The acting industry has been bursting with talented faces lately and it is beautiful to some of South Africa's multi-talented actors taking the industry by storm. There was a time where many people were getting tired of constantly watching the same faces on their TV screens, but now we are getting introduced to more and more talented entertainers.
Another star who has become Mzansi's favorite is Didintle Khunou. The starlet has managed to captivate the masses with her talent and beauty since she burst onto the acting scene.Instagram @Didintle_khunou ZAlebs recently caught up with the actress as she opened up about her journey to stardom. The petite actress says she was a very timid child when growing up but, as soon as she started performing on stage, she stepped out of her comfort zone.
"I was a shy kid but the first time I stepped on a stage and performed I knew that this form of artistic expression was more than just fun and games for me. It became an opportunity for self-discovery and it was a deep spiritual calling," she explains.
Didintle hails from Maglera, Klerksdorp in the North West Province and she says she has fond memories of her childhood abut growing up on a farm.
"I think I enjoyed living on the farm, growing up in nature, helping out with the family businesses, and having fond childhood memories of playing with my sister and best friend, Boipelo. We lived a quiet life."
The actress says her parents have always been supportive of her career even though they doubted her acting career at the beginning.
"I'm blessed to have parents that understood my vision and dreams. Just the other day, they jokingly reminded me that they assured me that if the acting career doesn't work out they will gladly pay for me to pursue another degree. Thankfully, there hasn't been a need for that at all. They are really proud of me and I'm happy they let me pursue my dreams even though they had their initial doubts," she states.
The award-winning actress who holds a BA Honours Degree in Dramatic Arts from the University of the Witswatersrand, kicked off her acting career in theatre plays and she has since carved out an inspiring acting career.
"Outside of the foundations of the craft of performance, theatre has taught me that my authenticity and individuality as a performer is what will set me apart, it's where my magic lies. It has also taught me to be fearless and aim to always work outside my comfort zone."
The starlet says she was inspired by the likes of Lorcia Cooper, Warren Masemola, and Lerato Mvelase to pursue an acting career.
Didintle has graced our TV screen on numerous shows including Mamello, SingleGalz, and The Throne. The actress recently bagged a hit role on BET's Africas first original drama series Isono. The drama tells a gripping tale of secrets we hide and the many faces we wear.
The actress says due to the number of self-tapes she had to send she thought she would not score the role.
"I had to send in many self-tapes at the time as I was working on my award winning show Rocky Horror Show in Cape Town. I almost thought I wouldn’t get this job with the number of self-tapes I had to send out, but the good Lord works in mysterious ways."
The actress star alongside veteran actress Nthati Moshesh, Anga Makubalo, Rami Chuene, and many more. Didintle portrays the character of Esther and she says her character is all sorts of inspiration to many people due to the challenges her character encounters in life.
"I like that Esther is an example of the complex identities found in South African millennials. I like that we get to see her really struggle before she blossoms and matures into the amazing young woman that she truly is. Esther teaches us that we are all a work in progress, we all make mistakes but we have to learn to be accountable for them. She also shows us the importance of being really mindful of who you keep around you. The people you keep around you can really make or break you," she explains.
One can imagine how busy her career has become, even though she says she does consider herself a celebrity and sometimes does not. Didintle says she has had to sacrifice a lot of things to focus on her career.
"At the beginning of shooting Isono, I was performing in The Rocky Horror Show in the evenings and then I would be on set playing Esther during the day, I would also have voice-overs to record, just started my company too, so I was really busy and I had to take real care of my health and stay energized. I literally had to sacrifice my social life and I'm a person who believes in maintaining balance so that wasn't easy."
Didintle recently launched her own production company and she says she has a lot to do in the future and she cannot divulge her plans as of yet.
She says her advice to upcoming actors is that they need to be comfortable and they must allow growth to take place.
"High flying birds get the most arrows. With acting, be expected to fail publicly a lot. To act you need to be free of your ego and comfortable with being vulnerable. Once you're out of your comfort zone, you will start to surprise yourself in performance and you'll truthfully share the nature of who we are as human beings, but to get there you're going to have to be comfortable with making many mistakes trust the process."
