Johannesburg born actress, Thuthuka Mthembu's, big break into the entertainment industry came when she landed her role on South Africa's most watched drama, "Uzalo" in December 2018.
The 22-year-old actress said she originally had no intention of being an actress, but now that she is, she is "living her dream".
Mthembu plays the character Nonka, a typical 18-year-old girl. She lives in KwaMashu and is torn between different elements around here, like studying and love. But she has a very strong and unwavering personality.
"This is my big break on TV and being on the most watched show in the country is an even bigger achievement. I didn't study acting so being open to learning from other actors and the industry itself has been my go to method. I have been blessed with this role and I think as long as I am doing whatever I love, I will be living my dream," said Mthembu.
She said the entertainment industry comes with a lot of challenges like #OpenUpTheIndustry, but her personal challenge remains getting used to "fame".
"One day I was a normal person and now I'm popular. The challenge for me was that I had to learn to adjust my personality to fit my social status and what my job requires me to do. Having to deal with people from not dealing with anyone at all was a real game changer. It's something I am still getting us to," she said.
Mthembu looks up to industry giants like Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay and more locally, Dawn Thandeka King.
She says to survive in the industry you need to remain teachable.
"There will always be criticism with anything you do. There will always be haters too. You just need to allow yourself to take in constructive criticism and rise to any challenge," she said.