FIVE-YEAR-old Winter Lee Titus from Bothasig is living proof that dynamite comes in small packages.
The outspoken little actress has in a space of a year won three awards in stiff competition with the country’s finest movie stars.
She recently won the Best Newcomer for her role in the movie Bedtime, which won the Best 1 Minute Film and Best Horror Film at the 1MinuteFilmFestival.
Her daily routine is like any other 5-year-old’s, balancing school and hobbies like baseball.
“I pray, I wash, I do my homework and go to baseball practice,” she explained.
However, her passion is acting.
“I like being in movies and I also get excited when I see myself on the big screen.”
Bedtime was not her first stint in acting, her proud mother, Joy Titus, said.
Her budding career started with videos on Facebook and Titus said she started receiving more requests to upload videos of Winter Lee.
Her breakthrough came when she auditioned for the local movie Bloed Betaal 2 in 2021. Winter Lee plays a dancer in the movie, which is expected to be in theatres this year.
“When I saw MoJam’s advert for auditions we went through and she was chosen, the youngest out of the lot.”
The bubbly girl said she was excited to be part of major productions. “I just love acting and also want to be a chef.”
Writer and producer of Bedtime Marlon du Plooy first heard about Winter Lee when her mom was inquiring about acting roles.
“Joy had been following my work for a while. She messaged me and told me about Winter Lee and the movie she had been in.”
So when Du Plooy decided to enter the 1MinuteFilmFestival he already had the lead actors in mind and he knew that Winter Lee would be the perfect fit.
And Du Plooy’s instincts were right.
“The amazing thing was that Bedtime was shot in nine hours, Winter Lee got the script the day before filming and was ready the next day.
“We did a rehearsal, she knew the script from top to bottom by heart. She even knew the other actor’s lines and it was funny how she helped him once when he forgot his lines.
He said she was confident. “She walked on to the set with so much professionalism, like she owned the set. For a 5-year-old that shocked me.”
Du Plooy believed that Winter Lee was destined for great things.
“If Winter Lee is already taking the local industry by storm then definitely she’ll go very far.”
Titus said since then she received quite a few offers and has very busy schedule.
“She also wants to give back and motivate young girls to be confident,” her mother said.
Referring to her daughter’s natural hair, Titus said she was teased about her curls. “She wants young girls to know that your hair doesn’t define who you are. I’m so proud of her.”
“I admire my 5-year-old, she pushes her limits.”
Winter Lee’s advice to other young girls and boys: “You must not be shy and you must grab your goals.”
She hopes to meet her favourite movie star, Pearl Thusi.