Clementine Mosimane talks about her lead role on the new film Poppie Nongena, and her longevity in entertainment

Bringing the Poppie story to life wasn’t easy. Fictional stories are a bit easier to portray than a true story of someone who lived. We all know the history of our country, which made it a bittersweet experience.

I agreed to play Poppie because I loved her story of strength and resilience. For years, I’ve wanted to play her and it finally happened. I believe that all women are Poppies in their own stories, where they fight their own battles in their own ways. There are women fighting domestic violence, while others are fighting for a place in the workplace.

Funny thing is, I didn’t have to learn to speak Afrikaans for the role because my grandmother is an Afrikaans-speaking woman born and raised in Cape Town. My mother also spoke Afrikaans, so I grew up speaking the language with my ouma. I feel that this role was really meant for me.

I had to shake off the character when filming came to an end or else,

I would have been miserable. You must separate the role and who you are. What has always helped me before playing any role is to pray. I ask God for guidance to be able to portray the role honestly and not lose myself.

I feel honoured to be able to play such a pivotal role so late in my career.

Not many people have such opportunities in this industry. God is the giver of talent and He’s my only secret to having staying power in the industry. All I do is ask Him for favour and His blessings. I honestly don’t know how I’ve done this for this long and still love it, but I say it’s Him.

What I can tell a person who’s just entering the industry is: be humble and respect your work and co-actors. Irrespective of the challenges we have with production companies and the industry at large, it’s all about respect and how you fight your battles.

I’d love to play Winnie Mandela. There are so many more roles I’d love to play, but I don’t know if they’ll ever be written.