.”
The veteran actress, who made her television debut when she appeared in a drama series called Tsha-Tsha, shared that she studied information technology in Johannesburg because she was not aware at the time that she would go on to become an actress.
“My late sister pushed me into it [entertainment industry]. We then did a research on magazines because there was no Google then, and because I was tall and skinny [at the time], I got signed up as a model,” she said.
“The people who were managing me said that I was in the wrong department of the industry, so they led me to acting, and as they say, the rest is history.”
Sodlaka also opened up about her departure from The Wife, commissioned by Showmax, saying she left the popular show to join the cast of Gqeberha: The Empire.
“Besides that, [based] on the book that Dudu Busani-Dube wrote, the role of Mandisa died in the first season. So, I knew that the character was going to die eventually.
“They kept [the character] for a longer period because the viewers had fallen in love with the role I was portraying.
“There is no role that is better than the other, as an actor every role you play becomes your baby,” explained the widely admired actress.
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