If there is one thing shows like X-Factor, SA’s Got Talent and even Idols SA fail to do, it is nurture the talent once the competition is over.
Idols SA has improved over the years, with the likes of Lloyd Cele and Khaya Mthethwa making a living off the music we heard on the show. On the other hand, programmes like Class Act and MAQaMOVIE have their alumni jump into job opportunities right after the shows are done. Class Act is responsible for the rise of people like Pallance Dladla, Sdumo Mtshali, the late Muzi Clive and Yonda Thomas. Dladla and Mtshali (and sometimes Thomas) cut their teeth in TV by starring on Isibaya. Dladla and Mtstali still star on it to this day. Clive, before his untimely death, worked on the Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard film, Winnie. Thomas stars as a cop in the critically acclaimed Mzansi Magic show, Saints and Sinners, which returns for a second season.
The MAQaMOVIE project, which also looked for talented actors across the country, had its Top 5 secure spots in an upcoming South African movie called Skorokoro which will be directed by the great Darrell Roodt.
So with Altovise Lawrence winning BET’s Top Actor SA, we expect big things from her. As a Wits dramatic arts graduate, it shows that she knew what to look for in every role she played and that way she set herself apart from her peers.
“I couldn’t believe that I made it to the Top 3 in the competition as I was one of the youngest contestants and only recently finished my post-graduate studies.
“I am ecstatic and will definitely keep the skills I gained from the series of the competition to improve my acting abilities,” she said upon the announcement.
In the episode that she won, Lawrence was privileged to have an accomplished judges’ panel which included US actor Michael Jai White (Universal Soldier, Why Did I Get Married? and The Dark Knight) and our own Natalie Becker (The Scorpion King 2, Death Race and Strike Back).
The pair gave Lawrence and her competition invaluable advice on how to advance in the film and TV industries.
“I think that this is a great platform for any hopeful actor wanting to launch their career as it’s not every day that you get to meet some of South Africa’s top actors as well as some big names from Hollywood – this is definitely what dreams are made of,” she said.
This week sees the reunion episode, much like that Celebrity Apprentice finale, where all the contestants from the beginning of the show return. The contestants get to review their performances and tell us where they could have done better.
We will be looking across the TV landscape in the hope that a bunch of Top Actor SA stars appear in other shows.
• The final episode of Top Actor SA airs on Thursday at 7.20am on BET (DStv Channel 129).