Having made her way from the big stage to the small screen, Verulam born award-winning actress Samantha Govender tells us about her career, her new role on a well-known e.tv drama series and why theatre will always be her first love.
Theatre and acting were always in the stars for Samantha. From dancing and imitating others in front of the mirror as a child, to writing and directing plays and winning drama awards at school – she was simply born to entertain.
And entertain she has. Over the years, Samantha has won a host of awards, performed in a string of theatre and comedy productions and, in her most recent part on the e.tv drama series, Imbewu: The Seed, she plays the role of a strong female lead character named Aunty Jyothi.
Coming from what she calls a simple, grounded and spiritual life growing up (her mother was a single parent raising four children on her own), Samantha says she always felt carefree and uninhibited as a child. “My mom firmly believed that prayer and education would be the key to our riches in the world and lead to self-empowerment.”
After school Samantha completed a B.A degree in drama and performance studies, media communication and English. While studying she found her acting feet performing in drama department productions and, in her final year, she was cast as the lead actress in a play called Bad Girls Go to Heaven, in association with The Playhouse Company. She later did her post-graduate degree in education and has a Cambridge certificate in English.
After winning a ‘best newcomer’ award at the Mercury Durban Theatre Awards for her role Bad Girls Go To Heaven, Samantha went on to perform in various theatre and television productions.
“I’ve starred as the lead actress, Pushpa, in the film Pushpa’s Love Child on Mnet, produced by Durban Motion Pictures, as well as the lead in Curry Muncher, produced by Figjam Entertainment. I’ve acted in Keeping up with the Kandasamy 1 & 2, produced by African Lotus productions and I did radio drama acting at Lotus FM for seven years before branching into radio drama writing. I was also a presenter at Megazone FM.”
Samantha’s recent work includes staging a theatre play (written and directed by her) in association with the Playhouse Company. The show, she says, was supposed to be staged at the beginning of July, but has been put on hold due to the pandemic.
Her current role, of course, is that of Aunty Jyothi in Imbewu: The Seed. “The show is a multi-cultural South African drama series that airs on e.tv at 9.30pm. It is produced by Grapevine Productions. My role is that of Pranav’s long lost sister who becomes an integral part of the storyline after her brother disappears and dies. She is a strong character, much older than me, and she has her own set of values and traits.” Samantha says she loves playing ‘round’ characters, which she describes as major characters in a storyline, which are complex, intriguing and unpredictable.
While she enjoys doing television, Samantha says her first love will always be theatre. “It is where the magic happens. There is no final take – it is the only take. What you see is what you get. Television, on the other hand, involves a lot of takes, a lot of editing and a lot of long hours!”
The thing she loves most about acting, Samantha says, is being given the opportunity to tell a story and take on different characters. The biggest challenge for the industry is financial stability in the arts – especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. “As artists we need to re-evaluate our circumstances in order to survive. We will need to branch out and learn something new every day.” Asked what her advice would be to aspiring young actors Samantha says, “it’s a hard game and you get some nasty players. You’ve got to have a thick skin to survive in this industry. Know what you want, work hard, stay grounded, study your craft, get as much experience as you can and have a back-up plan. Most importantly, invest in your mental health.”
Text: Leah Shone
