She broke the status quo about plus size people in the television industry
ALEXANDRA – I grew up in a family of teachers with both my mother and my grandmother being teachers at Emfundisweni Primary School.
After 13 years in the acting industry, 7de Laan actress Nobuhle Mimi Mahlasela, who plays the role of Aggie in the popular Afrikaans soapie, said she was grateful for the professional choice she made two decades ago when she chose to study drama.
The soapie star who grew up in the dusty streets of Alexandra in 13th Avenue said even though her family did not like her career choice, they supported her to all the way to get where she is today.
“I grew up in a family of teachers with both my mother and my grandmother being teachers at Emfundisweni Primary School. When I finished my matric at Waverly Girls High School in 1999, I was also expected to follow in the footsteps of my parents and do teaching,” she said.
The soapie queen said that she told her parents that she applied for travel and tourism when in truth she applied for drama studies at Pretoria Technikon known as the Tshwane University of Technology today.
She took a gap year so that she can buy time to convince her parents to give her their blessings to study drama. To her surprise, although her mother didn’t like her choice, she supported her and paid for her study fees.
Mahlasela said her family taught her good values of life, to love herself, believe in herself, respect time and give back to the community.
“My journey and my first days at 7de Laan were not the easy ones. I had to wake up at 4am every day to catch the first taxi at Pan Taxi Rank to the studio at Lonehill chasing my dream and my passion.
“I’m grateful for the fact that I grew up in a family that allowed me to be who I am and that gave me the strength to break the status quo about people of my body size on television. I’m very pleased with the fact that I’m one of the people who were the first to break that status quo.”
She said being part of the soapie for 13 years in a role that was supposed to be in the storyline for only three months amazes her and eliminates all the doubts she once had about her choice to be in the acting industry.
Mahlasela who recently started an education foundation, Nobuhle Mahlasela Education Foundation urged young people who aspire to be in the industry to follow their passion, not fame and money.
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