Young actress’ Netflix success
Her role in the new Netflix series Blood & Water is a dream come true for actress Amamkele Qamata
NOT too long ago she was a regular student, studying theatre and performance at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and dreaming of a life in the spotlight.
Now that spotlight has been beamed onto her – and Amamkele Qamata is on her way to becoming a household name.
The 21-year-old stars in the Netflix show Blood & Water, which has been making major waves around the world. The teen mystery drama debuted on the streaming service on 20 May and three days later was No 1 in several countries, including South Africa, France, Jamaica and Kenya.
It also nailed the big one: the US, making it the first SA show to reach the top slot in the States. “This show has it all – drama, mystery, rich-kid debauchery,” Esquire magazine says. “If you’re a fan of [US series] The OC, you can’t go wrong here.”
A dose of controversy has also helped Blood & Water stay in the news: it became a hot trending topic after viewers remarked on the similarities of the storyline to the real-life drama involving Zephany Nurse and her family.
In Blood & Water, 16-year-old Puleng Khumalo (played by Qamata) goes on the hunt to find out what happened to her older sister, Fikile (Khosi Ngema), who was abducted from hospital soon after birth – just as Zephany was.
Like the Nurses, the Khumalos marked each of the missing Fikile’s birthdays with a cake until she’s found at the age of 17 – just as Zephany was.
Zephany – or Miché Solomon, the name given to her by the woman who abducted her – and her biological father, Morné Nurse, say they weren’t consulted by the producers and weren’t aware of the show until it hit the small screen.
But Gambit, the makers of the show, issued a statement denying the series was based on the Zephany story. Blood & Water is “a dramatised and heightened fictional story that revolves around Puleng’s quest to discover the truth” against the backdrop of Cape Town, the statement says.
As far as Amamkele is concerned, however, the controversy is just a sideshow. Blood & Water is clearly giving viewers what they want: gripping television drama. And she’s the right person to play the part of determined Puleng.
“We pretty much knew we wanted Ama from the first audition,” says one of the show’s directors, Nosipho Dumisa, who also made the 2018 movie Nommer 37 (“Number 37”). “She has a great handle on her talent but is also willing to work hard at pushing the boundaries of her performance. We asked a lot of her and she nailed it.”
‘Now I want to study something that’ll help me in terms of my skills in this industry’
AMA, who grew up in Cala in the Eastern Cape, was just a little girl when the acting bug bit. “I’ve always known I wanted to be an actress,” she says. “When I was young I liked attention, imitating people and
being watched by my parents.” And after she received a standing ovation as Snow White in a school play, the stage was set for her future. “When I applied at UCT, I only applied for drama,” Ama says. “You know how you have two choices, your first and second option? Both my options were drama. I wanted them to see this girl really wants to get in.” Which is why she was so disappointed when she had to drop out in her second year. When she landed the role in Blood & Water there was no way she could be a full-time student and meet her commitments to the show. The series isn’t Ama’s first taste of fame: her big break came when she was chosen to play Buhle in the hit show Gomora on Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161), which started airing on 30 March. She made such an impression that Kutlwano Ditsele, Blood & Water’s casting director, gave her a call to see if she wanted to audition for the Netflix series. But Kutlwano, who’s also an executive producer on Gomora, was concerned about Ama’s ability to juggle her studies and two shows. “He asked how I’d manage if I got the role [in Blood & Water] and I said, ‘Let me just go for the audition and I’ll decide if and when I make it’,” she says. She did make it – and then faced the tough decision of what to do about varsity. Ama turned to the one person whose opinion she values the most: her mom, Philiswa, a businesswoman who’s also had to take risks to invest in her dreams.
“She was like, ‘Mntanami [“my child”], this is what you want to do. When you’re given the opportunity to do exactly what you’re studying for, go for it’.”
And so she did.
SHE knew she had to strike while the iron was hot, and build on her newfound fame as snotty Buhle on Gomora, Ama says. Plus Blood & Water came with a big dangling carrot: it would beam her into the homes of viewers across the world.
Though they’re both in high school, her two characters are polar opposites: Buhle is one of the most popular students at the fictional Gomora Secondary School, whereas Puleng is reserved and slightly awkward.
“It was really easy to play Puleng, easier than to play Buhle,” Ama says. “I kind of relate to her more. She’s reserved but she’s driven. When she wants something, she goes for it.”
Before the audition she told her close friends about the part and “they were like, ‘This is you. I don’t know why you’re even nervous. This is Ama, they want Ama’.”
The star intends to return to university “but not to study drama”, she declares. “With acting I’m getting a lot of experience with Gomora and Blood & Water.
“So now I want to study something that’ll help me in terms of my skills in this industry. Something like marketing, which will help build me as a brand.”
When she isn’t filming, Ama loves spending time with her family. Before lockdown she travelled a lot between Johannesburg, where Gomora is filmed, and Cape Town for Blood & Water, so she enjoyed catching up on sleep and hanging with her loved ones when lockdown started.
The easing of restrictions has meant more episodes of Gomora can now be filmed and Ama is thrilled to be back on set. “Everyone has to wear masks except when we’re filming our scenes, and we have a medic on set who checks our temperature before we step into the studio.
“We’ve had to adjust a lot of things, but it’s also been fun because the Gomora crew are just so lovely and we’re all so excited to be back on air again.”
Is she dating anyone? “No,” Ama says. She has far more important things to do right now, such as building her career and becoming a role model.
“I’ve received so many messages from young people saying, ‘I heard your story and I believe I can also do it now because you’ve shown it’s possible,” she says.
“That, for me, is the best part about all of this.”