Pearl Thusi

headlines a star-studded cast

After wowing fans with her trans character in Generations: The Legacy, Chi Mhende summons her inner Jessica Pearson-meets-olivia Pope for her power-wielding role in the series Queen Sono, writes Debashine Thangevelo

ONE of the most hugely-anticipated releases on Netflix, Queen Sono has finally arrived.

This first fully-produced African Original series – with an all-african cast, nogal – has been making a lot of noise as it premiered on Friday with the red-carpet shindig taking place at Joburg Theatre, the night before.

Star-studded is no understatement when looking at the cast line-up of Pearl Thusi (Queen Sono), Vuyo Dabula (Shandu), Kate Liquorish (Ekaterina), Rob van Vuuren

(Viljoen), James Ngcobo (President Malunga), Abigail Kubeka (Mazet), Connie Chiume (Nana), Vaneshran Arumugam (Ulrich) and Sechaba Morojele (Dr Sid).

And Chi Mhende gets to be part of the action in her role as Miri, the second-in-command at SOG (Special operations group, intelligence agency). This world of secret agents is magnificently interwoven with politics.

Before the red carpet event, I got to enjoy a tête-à-tête with Mhende. She was on the brink of a time-out from acting, when she landed this part.

She played Wandile in the SABC1 daily soap, Generations: The Legacy.

She says, “I had been acting for some time. I had moved to Johannesburg four and a half years ago to work on Generations: The

Legacy. And I was in the process of moving on from Generations. I was not wanting to be an actor. I was moving into directing/ mentorship. I wanted to remove myself from performance for a little bit.

“I auditioned before I left for Cape Town for a little holiday. I was sitting on a beach in Yzerfontein. I switched off my phone for a little bit.”

Her agent was completely supportive of the decision.

While she was soaking up the sun and enjoying life on the beach, she received an email with the news – she bagged the part in Queen Sono.

She says, “I took it, I was very, very grateful that I did.

Reflecting on her first major TV role in Generations, she says, “I had never been exposed to anyone in the trans culture. I knew my Ls, my Gs and my Bs but I never met any of my Ts. I have been incredibly blessed to have amazing trans women in Cape Town and Johannesburg, teach me and help me with my research.”

It wasn’t an easy character to slip into, either.

She admits, “The first time, I had to perform strapped while I was menstruation. It was a lot.”

Thankfully, she had a great support structure there and with

too.

Her character is vastly different in the new show.

Mhende says, “For me, as a Zimbabwean woman, getting the opportunity to play this woman. I think I’ve always been able to work with very sexually-extroverted, powerful and exciting characters.

“There is a very strict tension about this woman. She’s very straight with her hair. I describe her costume as cling-wrapped. There’s something about her that feels like she is tieddown even though she’s supposed to be the head and the leader.

“I think that is going to be something exciting and realistic of what we see of our bosses and our women.

“Strong in the head and a mother. You may be leading worlds and countries but then you go home and you need to cry, you need to take care of your family and you need to be real.

“It’s almost as if the woman in the office is a complete façade because when you see her with her mother, even her voice changes…you almost can’t hear her when she is in the presence of her mother.”

On how she played such a multidimensional character, she offers, “By good conversations with the directors. Sitting with the script and having really spent some time trying to understand who this woman was.

“In the SOG space, she is a young character but people doubt her abilities, asking, ‘Why is it that she is the director-general. What is her experience, what is her background?’ She is an intelligent woman, people doubt her experience because she is young.”

Being the youngest person on the job is something Mhende experienced in real-life and so was able to deliver the right emotions, effortlessly,

Mhende has worked with Van Vuuren before.

She says, “I was happy to be working with someone I call my older brother in the industry, Rob van Vuuren… Then sitting with Sechaba, Pearl (Mama Black Panther), sitting with the laughter that Loyiso could give me and, all the while, feeling nervous and not wanting to let those people down.”

Mhende explored the full gamut of emotions behind the scenes, too.

There were times when her nerves threatened to get the better of her. When she felt she was going to faint from sheer exhaustion. When she was freezing but refused to let the cold interfere with her “swag”.

Mhende says she couldn’t have done it all if it wasn’t for the incredible support of the cast and crew. She counts her blessing for that and this role.

I took it, I was very, very grateful that I did. Chi Mhende