TV actor Angela Sithole knew from primary school that she was born for acting.
Those who went to Athlone Girls High School with her in Observatory near Eastgate, Johannesburg, saw the signs because she was just too forward and dramatic. And she also enjoyed imitating everyone at school, including her teachers.
When she appeared in TV commercials and landed her first role in Binnelanders, it did not come as a surprise to those who followed her passion for acting at school.
Her mother, who had noticed her talent at a young age, encouraged her to fulfill her dream. Eight years on, the 28-year-old is enjoying acting more than before. She has been able to explore soapies, dramas and films.
Her new role in Imbewu as Zandi, a man-eater and gold digger, who wants to live a soft life without lifting a finger, has shown that she has grown up. The actor has been trending in the past weeks because of interesting storyline that involves attaining wealth through magic.
Viewers have watched Zandi take a darker route of getting Bhululu (which means friend in Zulu), a snake, to attain wealth. After bringing all the wealth to her, the snake had its own demands, wanting blood. Sithole shares with SowetanLIVE that it was a scary experience for her to shoot scenes around a reptile but she enjoyed it.
“It is a challenge that I enjoyed because I love playing characters that people can relate to. I enjoy portraying something that is real or close to reality. The response I got was amazing and people were saying certain scenes were relatable to them because of their experiences,” she says.
“I did not have to do anything special to deal with the character. After a briefing session, I began shooting the next day. But I was a bit scared when doing the scenes that involved Bhululu. I was relieved that I did not have to touch the snake. Based on the story trending, I agree Bhululu was a star and I am just a shadow.”
The role of Zandi existed in the first season of Imbewu and it was portrayed by Buhle Samuels. In season 4, directors had to recast for the role and Sithole got a chance to showcase what she is made of.
The actor, who hails from White City in Soweto, took over the role and ran with it. Though Sithole was nervous of how the public will react to the new Zandi, she received positive reviews.
“The storyline of Bhululu opened many people’s minds about things such as ukuthwala. What I like about the storyline is that it was told in an honest and truthful way that made people to relate to easily.
"The story is encouraging us as people to have gratitude and appreciate what we have. Look at Zandi, she wanted wealth and had to go and take the dark route and she lost everything.”
She defines Zandi as a young woman who loves to live an expensive life. Her plan is to target rich men to sponsor her lavish lifestyle. “Zandi has been living a certain lifestyle and it is difficult to downgrade. She does everything in her power to maintain it including getting a snake.
"She has been taking care of her family but they do not know how she makes her living. Zandi might have wanted to be rich, but she never expected things to pan out the way they did,” she says.
After finishing her matric, Sithole took a gap year and fortunately landed a job at a car dealership in Johannesburg. She worked there for a year and resigned to pursue her acting dream.
"She has since appeared in shows such as Diamond City, Hustle, Tai Chi, Imbewu, Isibaya, Rockville and The Queen. As much as acting industry has its own challenges, she enjoys the industry and has been working on perfecting the craft.
“I am happy with how far I have come. Because I love acting, I keep reminding myself why I am here and push myself to do better. But one thing that I have learned is that there is a lot of rejection and you need to develop a thick skin in this industry.”
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