The Role Of A Lifetime

Passionate aspiring actress Thuso soon learns it’s more about who you know than what you know

My eyes were burning. I felt dizzy and ex­hausted but I was ready to go back. I’d barely slept, having been up all night practising, but I was more than prepared.

There was no turning back now. I had sacrificed all my free time and a lot of sleep to get this role.

“The competition is tough,” the man in the smart suit told me. “This industry is not for the weak, so you’ll need to deve­ lop a thick skin to survive here.”

He was right about that. I was not naturally an extrovert but sometimes a role can force you to come out of your box and become someone you never imagined you could be.

“Thuso, are you rehearsing for that role again? Get some sleep,” my mother called out.

She never wanted me to become an actress. She said I was not cut out to be on television. But I always thought she was wrong and the only way I could prove that was to get a decent role so all my dreams could come true.

This time I was really confident about the play. I gave a great performance and had no doubt that the role was mine.

I had so much in common with the character I was portraying. It felt natural, as though it had been written for me, and I thought the director had been impressed by my efforts.

All I could think about was the bright smile on my mother’s face and hearing her say how proud she was of me when I came home with the good news.

But the official announcement was only being made the next day so I resis­ ted the temptation to brag and held my tongue.

THE next morning, I was up early so I could be one of the first to get to the studio. I’d seen the casting crew nod their heads at the end of my audition and I was sure the role of Nomsa was mine. But when I checked the board, I could not believe my eyes - Siphiwe’s name was there, not mine. How was it possible? I’d nailed the part. Everyone had said so. I was shattered.