Rising TV star Rainy Nthangeni has landed her first lead role in the new comedy series Bhelas, a show on Mzansi Magic about chasing your dreams.
Born and bred in Protea Glen, Soweto, the 24-year-old has had minor roles in Impikiswano, Obstruction, Ndingowakho, and Empini. Nthangeni opened up about her journey so far:
How did you get into acting?
I started acting in grade 10 when I was doing poetry at church. I realised I loved performing, so I began writing skits, and we would often win first place at church. When I was in matric, my parents asked me what I wanted to do, and I told them I wanted to become a chartered accountant.
However, when my results came back, I thought maybe I should study acting instead. I went to university for three years, from 2019 to 2021. After that, I trained at Actor Spaces for two years.
How has your Soweto upbringing influenced you?
I grew up with parents who had plans for us — they put my siblings and me in private schools, so we didn’t experience the full life of Soweto. During holidays, we’d play outside, but otherwise, it was limited. Things got harder when my (step) dad lost his job, and we had to move to public schools. I was in grade 10.
That was a big adjustment for me, and I experienced a lot of bullying. Other kids would tell me that I’m not pretty and would say hateful things.
How did you build your self-esteem?
Being bullied was hard; I constantly had to learn to grow a tough skin. But now, I view being dark-skinned as my superpower. I feel proud. People who bullied me then even tell me now how beautiful I am, and all I just say is, “Sorry, I don’t want to hear it. You’re saying this now is very irrelevant.”
Tell us about your character in Bhelas
Amahle is a call centre agent who comes from a well-off household. She loves social media, makeup and designer bags, and she believes everything should come to her on a silver platter. But her parents insist she works for it, so she ends up in a call centre. I had to research my role by looking at TikTok content creators and influencers to balance Amahle’s personality with my own.
Being bullied was hard, [but now] I view being dark-skinned as my superpower.
— Rainy Nthangeni
What was it like doing comedy?
Comedy has always been my coping mechanism. Even in varsity, my solo shows were comedic, sometimes mixed with grief. For example, I created a theatre piece for my (step) father’s funeral (in 2021) because my family and I weren’t allowed to attend his actual funeral. Comedy allowed me to express life experiences while making people laugh.
My (step) father died in February 2021, during my last year at university. I couldn’t attend his funeral, which was heartbreaking because his family didn’t recognise my mother. I also had to start looking for work while still being the youngest at home. It was a very challenging time.
What kind of career do you want to have?
I don’t focus on fame — I’m just doing the job. Representation is very important to me, especially for dark-skinned women.
Who is your dream co-star?
Viola Davis. I’m all about action movies, stunts and all. She’s a very strong woman, and I can see myself in such a movie with her. I’m also working on my body. I want to be ready for anything should such a role arise. I don’t want it to come, and I’d have to start from scratch.
