Actress Natasha Thahane is part of the cast of Netflix’s new show, Marked.
She plays the role of Nelisa Kunene, who is the daughter of Thandeka Kunene (Linda Sokhula) and Zachariah Kunene (Desmond Dube).
The actress was raised by her grandmother, and unlike the roles she’s played in her acting career, she didn’t live with her parents.
“All my characters have actually had a mother and a father and I was raised by my grandmother,” Thahane tells The Citizen.
“My mom and dad are very much present, I love them, but I’m a granny’s child. I was raised by my grandmother.”
Marked is a six-part crime drama which follows cash-in-transit security guard Babalwa (Lerato Mvelase), a woman cornered by circumstance, fighting to protect what matters most.
As the pressure mounts, the line between what’s right and what’s necessary begins to blur.
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God healing Natasha Thahane
In one of her most popular roles, Thahane portrayed Amogelang ‘Amo’ Maake on Mzansi Magic’s The Queen. There, she was the daughter of Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Maake, played by the late Shona Ferguson.
On Netflix’s Blood & Water, Thahane played the role of Wendy Dlamini, the daughter of a member of parliament.
“All my characters have had a mother and a father in the house,” the actress says.
Thahane says playing those roles in which the character resides with both parents has somewhat healed her and made up for the lack of experiencing living with both her parents.
“So they’re [child and parents] having a dynamic and having that conversation, I realised that at their age I didn’t have that because I stayed with my grandmother and God has been healing me through those characters.”
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A safe space on set
On Marked, Thahane has some intimate scenes with cast member Sphamandla Dludlu, who plays the role of Zweli Ncube, a local hustler on the show.
“I think any actors’ fear is seeing an intimacy scene on the script, but now I think it’s easier because we’ve got intimacy coaches on set that help us be able to make sure we trust each other as scene partners. You go through your green zones, your red zones and you make sure it’s professional.”
Dludlu’s character takes advantage of Thahane’s, all in the hope of gaining access to her wealthy parents’ home.
The pair shared intimate scenes, and Thahane said she felt safe throughout shooting them.
“You leave the set on good terms because no one crossed the line or any boundary, so it stays professional. It’s always good to get that support from production and making sure there is an intimacy coach on set.”
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