Lydia Mokgokoloshi has become like the grandmother you never met but know well. The 82-year-old has spent more than four decades showing off her acting skills and credits her longevity to her lifestyle.
She started her acting career in the early 1980s, taking a coin flip chance by going to the Ngwanaka O Kae auditions in Johannesburg. She says she was not sure she would succeed but it was worth the risk.
She bagged the Mmago Rateka role on the show, and this was the beginning of her career as an entertainer and almost the end for her as a teacher.
“I didn’t want to tell my parents that I was going to audition because nobody believed in acting back then and our community didn’t think it was for black people.
“However, I knew that I loved it and it kept calling me every time I tried to tell myself that I should pursue a different career.
“I used to write drama for my learners and for children at church, and everyone would compliment me,” said Mokgokoloshi.
The thespian says she most enjoyed playing Hunadi, famously known as Mmago Nkwesheng on Bophelo Ke Semphekgo, a Pedi-focused drama series set in Soweto.
She played alongside Patrick Shai, Nakedi Ribane and Podu Mamabolo.
She says acting back in the day was slightly different because they were in it for the love of the craft and the excitement they would feel whenever they were in studio, instead of just providing certificates and claiming to know how to act.
“Acting was not about money back then. Now people just go to acting schools without the love but the eagerness to be famous and have a lot of money.
“If this is the mindset that our future actors have then most of them won’t last for long on our TV screens.
“Like any industry, acting demands love and appreciation,” she said.
Mokgokoloshi says she was a bit worried when she joined SABC1’s youth drama show Skeem Saam, as the storyline was focused on young people.
However, she was pleased to find the cast enjoyed what they did and felt excited to have veteran actresses like herself in studio.
She says they would be star-struck and ask for advice or just sit with her to learn about her journey into acting for motivation.
“Advice is always asked from those who have walked the path and this is the exact mindset we need in this industry.
“This is not just a qualification industry, you need to give your body and soul to play a character.
“I hope aspiring actors have marked a veteran they would have as a mentor,” she said.
Mokgokoloshi bagged the lifetime achievement award from the South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) in 2017 – and is aiming to bag more awards while still enjoying her time on set.
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