The Intern
Layla’s taken Dintle under her wing but Dintle wants to fly before she can even crawl.
Layla’s (Natasha Sutherland) determination to help her son Quinton’s (Brighton Ngoma) babymama Dintle (Mapaseka Koetle) make something of herself has delighted Scandal! fans, who’ve been gleefully watching them drive each other nuts. “Mapaseka is a natural comedian and the subtle digs she gives Layla are difficult for me, as Natasha, not to laugh at. I have to keep a very professional attitude when I’m with her. She slips a ‘gogo’ in there when she can,” laughs Natasha. “I think that Layla is learning to accept it.” But an internship that started out somewhat rooted in Layla’s snobbery has grown into something more. “There’s a genuine belief that this young woman, who’s had to fight her whole life to get stuff, actually has the street smarts and the suss to be an entrepreneur,” says Natasha. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have the power to help someone take a gift they’ve been given and do something that makes them feel proud of themselves?”
SHORT CUT SUCCESS
While Dintle’s dreams of making it big with no education or skills are unrealistic, they’re not unfounded. Her new “chommie” Yvonne (Kgomotso Christopher) is proof of that. So what’s holding Dintle back? “Layla thinks that it’s habit with Dintle. She has hustled by taking shortcuts. Layla thinks that if Dintle sees that someone believes in her, that might do a Cinderella-like turnaround.” Perhaps Dintle’s resistance every time Layla or Quinton mention studying is a clue that right now, Dintle has no faith in how smart she really is.
DOING A DINTLE
On Wednesday 16 August, Layla promises Dintle that she’ll invest in Dintle’s fashion skills if Dintle can bring her a solid business plan. “She’s expecting to see that what Dintle is studying is helping her gain entrepreneurial skills,” says Natasha. About that business course… where there’s a Dintle, there’s a DIY. Will Layla be duped again? “The wonderful thing about the storyline is that every time Dintle cuts corners, Quinton is shocked and cynical and Layla just says, ‘Well, that actually shows quite a lot in terms of entrepreneurial savvy’,” laughs Natasha. “Every time Dintle comes up with a Dintle way of doing things, she says, ‘There’s potential in that, but take that and do it this way’.”