Roses among the thorns
Meet tempy pushas’ new leading ladies, who’re giving the guys a run for their money.
noxy (mmabatho montsho)
the model is newly returned from new york after being signed to a big agency at the age of 16. she’s ready to start up her own fashion empire, but playing with the industry’s big boys isn’t easy…
You’ve been on a long TV hiatus [she played Generations’ Lumka Dlomo in the mid2000s] – what’s it like being back? acting was my first tv job and it’s interesting reading the script as a performer, not a director. i’m still directing though. Why did you pick this for your comeback? i’ve always done one big acting project every year, whether it’s theatre or film or whatever. i signed on because i liked the people working on this show and the character that was put before me. What do you like about Noxy? her sharklike tendencies. she’s aggressive whether in the bedroom or the boardroom. brave women are interesting to play because of the tenderness that you find when you peel back their layers. And what’s the best part about being on set? the boys (sdumo mtshali, akhumzi jezile and pallance dladla) have real chemistry. there’s this deep honesty about how they’re still passionate.
gemini (thishiwe ziqubu)
life’s no fun when you’re waitressing at a strip club and have the morals of a nun. well, almost. meet x’s (pallance dladla) new best friend, aka the one girl he failed to get into bed.
how is Gemini different from the other characters you’ve played? drastically! she isn’t as excitable and is anti-everything that goes on at the strip club. she has solid standards and principles. while she doesn’t know x from a bar of soap, she still takes him under her wing like a little brother. So she’s able to resist ladies’ man x’s charms? they meet at a strip joint, but it doesn’t play out as he expected and she ends up being more of a friend than anything else. no hanky panky here! What’s it like working with Pallance again after you were in local film hard To Get in 2014? we had great chemistry then but tried not to replay that dynamic now. in the movie she was seducing him to get what she wants. this time, she plays against his seductions. And what will fans enjoy most about your character? i’m also curious to see how this production plays out. tv and cinema aren’t the same and this is my first tv gig (i’ll also be in rhythm city later in march). a change from the high-flying world of fashion, glamour and excess, this township girl’s got big dreams that start with some deep-fried dough and progress into something much bigger.
how do you relate to the “uncultured” KG? she’s not fancy. she’s quite simple, rocking her natural hair, whereas i’m more of a weave girl. i’m also from the township, but she went to school there. So where does a township girl fit into the lives of these ambitious “fancy” folk? do you remember neyo (precious makgaretsa) from season 1? she was dating ngulube (akhumzi jezile) and things didn’t work out. kg is neyo’s sister and ngulube tells her that she’s actually the one he wants. So she’s dating her sister’s ex? [laughs] at first she didn’t want to, but he was relentless and after she sees him supporting her dreams and that he’s really into her, she gives it a shot. besides, she’s more his type. What do you think KG adds? she’s more human, more real and toned down to everyone else. she’s trying to reach her goals without stepping on toes.