Thuso lands role on new ‘MTV Shuga’
THE successful edutainment show MTV Shuga returns to our screens in March. Subtitled Down South, the series is shot in South Africa for the first time and it boasts a great cast that includes Clint Brink, Kwesta, Phila Madlingozi and Thuso Mbedu among others. Tonight caught up with Mbedu, who could not hide her excitement at being on the show. “I went for the auditions and I got through the first round. Then I messed up on the second round. I wasn’t confident that I would get it. I was still shooting Saints and Sinners when I was called back and so I was running around, back and forth. I was actually shocked when I was told that I had got the role. I had told my agent that it was fine, we had to let the show go because I was not sure about my performance,” she confessed. With that said, she felt the part was destined to come her way and so obviously her CV and other factors helped her get the role. “I always say you are as good as your last performance, but in this case it did not apply in the audition room. I think it is also what you are doing beyond that. We work with directors who do their homework, so I would like to think it is my work on iSthunzi that might have spoken on my behalf. Also, I know that my first audition went well so maybe that helped,” she said. The babyfaced actress may be in her mid-20s but she is usually cast in much younger roles. Did Shuga have her act her age? “No, I am actually younger this time. I am the youngest that I have ever been. My character is in Grade 11 so she is 17,” she giggled. “This show is going into 720 million homes and that, for me, is a big deal. This character is a good girl and she reminds me of Bonnie from Saints and Sinners. The pressure is on me to create a whole new character so that people won’t feel that this is Bonnie again, only in another setting,” she said. Monde Twala the Vice President, of BET, Youth & Music, Viacom International Media Networks Africa, said: “We are already talking about a second season (of Mtv Shuga: Down South). The production started in November. The show starts on March 8. “Shuga is driven by the move to inspire. It is not just a drama… it is about what goes on in the daily lives of young people. Teenage pregnancy is a big theme and obviously HIV/Aids continues to be a topic. “It will be interesting to see how people react to it being shot in South Africa. We have brought in actors from several parts of the continent as part of our panAfrican vision,” he added.