Majorie Langa reflects on her road to the SAFTAs Best Supporting Actress
|||SINCE joining Scandal in 2012, Marjorie Langa has become a household name. Gloria Rangaka, her on-screen character, has a renowned proclivity for rubbing people up the wrong way.
Last year, Langa’s performance was validated with the South African Film and Television Awards (Safta) soapie honours for Best Supporting Actress.
A bubbly personality, Langa reveals her character was only meant to be on air to support Maletsatsi Khumalo’s story arc.
She says: “It was supposed to be a small role around the stokvel ladies. And Gloria was the one who introduced Maletsatsi to a pyramid scheme.”
However, she made such a deep-seated impression on the show’s creatives and soap buffs that her lifeline was extended. Her clout is akin to Slindile Nodangala who created quite a buzz with her shebeen queen character, Ruby Dikobe, in Generations.
Prior to being on the soap, she flexed her acting muscles on Generations and Streets of Mangaung.
Langa points out: “The police drama and Scandal came simultaneously. When I was done with the drama, they took me on permanently on the soap.”
On the fractured friendship between Maletsatsi and Gloria, she offers: “Maletsatsi promoted Pretty to head of security at Safe ’n Clean. Gloria felt, since she’s been with the company longer, that the job should have been hers.”
And then Gloria, stewing in her rage, sabotages herself by stealing a laptop in a feeble attempt to prove Pretty’s incompetence.
Maletsatsi, at her wits’ end, subsequently fires Gloria and has Pretty frog-march her out of the building.
The actress adds: “This falling out was a long time coming. And this incident really tests their friendship. People have always questioned Maletsatsi’s blind faith when it comes to Gloria and they have been wondering when she will put an end to it.”
On her character always railroading situations, she defends: “She thinks the world owes her. She doesn’t understand why Maletsatsi doesn’t understand she was trying to save the company by exposing Pretty. She feels she is always misunderstood.”
However, this time she has pushed her best friend too far.
Langa laughs: “Yeah, she has bitten off more than she can chew. Doing that walk of shame when Maletsatsi fired her was a huge blow. Two days after starting another job she decides to start her own cleaning and security services company, and she pitches this to Layla.”
As cunningly resourceful as she is, Gloria feels Maletsatsi’s absence.
She adds: “Gloria is a bully to everyone around her. Everything is about her. But this is the first time that something has come between her best friend and her. She cries and it upsets her very badly. It’s a huge reality check for Gloria. She loves Maletsatsi.”
The actress says she relishes the storylines the writers give her and they are always imbued with comic scenarios, which she says are her strength as an actress.
“I can’t blow my own horn, but comedy is my forte. Thankfully, the writers throw curve balls at me, which gives me a different side to play. As much as I do drama, I love the creativity of being funny without forcing it.”
So what’s on her wish list as an actress?
She admits: “I want to do film. That has been a dream of mine. A lot of people say I must do theatre, but I’m not a stage person. I want to explore other avenues and doing a local movie with international exposure is what I hope for.”
In case you are wondering, she shares few similarities with Gloria: “We have the same bubbly personality. I know I envy the fact that nothing gets Gloria down. But she’s not as loyal as I am, even though she means well.”
So fans wait on tenterhooks to see how this friendship pans out and if Gloria finally eats some humble pie.
Scandal, e.tv at 7.30pm on weekdays.