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Johannesburg – If you've seen the local film Love Lives Here, then you know that some steamy sex scenes play out between Thando Thabethe and Lungile Radu's characters.
Why do I bring this up? Because it's the first thing that Thando and I discussed when I met her for a chat at Honest Food in March, just weeks before the film was set to premiere.
At this point, she had not seen the final cut of the movie yet, and as a result, was unaware just how much of that spicy scene was included. "I have to warn my mother before she watches it," she blurted out as we giggled.
Side note: Take a look at her mother's reaction here.
After finding some comfortable seating, I pried a little more, asking if she knew from the beginning just how passionate the sex scenes would be. "Not really. I mean, you read a script, but what you read and what actually happens is sometimes completely different. We all decided on set that we're going to take it there, and whether or not it was going to be used was another conversation. But we thought, let's do something different."
As for what it was like getting that close to Lungile Radu, Thando says it happened well into the shoot, at a point where the cast members were all quite comfortable with one another.
She adds: "Also, it's closed sets, so there's literally two other people in the room. But it's still weird and awkward. Luckily, I'm very comfortable in my body, so I didn't care all that much, to be honest."
In the film Thando takes on the role of Zinhle Malinga – a young writer whose top priorities including finding a husband, settling down and having kids. Something Thando says she can't relate to entirely.
"Do I relate to that? Not really, I'm 29 and have none of the above," she laughed.
"I think it's very aged to think of life that way. Especially as a woman, because we live in a time where you can be what you want to be," the actress went on to say.
She did learn one thing from Zinhle though – that you can find love in the most unexpected places.
Now that Thando has got her second feature film under her belt, the presenter is looking forward to taking on new roles that challenge her in different ways.
She says she'd love to star in a gritty drama, or "maybe like an action film."
Before we part ways, I ask her to share some advice for people looking to break into the local film industry:"Keep trying. I think a lot of us give up when things are just about to happen for us. Don't take no for an answer and if it's something you feel you are destined to do just be resilient."
(Photos: The Juice)
