Scriptwriter and executive producer Chris Radebe has praised actress Nelisa Mchunu.
She currently plays Bazothini on Isifiso.
Chris penned a lengthy post in appreciation of Nelisa’s acting talent, along with Nelisa’s self-tape that landed her the role.
The post reads: “We had already chosen our Bazothini. All that was left was the phone call to the actress. And then Nelisa sent us this self-tape. The time was 20h40. I stopped everything and went on the WhatsApp group. I told my colleagues that this was our Bazothini. And not one of them disagreed.”
He said that he’s always been a fan of Nelisa “since the first time I saw her on Uzalo”.
“Her character on the show was not particularly emotionally demanding, because it was more of a C-story role. But, nonetheless, her talent was hard to miss. And it was the scenes where she didn’t have dialogue that stood out for me. Many people struggle in scenes where they don’t have lines. But I’m yet to see an actor that’s more present in every scene.
“But that’s not the only thing that makes Nelisa my favourite actress. As a writer, when you write a script, especially if you’re not using the language the characters will be speaking, you worry about them missing the nuances in the words. And it’s understandable, because the actor interprets it their own way,” he wrote.
Chris said he doesn’t know what other writers’ experiences with her are, but Nelisa is one of only two actors who play every single line exactly the way he intended it.
“It’s almost like she was sitting with me when I was writing the script. It’s uncanny. And then there are those big, very expressive eyes. When I met her for the first time, on the set of Isifiso, I said:
‘You have such talented eyes’. We both laughed, but I wasn’t joking. Acting is all in the eyes, and Nelisa’s eyes can switch from emotion to emotion, with little to no effort. That’s talent,” he said.
Chris tagged Nelisa in the post, saying he could talk about her until next week.
“That’s how amazing I think you are. When you said yes to doing Isifiso, it was already a dream come true for me. But what you did with Bazothini exceeded our expectations. But I’d also like to thank you for waking up every morning, for 23 days straight, to come to set, even when you fell sick and I asked you to stay home.
“I’m an executive producer today because of you, and for that, I will owe you forever. I pray you’ll be kind enough to allow me to work with you again in the not-so-distant future. Thank you ever so much,” wrote Chris.
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