Natasha Sutherland on new role

IN THIS week’s A-typical interview we feature South African actress and author Natasha Sutherland.

She’s best known for her roles n the television serials Honeytown, Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, and Scandal, where she plays the role of Layla McKenzie.

Sutherland, 50, began her career in the early 1990s as presenter of children’s show Kideo.

She then joined the cast of the soapie, Egoli, launching her acting career. This led to other shows such as The Wild.

She most recently featured in hit M-Net drama series Lioness, where she played the role of Megan Hugo.

Off camera, Sutherland worked as editor of Finesse Magazine. She also writes books and does public speaking.

You can star alongside any actor in a Hollywood blockbuster. Who do you choose to star alongside and why?

Actors I can learn and grow from please. Viola Davis is pure power. Meryl Streep’s choices for characterisation is intriguing. Judi Dench radiates no matter what. Sandra Oh is … Oh!!!. James McAvoy’s versatility on screen and on stage is magnetic. And Colin Firth and Idris Elba for a “yum” factor (not to mention the talent) BUT having mentioned these names I must say that our country’s actors have all that and then some!

Your biggest regret in life …?

The regret of spending precious time worried about regrets.

The meal that most reminds you of your childhood …?

My granddad’s crumpets (he was a keen baker). My dad’s bouillabaisse (a rich seafood soup). And Chinese food. When I was little my folks used to take me to the Sai Woo in JHB and there were all these beautiful pictures on the wall with Chinese lettering and my mom – a brilliant storyteller (and obvious fibber), pretended she could read the writing and she’d tell us the stories whilst we ate.

Your favourite role as an actress to date is...?

I cannot mention just one but will attempt to narrow down (LOL) playing the part of Helen in The Market Theatre’s Meet me at Dawn. My character was irreverent, funny, frustrating, and full of life so imagine her surprise when she realised she was in actual fact dead?! Playing Megan Hugo in Lioness has been a beautiful challenge because Meg is an intensely unlikeable (some may say hated … okay… most would say hated) character – I’ve had an interesting time exploring her unlikability and finding how her obsessive need for control and curating this perfect façade means there’s a brittleness about her which causes her to unravel in a spectacular fashion.

Playing “Shirley Valentine” is another role I’ve fallen in love with my character since Shirley’s delightful and courageous in spite of the loneliness of her life.

The most adventurous thing you have done in your life …?

As a “youngling” I left my comfort zone in Durban and travelled to Joburg in the hopes of being an actress, but I had no “work in the bag” promised at all. I still don’t know if it was fuelled by curiosity or just plain ignorance … but maybe it was a healthy mixture of both? Being a single parent to two boys is also an adventure that I’m blessed to still be backpacking through …

What song sums up your entire life...?

You’ve got the love – Florence + the

Machine, and Here comes the sun – The Beatles.

NATASHA Sutherland