Actress Vele Manenje is enjoying her role as a shebeen queen on Mzansi Magic’s telenovela Diep City.
The talented actress plays of Maureen on the show.
Speaking to SunBuzz, the former My Perfect Wedding presenter said: “I was over the moon when I was approached for the role because one of the roles that I’ve always wanted to play was a shebeen queen, but besides that I also liked the script. It’s local, and it speak about real people and real-life problems.
“Immediately after I was told about the role, the next day I drove to Alex and visited a couple of shebeens to see how they do things and what type of shebeen queen I want to be.
“The only way you can make a character be authentic is to be around those types of people and learn their habits and ways, so it comes out well on screen.”
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Although she enjoys playing Maureen, the 33-year-old said playing her is emotionally taxing.
“She has realised that she and her husband cannot have kids and that is her biggest pain. Stepping into that journey has been an emotional roller coaster.
“So far, the scenes that we have shot, I’ve been crying almost everyday because of the pain that she’s going through. She had to belittle herself and do things that will allow her to have a child,” she said.
Although Vele has not started her own family but hopes to do so soon, she said tat her storyline is important because it will create awareness around health issues.
“I think it’s important and pivotal for us to educate people about this kind of situation as there are many women out there who go through the pain of not bearing a child and sometimes it’s not their fault.
“Our biggest point of telling this story is that we want people to stop questioning those things and be more sensitive about the fact that it could be the man, and also raise health awareness about fibroids and other health-related things that could possibly prevent a couple from not bearing a child,” Vele said.
When asked if she had ever turned down a role because it goes against her beliefs, Vele said yes.
“Now that I’m older I’ve realised that there’s no role I cannot play because I’m an actress and my job is to tell stories. I’m not afraid to play anything, even if it goes against my beliefs,” she said.
