Remember these captivating lines from legendary Sarafina star: “Don’t be one who works for awards. Don’t do this thing for recognition. Do it for you because what if you do it and people don’t recognise you?”
Namibian creatives were in for a treat by one of the most versatile actresses of her generation – Leleti Khumalo who shared her insight into the acting industry and what it takes to be successful. Speaking to an assemble of actors and directors the acclaimed actress said that she is not different from any other person who is doing theatre or television and big screen but rather an entertainer who is very passionate.
“It’s the passion more than anything else because you can come into this industry today and be gone tomorrow if you don’t have the passion,” she explained.
While many may see the arts industry as rosy, Leleti says that the film industry is not about glim and glamour but hard work. “People expect wealth and that is why most turn to drugs because they don’t find all the glamour here. You need to have the passion, you need to have something that pushes you to want to be in television,” she said.
Oozing love for her craft, Leleti says that it’s her love for learning that transitioned her from being an actor to being a producer.
” I have always wanted to grow and in life, you, sometimes, have to be selfish. I moved to the small screen because I still wanted to learn. You need to be versatile and never stop learning otherwise people are going to forget about you,” she encouraged.
Acknowledging the hardships of the industry, the TV star says that actors should be very careful of the roles that they play. “It’s very important to take on roles that are good for your image. Due t,o the lack of work around we normally take what comes which could mess up with one’s image. At times you need to be able to say no,” says Leleti.
Leleti also reminded producers to always create work about current issues and things that touches them. “It’s always going to create a dialogue and open a lot of people around because there are stories we shy away from.”
