CHASING INNER PEACE

After being absent from e.tv’s hit soapie, Scandal, viewers were thrilled to learn that one of television’s biggest villains, Thembeka, would be returning to their screens. Everyone was excited, except for Masasa, the actress tasked with playing the role once again. Previously, her role on the show earned her the Best Actress accolade at the 2015 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs). The pressure to go back was on, but the anxiety of it all almost crippled Masasa to a point where she nearly turned down the role.

A few months ago, I got a call from , telling me that they wanted to bring my old character back. To be quite honest, I had mixed emotions about it. So much about me had changed, and I wondered if going back would do the character any good, and how it would be perceived by the public. The show had also changed since I was last there, and naturally, Thembeka would also have changed. During my last days at , I was personally going through emotional turmoil. That, I suppose, assisted in how I played the character. Therefore, I knew that how I approached Thembeka this time around would have to be different. I sought counsel from a number of people that I trust, including my mom, my boyfriend, and an industry friend. My boyfriend reminded me that this was the same role that I had put so much work into, got a SAFTA for, and that I was getting an opportunity to revisit. He