Actor bounces back from ‘lowest point’
Isidingo star‚ and son of veteran actor Jerry Mofokeng‚ Lerato Makhetha may be winning at life at the moment but was once so down‚ he felt like a failure to his young family.
Lerato‚ who plays the role of Ntando Sibeko on the popular soapie‚ is juggling a growing music and acting career‚ but said it had been a 15-year journey to try to break into the industry.
He said that for years he had starred in small productions‚ but would run out of money and be forced to return to corporate jobs. The actor said the lowest point came four years ago, when it felt like the end of the road.
“I was playing in a band but couldn’t break through. My wife‚ my daughter and I were evicted from our place. And in that moment, I am still going for auteenager ditions and getting rejected. In that moment‚ I am busy playing gigs but the money [I am earning] is not enough,” he said. “In that moment I am supposed to be a man‚ a husband and a provider and I felt like I was failing. That was my lowest point at the time. I struggled to look at myself in the mirror.”
Although proud of his son‚ Jerry didn’t encourage him to be an actor.
“I understood where he was coming from and I don’t hold it against him,” Makhetha said.
“He didn’t want me to be a jackof-all-trades and master of none. He wanted me to focus on music and not distract my dream by chasing acting.
I am glad because that pushed me even more toward my dream.