Why are Boity, Pearl and Bonang getting all the gigs?
|||Munya Vomo
A few days ago, several people took to social media to vent their disapproval at the employment of the same actors on various TV shows. The conversation was a sad revelation that some people who study for a particular set of skills are not recognised when it comes to seeking employment. The few names that were “attached” to hogging the limelight were obviously Bonang Matheba, Boity Thulo and Pearl Thusi.
To be fair, we have seen quite a bit of these ladies. Other names to add to that list include Thando Thabethe, Lerato Kganyago, Nomuzi Mabena, Luthando Shosha, Minnie Dlamini to a lesser extent these days and, perhaps, Pearl Modiadie.
The same happens with the guys, but perhaps not to the same extent. You get Mo Flava, or Sizwe Dhlomo, but you would have to really look for them. While the above are in TV hosting, radio and events roles, it would be easy to write them off and wish for new blood, but the reality is that they are good at what they do.
Not so long ago, a colleague commented on how well Nomuzi Mabena handled hosting a media crowd at the announcement of of the South African Music Award nominees. She had a huge stage, on a dull, cold day, so the audience was in a foul mood, but she ad libbed all the way and won people’s hearts. That takes skill.
If casting directors were to be open about it, they would tell you that there is nothing better than working with someone who exudes so much confidence that they pick themselves up when they falter.
You have seen Matheba and Thusi present live, but when was the last time you saw them stumble over their lines? Perhaps never, yet it happens to them but they just know how to hide it. The fact that they are good means that they must come at a high price yet companies do not seem to mind because, at the end of the day, it is all about quality.
The one area that needs transformation is TV. While channels like e.tv and Mzansi Magic have opened up to local content, there is a lot of recycling of the same actors. This becomes a bit too apparent if you watch one show after another. We love that our actors are good and hold on to whatever comes their way, but something has to be done about the casting.
An example that comes to mind is iGazi, the latest Mzansi Magic drama. It is a ground-breaking show that explores the dark world of black magic. However, some of the main actors, Zikhona Sodlaka, Thami Mngqolo, Zenande Mfenyane and Anga Makubalo, are all “alumni” from Generations.
It was a great stance they took to stand up for what they felt were low salaries and it is good to see them back on TV, but starring alongside each other just makes the experience a bit unpleasant. We still think of Mngqolo as Generations’ Sizwe and Mfenyane as Noluntu. They were romantically linked then and it appears that the same is happening on iGazi. It’s like watching Ridge and Brooke hit it off in a production of Baywatch or Notting Hill.
They are accomplished actors, but perhaps in the spirit of encouraging diversity, the industry needs to be opened up.
But the subject does not begin and end with the actors. We need to learn more about casting agencies, production companies and commissioning editors.
All of them should be on the lookout for new talent and pair it with the established. Saints & Sinners did that well and everyone else should follow suit. We’re not questioning the talent, we are just saying the eye and the mind can recall when we last saw an actor so, for a better production, even for the actors’ benefit, there is need to have new onscreen combinations.