She has come a long way since playing bad girl Belinda Nhlapo on Generations well over a decade ago. Actress Lulu Hela is now the executive producer on Mzansi Magic’s Gomora.
Her success wasn't instant nor overnight. Lulu has paid her dues and this promotion feels like a pat on the back, she says.
“It affirms that I am on the right track, it is a big deal to me. With 22 years in the industry, it feels as though all the commitment and sacrifices are paying off,” she says.
As much as this is a big win for Lulu personally, she acknowledges that it is also a big win for women in the industry that is still very male dominated.
“It is a great milestone for all of us as women. It is great for those that are still coming up to see that it is possible and those that are my peers to know they can do it too. It really propels all of us forward. I believe the more of us are on this level, then the louder our voice will be.
“Many black women gave me opportunities to learn and showed me the ropes and I would like to do the same for others.”
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What many people do not know, she says, is that even when she was on Generations or when she was shooting White Wedding with Zandile Msuthwana, Kenneth Nkosi, Rapulana Seiphemo and Jodie Whittaker, she was doing behind the scenes work on other shows like Zola 7.
“It has been such long journey,” she says. “Acting is the career I chose but producing is the career that chose me. I have worked on all levels of production and it is a space I never thought I would flourish in, but here we are.
“Even to this day people still come up to me and call me Belinda and I find it so funny because it was such a long time ago. I have made peace with it and I just take it as though it means I clearly did something right.”
Lulu says every project matters because they all align to lead you to your destination.
She does not believe producers or directors make stars. She has worked on multiple shows over the years, including Isithunzi and Class Act, an acting talent show which produced stars like Pallance Dladla and Abdul Khoza.
“We do no create stars, people come with that star quality in them and my job is to nurture them and give them guidance. I create opportunities for them to shine and I polish something that was already there. I’m sure God can find a way to get a person where they need to be without me, so means I can never claim to have made a person.”
As an executive producer on Gomora, Lulu says it is a job she takes very seriously
“My approach is very unconventional, but it gets the job done. I do not try to be a man. I like my soft, empathetic approach. In everything I do, I move from a place of wanting to serve. So even on set, I always look at how best I can serve. If a person needs to unpack the script, have good cry in my office, talk about how the script is triggering them, I am available for all of it and when we are done, they give the performance of their life on camera. Then I feel like my job is done.”
Another thing she believes is important is mentorship to the young actors.
“It is very important for us to model the right kind of behaviour for them. It is not only about lines and getting them right, but also in real life. How to carry yourself and career guidance are important. Even if the person does not take the advice or follow it to the T, but we need to help and support wherever we can. My job is to nurture them and be the big sister I needed too when I first started.”
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She’s a married mother of three. She says watching her children grow and how different they are is a marvel to see. They are aged 7, 3 and 10 months.
“I keep them out of the public eye out of protection. I do not want them to be affected by what their mother does for a living in any way. Yes, I hide their faces on social media for now, but that is not cast in stone. I am not defined by my accolades, when I get home from a long day of shooting, I am nothing but their mama and his wife.”
She's grateful for her husband’s support.
“He is like a base that propels me to flourish. He is such solid man, I really just like him as a human. Yes, I am in love with him but that is secondary. I genuinely like the person that he is. We have a really special relationship, and I am truly blessed.
