Thando Thabethe has cemented her status as a lead ing lady

NOT every success story in showbiz is about making strides at lightning speed. Sometimes slow and steady is the way to go. Of course, everyone’s journey is different.

And in Thando Thabethe’s case, the latter has worked in her favour.

During her humble beginnings at YFM, which was on the back of a robust stint on UJFM, she also bagged the lead role of Thando Nkosi in the comedy My Perfect Family.

As her popularity started to soar, she joined The Roger Goode Show on 5FM in 2013. She resigned from the radio station in March 2020.

Blessed with a voice for radio and a face for TV, it wasn’t long before other small-screen projects came along with Intersexions, Single Guys, Kowethu, Mzansi Love and Generations: The Legacy.

Her infectious personality saw her helm Thando Bares All, a talk show on TLC, which bagged a Golden Horn for Best Talk Show at the 2019 Saftas.

However, it was with Housekeepers that she proved she could be a leading actress, before doing the same with surprise hit How To Ruin Christmas: The Wedding in 2020.

What followed were two major roles with international attention – as Constable Nandi Cele in the crime drama Reyka on M-net, that Fremantle is distributing globally, and a lead role in Blood Psalms, an ambitious epic series co-produced by Showmax and

Canal Plus Intl expected this year.

And let’s not forget about Thabethe branching out into the fashion sector with Thabooty’s Underwear and Shapewear.

Although Covid-19 wreaked havoc on many careers over the past two years, Thabethe has been somewhat impervious to the setbacks faced by her peers.

Last year, she took over DJ Fresh’s slot on 947 after his controversial exit. She also rekindled her romance with Lunga Shabalala after they parted ways in 2020. A baecation in the Maldives ignited those flames again.

And she successfully reprised her role as Beauty Sello in Netflix’s How To Ruin Christmas: The Funeral.

In a recent interview, Thabethe opened up about the show and why it resonates strongly with Mzansi.

In How to Ruin Christmas: The Funeral, the Sello and Twala families are reunited under trying circumstances, compounded by individual struggles and hidden agendas.

Although Beauty is now married, her miscarriage weighs heavily on her marriage to Sbu Twala (Sandile Mahlangu).

Of course, our incendiary favourites from season one – Busi Lurayi as Tumi Sello and Motlatsi Mafatshe as Themba Twala – are back. That’s not forgetting Clementine Mosimane (Dineo Sello), Lehlohonolo Saint Seseli ( Vusi Twala), Charmaine Mtinta (Valencia Twala), Desmond Dube (Uncle Shadrack), Rami Chuene (Aunt Grace), Keketso Semoko (Aunt Moipone) and Trevor

Gumbi (Siya Twala) contributing to the unfolding mayhem where secrets refuse to be buried as issues of bankruptcy, fertility and commitment vex.

As much as Tumi is the black sheep of the family, Beauty comes with her own baggage this time around.

Thabethe explained: “In the first season, we saw how Tumi is sort of blamed for all the drama happening. I think in this season, Beauty has to do some self-reflection and she contributes to a portion of the drama.”

She is referring to those opening frames of the four-part second season, where Beauty’s broodiness sees her straddle between being sweet and bitter.

With several projects under her belt, Thabethe prides herself on getting the character nuances down to an art.

And Beauty is broken. That yearning to be a mom is palpable. But as the series plays out, she gains perspective on how her need is consuming her marriage.

The actress added: “For me, it came from a point of truth and I think that is what How to Ruin Christmas is about.

“It’s about truth, it’s about finding comedy in the truth and, for Beauty, all it’s been in her life is to create this facade that everything is perfect, and even in some of the most dramatic experiences in life, she still manages to pretend that all is well.”

Those raw human emotions are what she tapped into this time around.

On finding her rhythm with Mahlangu, Thabethe admitted: “I would say it’s a double-edged sword. In one instance, sure we have got to know each other.

“But in another light, we’ve created an expectation because we’ve established these people. So it’s for us to now match that. Yes, we were comfortable with one another, but how can we get better?”

The second season was shot in Joburg as well as Kwazulu-natal.

Just going by Thabethe’s responses about her character and the new season, one thing was blatantly clear – she prides herself on understanding what is expected of her in a role.

Being authentic to the narrative fuels her creativity.

And there is no denying her growth as an actress; she’s a veritable gem as a lead. She’s also one of South Africa’s most bankable actresses as she rides the crest of success. And she is latching on to other ventures to cement her brand and toast her rise in the industry.