Bruce Ndlovu Sunday Life Reporter
SOUTH Africa-based Zimbabwean actress has shed light on her role on the ground breaking Netflix production Queen Sono, saying the vulnerability of fellow star Pearl Thusi had helped her play her own role on the spy series with aplomb.
Queen Sono, streaming giant Netflix’s first African original series, started streaming on 28 February after a star studded red carpet première event that pulled the who’s who in the world of South African showbiz last Thursday night.
In the series, Mhende plays Miri Dube, the Director General of the Special Operations Group (SOG) who works closely with Thusi who is the show’s lead character, a supercharged spy that usually finds herself in dangerous situations that require her full resourcefulness to wriggle out of.
In an interview before the show’s debut on the streaming service, Mhende said Thusi’s on screen vulnerability had helped her connect with her own, thus helping her portray her character, multiple layered, a tough as nails woman, to the best of her abilities.
“You speak about her empathy, how could I bring that into the role?
“A lot of it was feeling the essence of Sechaba — as Dr Sid, my own fragilities as a woman, a performer and artiste and of course Pearl. She is someone I have looked up to for the longest time, and to work closely with her and see her be so vulnerable on screen, how could I not reciprocate as Miri?” Mhende said.
In another interview with an online publication, Mhende praised Thusi as “not only beautiful in spirit and physically, but has an amazing soul and mind.”
She went on to describe the rigorous steps that she took to prepare for the role.
“Outside of the script, I feel my way into the kind of person my character is by having a lot of fun with what my character wears.
“I think this preference comes from my theatre training. I was always taught that the shoes are the foundation of how you build a character, and then into the wardrobe.
“Making those choices are important for an actor.
“I specifically went with very uncomfortable clothing, I wore a corset, I wore a wig, I had very tight shoes and heels.
“Kagiso also had significant input into how the character was portrayed but he also encouraged my creative interpretation.
“Hairspray was my best friend on set because Miri is very particular about her appearance. It was all like armour; everything kept me restricted and helped me remember what to show of Miri and how to stay physically present in the character,” she said.