Johannesburg - Actress and presenter Kayise Ngqula has taken on a new role that will see her relate even more with her fans.
She joins the cast of BET’s telenovela Isono as Neliswa who, with her husband Thapelo, come to the House of Grace (Mary’s, played by Nthati Moshesh, orphanage in Vosloorus), looking to adopt a child. They set their sights on talented and shy girl Lesedi but things don’t go as planned.
Ngqula sent a self-tape for the audition and landed the role.
“It was nice to be able to just show my range in so far as being able to portray a character that I haven’t portrayed before. The character is your sister, your mother, your spouse. A young black woman living in Johannesburg trying to juggle being a mother, a wife and a career woman. I just thought it would really be intriguing for me to portray that and play someone relatable to myself and other women.”
She added that the storyline of Isono goes deeper than what people see on the surface.
“The main character is not what meets the eye. So there’s that interaction between somebody who is pure hearted going with good intentions and finding herself in a situation where she is naive to the fact that Mam Mary isn’t really what she puts herself out to be. I really enjoyed that.”
Ngqula, a former presenter on the hit Mzansi Magic show Our Perfect Wedding, is currently the host of another show on Moja Love called Bring Back My Smile. While many people know her from the work she has done on the wedding show, Ngqula started off in the acting space.
“My first big cameo role was on It’s Complicated, then I moved on to a support lead role on Mina Nawe, and soon after that I won the big presenter search that made me the presenter for Our Perfect Wedding. So, it was always something that I did alongside it. That win was the trajectory that literally changed things for my career. It’s come full circle for me.”
Ngqula is in talks for other productions that are coming up this year but for now she is focusing on her role in the telenovela and her presenting gig on Moja Love.
“I’m looking forward to this year. I am quite expectant of good and abundant things.”
The 28-year-old also has a YouTube show called After Dark with Kayise where she gets candid about real life situations. She used the platform to share her story of grief after losing her husband in a car accident. The response to her opening up has been enormous.
“I did expect the response, I just didn’t know how much. I think when you are able to be relatable and show people your heart and authenticity, people will respond. It’s human nature to show compassion and empathy.
“That was a big role-player in how I decided to launch that show. For a year after losing my husband I didn’t speak about my ordeal because I needed to take the time and mourn and figure it out for myself.”
When the idea came for her to start a YouTube channel, it all made sense and has gone on to be successful. “People are really touched by it.” She firmly believes when you give people something that is a refection of who they are, it will succeed.
Like other actors, Ngqula has had to teach herself a new way of operating her skills with the lockdown and coronavirus regulations.
“When the lockdown started last year, I was busy shooting for Housekeepers season 2 and we had to go on a production break. As an artist, that was quite a knock because no work, no pay. The artist relief came in handy. When it was time to go back, I continued like everybody else. It has been about manoeuvring and finding the best way to work safely so everyone can come back to work and give their best.”
Catch Ngqula on Isono on BET Channel 129 at 9.30pm.
The Star