Actress Fanele Ntuli, who plays Dr Thandekile Zondo in Durban Gen says she was nervous about joining Uzalo as Nomaswazi Magwaza.
The Durban Gen actress Fanele Ntuli began shooting with Uzalo in 2022 as Nomaswazi Magwaza and had to juggle two roles at different locations. She tells Sowetan that she had to be on both sets on the same day at times and it was taxing.
“It was a major shift and I was dealing with professionals. I was nervous about the whole situation.”
On the SABC1 soapie, Uzalo Ntuli had to learn to hold a gun as her character Nomaswazi is a thug. While she plays a doctor in the medical drama.
“It’s only sinking now that I am on Uzalo. I had to figure out the storyline and had little time for it. It was hectic having to shoot two shows. It was either a start at Uzalo set then go to Durban Gen, or start at Durban Gen and finished my day off at Uzalo.
“One minute I am myself, the next minute I am Nomaswazi or Dr Zondo. At some point, it felt like I was suffering from bipolar. I would struggle to get time to detox these characters and had to do justice to all of them.”
Ntuli tells Sowetan that her character Nomaswazi is an intelligent woman who is in a dark place and she might never come back again.
“She is a crazy go-getter that defies logic to her detriment. She loves hard and she is willing to make herself uncomfortable just to seek validation. She is ruthless. She does not care, and I love that.”
“I remember when I had to do my first shoot. I got the script on a Friday. I was under pressure trying to understand the character while figuring mannerism. I just told myself that I will focus on bonding with the character while navigating the storyline. I was able to build a relationship with all characters.”