SHE was still a schoolgirl when her teacher tried to talk Nomvelo out of being an actress.
So, to prove a point, she enrolled at the National School of the Arts in Joburg. She wanted to show everyone that if she wanted to do something, she would not be discouraged.
“I had a point to prove and I knew acting was meant for me,” she said.
Nomvelo Makhanya (21), who plays the role of Lindiwe Ngema on Scandal, said during her first audition at the school she was unprepared and her mother, Phindile Makhanya, asked for a postponement.
“I was given a week and that is when I prepared and became ready for my acting career.”
Nomvelo, with other pupils, was selected to be part of the audience for Redi Tlhabi’s show.
“When we arrived at Sasani Studios, I saw the big word ‘Scandal’ written on the wall. I told myself one day I’d be part of the cast.”
Weeks later she got a call to say that Scandal was looking for a Zulu-speaking teenager.
“I was 16 by then and I went for it. I got a role that tapped into feelings that I didn’t really want to feel, but they got me into the emotional space to play the bigger scenes,” she said.
Today Nomvelo, from Greytown, KZN doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore.
Speaking about her Scandal character, Lindiwe, she said: “Sometimes I feel like slapping her.”
Lindiwe is a 17-year-old girl who set her mind on something and went all out to get it.
“But it is obvious the boys are using her. She even ends up running away from home and is kidnapped because of the boys.”
Nomvelo was diagnosed as bipolar last year and she suffers from anxiety and depression.
“I use my acting to inspire people and let them know they are not alone. If I am sad, I allow myself to be sad and I cry.
“Young people have many challenges and it is hard for them to adjust.”
