"I went to a shebeen in Alexandra and started doing my research. I watched how people behaved and did things. At my first shoot, I nailed the character. I was so good that the directors thought I was actually drunk. My character was supposed to end when my baby, Teddy, was taken away from me"

"All the lines on the play are mine. I just get the concept and improvise. I also add a little bit of spice to make it interesting"

"By the age of 19 I already had two children.My parents tried so hard to show me the right path,but I was young and naive"

"I believe the South African industry is desperately in need of a union where our grievances and needs are dealt with"

"I had so many questions to ask my ex-husband but he was gone. When Don’s character was introduced, I managed to ask those questions. I’m also glad that writers allowed me to vent. Those who know me could see I wasn’t just acting the script, but it was real tears. He helped me to finally heal"

"I want to talk about my story to encourage young women to go to school and empower themselves. Today, I am a mother of seven children and I don’t even have matric. At the age of 21, I already had five children"

"I had nothing and I was forced to leave them behind with their father. Leaving my kids was painful, but I was not working and I had no choice"

"Don allowed me to heal in real life. When I saw him, I’d just picture my ex-husband and he knew that. Don’s character was very similar to my former husband in real life. Most people know that in real life, I was married, but it ended in tears. My real husband dumped me the same way Don dumped Zodwa. I had small children and I was left alone. As a result, I didn’t have closure"

"I would love to see our industry being a lot more regulated and fair"

"Then I sent an email to a production company and asked them to take a chance on me as a content producer, because I believed I could do it"

"I am thankful that it ended, otherwise I would not have been here"

"My character was supposed to be temporal, but I made sure that I excelled. The brief was, Zodwa is an irresponsible and drunkard woman, and her baby is to be taken away"

"We are (particularly on my maternal side) heavily influenced by black history, culture, music, literature and art; these things have always been of value to us so performance came really easily to me"

"I’ve always been (for a lack of a better word) a showman, and my interests in filmmaking peaked past performance because I always wanted to know what everyone else’s role in the ecosystem was; and I’ve always been fascinated by team work making the dream work"

"In primary school I was exposed to drama; I had this itch to perform. I knew then I would be an actress one day. When Gibson Kente brought one of his shows to town I was convinced it was my calling. I turned and said to my uncle 'this is what I'm going to do, Act!' He shouted at me, saying I'm crazy because how will this acting thing pay for my livelihood. He maintained it was a not a real job"

"I enjoy the magical moment that happens when all creative elements come together to make something that moves audiences"

"But the crowd loved me and I have since decided stand-up is something I will do one day"

"I tap into three different personas to bring out the best of the character. I look at people I know. The cheeky aunties who take no nonsense and those women who think they are up there when they are not. I improvise on set too"

"I'm born this way. People may be surprised though that in reality I am rather quiet - still funny, but quiet"

"Filmmaking is about creative entrepreneurship, and the transition I made from one filmic discipline to the next should be normalised, because not all creatives in filmmaking are limited to or only interested in one medium"

"Ever since I started my career, I’ve been aiming for characters that were 10 to 12 years my senior. I’ve always wanted the meatier, more challenging, and juicier roles. I find that it takes one out of a space where you’re more likely to show your own habits. Older characters challenge you to do more research and understand more substantial things about life, values, and personality traits"

"I’m not that strict and I like sharing jokes with people. I am able to engage with the youth, I am able to converse with youngsters and also offer them advice suitable for them. I often use my experiences when teaching them life lessons"

"I was booked to appear in Kimberley at the Diamonds and Dorings Music Festival. They told me I need to make jokes for like five minutes on stage. I was so petrified because I didn't know what to do. But they paid the money so I had no choice but to go."

"I want to explore different languages and I want to explore different dialects, so I was totally in my Xhosa brain when I was asked to return for the second audition"

"I’m glad I got called back to audition for the new part, because once I found out that Masasa resides in Kokstad. I then thought to myself, ‘This is good for me"

"I like to immerse myself in the material over and over again, so it becomes ingrained in me. I live, eat, breathe and feel the story until I can figure out how best I can tell it"

"I’ve decided not to be afraid of challenging myself in terms of languages – with respect, of course"

"Needless to say I spoke for 20 minutes. People laughed with me, not at me - much to the annoyance of some high-profile female comedian who tried to belittle me. She was annoyed, saying people who think they are funny will speak more than five minutes while speaking nonsense"

"This is my child’s father. Samphiwa, who has not seen or met her. I got a protection order against him. If anything ever happens to me, never let him take her. He would repeatedly beat me up, starve and lock me up at yide ufe ndizokonwaba [die so that I can be happy]"

"By the time I escaped in January 2022, my cards were no longer mine. Outside, he was a gentleman. Opening doors etc, and back home, he had cleaned out my Nedbank accounts. Leaving me in 200k debt, which I only discovered after leaving him. I left him two properties"

"So desperate to make this work as back home I had another story… he knew. He would park outside work the whole day and wait for me. I made excuses. And I tried to understand and help. I was desperate not to be rough"

"Let us speak up and out against our perpetrators. No matter how small that action may seem to others. No matter how long ago it happened. Keeping quiet only protects them and leaves us drowning in pain"

"Both our families are absolutely supportive of our relationship and they want us to be happy. But I come from a very conservative family"

"I want to get more education and grow as an artist"

"There are certain things I thought I couldn't do as an actress, but I've realised I can reach certain levels"

"It is so clear that so many people are oblivious to the effects of drugs, black tax, abuse, GBV, sibling rivalry in our communities. Or they choose to behave like that here on the socials"

"I think, even with the remnants of colonialism and everything that outsiders tried to take away from the people, they really just kept going. I carry that with me, my ancestors, everywhere I go"

"There are a lot of wine exports from Cape Town that don't come to America but go everywhere else. It's just lovely to drive through the wine farms. Come for the wine tastings, eat good food, go to the beach and see the penguins and seals"

"We really live in our own world. Sometimes people say mean things, and sometimes they say nice things"

"This is not just a qualification industry, you need to give your body and soul to play a character"

"It will showcase the intricate dynamics of how it is sometimes necessary that some secrets be kept for the safety of others, while, on the other hand, some secrets must come to light"

"The future is bright. We just need to be smarter, wiser and more vigorous about how to get there."

"With a reality series, unlike with a drama, you have to develop a story from what's happening in front of you. There's no script. You also have to package what you have in such a way that it's a faithful representation of what's happening, and something that the viewers can enjoy"

"It's difficult because you never asked for people to follow you, they chose to follow. I get concerned about what they think. I guess you just have to remove yourself from all of that stuff"

"It's best to not care what people think of you but social media doesn't filter peoples opinions of you, so I've heard them all. But I suppose people see me on screen and assume I'm quite glamorous when in reality I'm quite the opposite"

"This post is simply to express and share my journey it comes with zero judgment for however you choose to birth."

"I was so supported by Sean-Marco and I don’t say many men could’ve done what he did. An incredible dedication to parenting and partnership. What a man"

"Enter ‘the ring of fire’ - yes it literally feels like it’s on fire. I pushed for three contractions and my incredible partner, Sean-Marco, delivered our darling daughter into the world. His hands were the first to touch her and the only faces she looked upon were those of her family. She cried beautifully, we checked her vitals and she was happy and perfect. Everything I had wanted for her. Her perfect birth"

"I wanted to challenge myself and work in a place where classical theater is a viable option"

"My first year in New York was unbelievably tough, with lots of waitressing, after having been a successful actor in South Africa"