She’s cemented herself in the entertainment industry. When the name Linda Sokhulu is mentioned, you already know that she will deliver.
Whether she is a high-powered attorney on Sokhulu and Partners, or as Nomasonto, the ex-hooker known as Cleo on Generations or even as Ziyanda, the radio executive with an ancestoral calling on Rhythm City, Linda always brings her A game.
Soon she will have viewers hot under the collar in Grown Woman, which will premiere on Mzansi Magic in February. She will play Tina Hlatshwayo, a recently widowed 49-year-old woman who falls for a much younger man.
Forget Stella, Tina gets her groove back in the least expected way.
After the death of her husband Sbu, Tina – known to many as ‘Mrs H’ – has to learn a new way of living not just for her two children, but for herself.
Having been married for 25 years, she spent all her time balancing work and home, but with their children grown and her husband gone, it’s time for her to look inwards and figure out who she is and what makes her happy.
On this new journey, she encounters a handsome, much younger man, Rakwena known as ‘Ra’, who helps her rediscover herself and brings about a much-needed sexual awakening.
Read more | Linda Sokhulu on her new role on 7de Laan
The star-studded cast has Bohang Moeko playing Ra, Sandile Mahlangu playing Tina’s son Sakhile and Bahumi Mhlongo playing her daughter, Noxee. The cast also includes celebrated actresses Nandi Nyembe and Hlubi Mboya.
Speaking to Drum about her new role, Linda says she is excited for audiences to see what they have put together.
“The story is beautifully crafted,” she says.
“Tina finds herself in uncharted waters and she is trying to live again. But finding Ra in her life was unexpected especially because she was so in love with Sbu.
“Also, the chemistry between Tina and Ra is so organic. I think the way he approaches her is very important. He does not woo her as a conquest. And even though she initially had reservations about him because of his age, she engages with him simply as a man and not just a younger man and is toe to toe with him.”
She says women should be allowed to move on after the death of their husbands.
“It is a very backward way of thinking to expect women to be eternal widows.”
After taking some time out of the limelight for a while, Bohang says it is good to be working again.
“Actors go through seasons, sometimes you have lots of work and other times you don’t. It is part of an actor’s life. But I found it to be a blessing in disguise because I was forced into working on my own things which I would like to act in and produce.”
One of his last roles before his break was playing Gabriel on Isono which was different from most of his roles. Gabriel wasn’t some pretty girl’s love interest or the hot guy who often took his top off.
Read more | Seriously Single’s Bohang Moeko and Yonda Thomas reflect on love and dating
“It was a really challenging role and great role to play because it had nothing to do with his looks. He was just a guy who felt he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was in constant internal conflict. So he was always in two minds and as an actor, I had to go on that ride with him. He was burdened and he was a very layered and nuanced character.”
Bohang cannot sing Linda’s praises enough for the work they did together on Grown Woman.
“Working with Linda was great, and I would love to work with her again. This project was fun, safe and was an adventure. And I say safe deliberately because for such a project we had to rely a lot on chemistry and that is not something that can be forced or faked. But she always made it feel easy and comfortable.”
Linda has been in the industry for decades, and Bohang says she is always so gracious on set and a pleasure to work with.
“She was elevating, completely amazing and very collaborative. There were a few scenes where she challenged me and if she had not done that, they would have been flat.”
Though she’s older, he says they approached each other as peers and the intimate scenes were not as awkward as they would have been if he viewed her as “Aus’ Linda”.
“It’s not like on Isono where Aus Nthati, Nthati Moshesh who played Mother Mary, was always like a mother figure to me. So it would have been awkward to say now I have to kiss Aus’ Nthati,” he laughs.
Grown Woman premieres on DSTV channel 161 on 3 February at 9.30pm .
