Cover Story – Sindi Dlathu On Playing The Most-Loved Villain
Actress SINDI DLATHU sat down with her colleague BONGA PERCY VILAKAZI, also the creative producer of 1Magic’s The River, for a candid conversation on life, privacy and spirituality
Many are called, but few are chosen. And in the entertainment industry, where uncertainty and fickleness are the order of the day, even fewer stand the chance of having long and illustrious careers — especially if you are now in what are perceived to be the golden years. Many inevitable variables come into play. Perhaps broadcasters want their commissioned productions to have a much younger cast in order to appeal to a wider, younger audience, or it could just be the stark reality and undeniable impact of social media on television.
BETTER WITH TIME
But for Sindi Dlathu, things seem to have gotten better and better as she got older. She’s having the time of her life, she enthuses! At age 45, not even she could have imagined that the choices she made more than two decades ago would bring her here. For the past year, Sindi has been playing what is possibly the evilest woman on television since the days of Generations’ Ntsiki Lukhele, Isidingo’s Cherel DeVilliers, and Rhythm City’s Naomi Fischer. Lindiwe Dlamini-Dikana is arguably the most exciting character that viewers have seen Sindi portray, and she’s loving every moment of it. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that in person, Sindi is one of the sweetest people you’ll ever come across. She’s the people’s celeb – the type to respond to every person that greets her, and poses with those who ask for photos. Or selfies. However, she’s certainly not to be mistaken for a pushover.
The truth is, as pleasant and pleasurable as Sindi is, she’s not the easiest person to interview. She knows this, and therefore avoids media requests like the plague. But when you eventually sit down with her, it’s usually fun times. She can crack you up with a joke that’ll leave you with a tummy ache, and immediately switch off the moment you ask about her private life. Having interviewed her a number of times in the more than 10 years that I’ve known her, and now as a colleague of hers at The River, I know better than anyone that Sindi guards her private life like a precious diamond — in the same way that she’s protective of everything else that’s precious to her, including her work, family and friends.
THE SINDI DIET
We start off the interview with Sindi ordering three glasses of freshly-squeezed juice, a lifestyle choice that’s become second nature for her. She suggests that I try one, between the carrot-pineapple-ginger juice, and the uninviting green one made out of celery, spinach, ginger and many other names I’ve never heard of. “I’ve been juicing for the past five years, and I have recipes for every juice you can think of. I’ll share them with you, if you want,” she offers. I nod, suspiciously. Perhaps that’s how she’s maintained her youthful looks. What’s clear is that she doesn’t go to the gym. Her schedule at The River is far too rigorous for her to even entertain that idea. She’s at work from 05:30, and often leaves just as the sun sets. “The very thought of going to the gym makes me tired! I danced a lot when we did Sarafina, and was active for many years thereafter. Before the show was on the road, we rehearsed for a year, and that kind of training teaches you discipline,” she recalls. Having performed the world over at a very young age, very few things faze Sindi. “We used to go clubbing with the older cast members after performances, and we were exposed to many things. I’ve had plenty of time to live life to the fullest and not rob myself of anything,” she says.
Although she cooks at home, it’s not something that she’s entirely crazy about. “I love salads and green food – basically, I don’t like making food that keeps me in the kitchen for too long,” she says. The actress is also a self-confessed addict to Woolworths’ Caramel Swiss Gateau cake, as some of her colleagues have witnessed. “I ate a lot of that last year, both at home and at work, and ended picking up more weight than I’d bargained for,” she admits, smiling. “Look at me,” she says, showing me “meaty” parts that are only visible to her. I look on, startled. She also comes clean about her struggle with cutting ties with Inkomazi. “Don’t judge me,” she pleads. “I cook umphokoqo, and always make sure that it burns a little until it’s brownish underneath, then pour loads of Inkomazi, and add a bit of fresh cream. My husband and I can have that over and over again, until there’s no Inkomazi left in the fridge.” She’s lucky, because most people would never be able to get away with that high calorie intake. Most health-conscious actors would probably avoid it at all costs.
THROWING IT BACK
Being an actor was never part of the plan for Sindi. In fact, growing up, her dream was to become a teacher; so much so that she’d always rush home after school to speak to bricks, which in her head, were her students. But like many children, she enjoyed singing and performing, doing what many (and even she) thought was a passing phase. “I grew up at my grandmother’s house in Meadowlands with a lot of family members — including my cousins, sisters and aunts. We had so much fun, and everyone was musical. My uncle would play the guitar, then someone on the one side of the house would start a song, and the rest of the house would join in. Before you knew it, the entire house would erupt in song! I didn’t know it then, but that was probably how I learnt to co-exist with a lot of people around me. That foundation was later solidified when I got to do theatre, where collaboration is very important. But most importantly, the seed of being an artist was planted there and then, by my family. I didn’t know it then,” she explains.
Although hard work played a big role in her career, Sindi is quick to mention that her journey and the spaces she found
I’ve had plenty of time to live life to the fullest and not rob myself of anything.
herself in were also a result of meeting the right people. “God always sent the right people my way who always saw something in me that I sometimes didn’t know I had,” she shares. These include Mbongeni Ngema who cast her on Sarafina, which toured the world; actor and director Vusi Dibakwane, who was instrumental in getting her on Khululeka; and most famously Duma Ka Ndlovu, who got her an audition on Muvhango, where she was affectionately known as Thandaza — a role she played for 20 years.
A NEW DAWN
Friday, 6 October 2017, was just another ordinary day in South Africa. Everything seemed normal until news broke that Sindi Dlathu was leaving Muvhango after 20 years. In the beginning, details of where she was off to next were kept under wraps, which left everyone wondering what the cause of her departure was. It later emerged that Sindi was going to play the lead on 1Magic’s new telenovela, The River, headed up by two young gentlemen that Sindi had worked with previously, Phathutshedzo Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon. Wasn’t she scared to leave a comfort zone that had been home for the longest time, to join two young men who had never produced a show before? Granted, she knew who they were, but this was a big deal. She was leaving behind what was probably the biggest source of job security that one can get as an actress in South Africa.
“The honest truth is that I’d been ready to spread my wings for the longest time, and felt I needed to do more in my life. I’d been on Muvhango, and was appreciative of the opportunities that the show had afforded me,” she says. When the writing duo approached her, Sindi was ready to jump. “I’d been praying for seven years, and this was the answer I’d been looking for.” Wasn’t she petrified? “How could I not be? I kept on asking myself these questions: Would I be okay? Will they like me? What if I’m making a mistake? I got home, spoke to my husband, prayed and asked God to literally come down and hold my hand. I was scared of making the wrong move. I guess the fear of the unknown also kicked in. A day later, I was sitting alone at home, when I heard a voice saying ‘Oh ye of little faith.’ I immediately knew that
I’d been ready to spread my wings for the longest time, and felt I needed to do more with my life.
God was assuring me that I’d be okay. I was assured that He hadn’t brought me this far to forsake me. I decided to trust Him, and off I went to be on The River,” she recalls.
And as it turned out, her new bosses were on the money! Having head-written shows like Uzalo, The Queen, Rockville and Igazi, they had crafted the perfect role for Sindi. “I loved the show from the moment I read the script. The character was interesting, not just because she’s evil and different from what I had done, but because there was also a human side to her. Lindiwe loves her family, and would cross whatever ocean put before her, to save them,” she says. But what a diabolical character! From trying to murder her husband, to orchestrating a marriage for her gay son, the homophobic mother quickly became the villain that everyone loved to hate. Sharing the screen with seasoned actors like Hlomla Dandala, Thoko Ntshinga and Ferry Jele, alongside newcomers like Lunga Mofokeng and Zenokuhle Maseko, Sindi is amazed by how the show took everyone by storm and quickly became a firm favourite. “So many elements make the show work. Firstly, it’s the scripts. We have excellent writers who always challenge us to give more than what we did before, by writing out-of-this-world storylines. And then it’s the dedication from the entire cast and crew – everyone gives their absolute all to make this the best show ever. You can’t help but be inspired when you see them working,” she says.
Be that as it may, Sindi surprisingly acknowledges that it took a while for her to settle into the character. “I’ve never met anyone like Lindiwe, so that on its own was a huge challenge. I had to find out who she is, and make sense of her in my head. I put in a lot of work by studying people and how they react to certain situations. I base a lot of who Lindiwe is on the many politicians I’ve watched on television. The other big problem is that I’m my own worst critic, am hardly pleased with my work, and always feeling like I could’ve done better. So I had to constantly push myself as hard as I could. I don’t know how it feels to kill a person, or to treat people the way that Lindiwe does. Getting to that point of contentment is constant work,” she shares. Recently, her character on
The River attempted suicide by shooting herself, an incident that had the viewers up in arms. Fears that it was already the end of the road for Sindi’s character did the rounds on social media. Sindi, on the other hand, is fascinated by the renewed attention on her work.
OFF-SCREEN
For someone who considers herself “plain and boring”, this is all in a day’s work. But what does she do when she’s not killing people on-screen and burying them alive? “My life is so simple. When you come to my house, you’re most likely to find me sleeping or watching reality shows,” she shares. One of her favourite programmes, much to my surprise, is the Real Housewives of Atlanta. She goes out only when necessary, and her favourite outing is going to the spa. Trying to get Sindi to go to social events is somewhat of a nightmare for The River’s PR department because she simply doesn’t enjoy it. “The effort of having to find an outfit, dress up and go to an event is too tedious for me. I’d rather use that time to spend with my family. Or even better, I could use that time to do something worthwhile for the community that I grew up in, or help take care of the needy,” she explains.
Sindi also makes it a priority to spend as much time as possible with loved ones, which mostly includes her sisters, mom and her husband, whom she steadfastly refuses to talk about in detail. “I feel that being on TV already robs me from having total privacy. The onus is on me to protect other aspects of my life, like details around my family. My husband is very private, and has no interest in being known and being in the TV industry, and I have to respect that. I’m the one in showbiz, not him,” she says. Somewhere along the conversation, she admits that he’s an avid fan of The River, often horrified by the things that his wife does under the guise of Lindiwe. And having been with him since she was 21 years old, one can only celebrate the bond that they have created, and respect the boundaries that Sindi has set, as well as the sacredness she wishes to maintain.
At work, when not rehearsing her lines, Sindi is either sleeping, resting or interacting with her fellow cast members — and there’s often lots of laughter and singing. That’s the kind of environment that Sindi prefers. “I’ve always been a peaceful person that avoids confrontation at all costs. I’m the eldest at home, and have two sisters. That means that should I ever disagree with their choices, I must give them the space to figure things out on their own, while making them aware that they have my support whenever they need it,” she says. Sindi marvels when she talks about her sisters, Nqobile and Zanele, whom she says are her biggest cheerleaders.
As far as the television industry is concerned, Sindi is very optimistic about the new developments. “The fact that we have young executive producers who are ready and talented enough to tell their own stories, means that the future is in good hands. Let the industry open up, but those coming in should be ready to put in the work,” she cautions before continuing, “When I look back at my life and everything that has happened from the time I was a child, I see God’s hand and how He’s led and guided me. I’m very excited about the future and what it holds,” she enthuses. Included in that future is Sindi exploring more in the arts, an industry that she loves and has served for decades. Just as we wrap up the conversation and wait for the bill, Sindi plays me a song that she says has been on her mind the entire morning — Patti LaBelle’s I Never Stopped Loving You. Could this be her love letter to herself ? Maybe to her career? She sings the song word for word, ad-libbing in all the right places, even going as far as singing the background vocals. And for the next five minutes, Sindi is lost in the moment, carried by the beauty of the melody, and singing like she’s all alone on stage, the same way she did at 14, when it all began for her.