- The thespian's 42-year career has seen her act in Isidingo, Generations and many other soapies.
- Tina's latest role follows in the upcoming spin off series How To Ruin Love: The Proposal.
- She has started her own company Tina Jaxa Productions (TJP) and has five shows in the works.
Few can deny the star power and talent that exudes from Tina Jaxa on our screens over the past 42 years or so.
She has been on our screens for a majority of her life but it was her appearance in the first ever episode of the hit soapie Generations as Priscilla Mthembu. Her subsequent roles as Lorraine Dhlomo in Isidingo and her iconic portrayal of Eve in the sitcom Madam & Eve from its second season also cemented her in the memory of South Africans countrywide.
Plus, who could forget her dazzling role as the sangoma in the hit comedy film I Now Pronounce You Black and White?
In recent years, the seasoned actor has been seen in well-known shows like BET’s Redemption and 1802: Love Defies Time, showing us that there’s much more to see from the thespian.
Through all the characters she’s taken on over the years, Tina shares with TRUELOVE the ins and outs of her decades long career.
Seasons of love
South Africa is about to be treated by more of Tina’s flamboyant flair with the latest expansion in the How To Ruin franchise – How To Ruin Love: The Proposal.
Set to debut on Netflix on 31 May 2024, the short series follows love cynic Zoleka (played by Sive Mabuya) who suspects her long-term boyfriend Kagiso (played by Bohang Moeko) is cheating, but not is all as it seems.
Tina transforms into Zoleka’s aunt and biggest advocate Liswa who is a free spirit that loves to party and speak her truth.
Touching on what she enjoys the most about being a part of this instalment of the How To Ruin universe, Tina says, “When I listen to my 34-year-old’s expectations and I'm like, what, no! Why would you want to move that far? Why would you look at those particular elements in a relationship?
“This is what really matters and I point all those things down. Then with this project, with the show How To Ruin Love: The Proposal, there are a couple of lessons that uZoleka should have learned, which is exactly where my character, Zoleka’s aunt, comes in. The fundamental and authentic way of loving a person should be how it should be, how they should conduct themselves in that.”
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Made for the screen
Whether it’s Durban Gen’s no-nonsense Nomvula Jack or the captivating Thembi in Vula Vala, Tina let’s the universe guide her when it comes to the roles that come her way.
“I let the process and the path and journey take us directly. I don't think there's a role that say 'I would never do that'. If I were to put those pointers across then it does not make me a thespian. I'm not truly being authentic to my craft because at the end of the day that's not who Tina is.
“That is just another persona, journey, that I’m bestowed with, which I need to treat with ultra respect without judging it in anyway because if you look at all the characters in your entire life [or] where you've seen movies, someone somewhere is going through that.”
If there was one role that impacted her greatly, it’s her South African Film And Television Award (SAFTA) winning performance of a hypochondriac mother in the 2014 series Shreds and Dreams, who discovers her missing daughter has been suffering unimaginable trauma at the hands of a family member.
"When describing the intensity of the show, particularly the scene where the police and medics find the child, Tina reveals, “That day, the way I cried! I must have cried for most mothers out there. I took it all the way deep but guess what, when I was done, when I picture-wrapped, that role affected me for two weeks straight up to a point that I had to see a psychologist.
“But anyway, then there was SAFTAs then I won two awards.”
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Going behind the scenes
What many don’t know about the award-winning actor is her passion for behind-the-scenes work and executive producing.
She has her own production company Tina Jaxa Productions – or TJP as she calls it. As with all projects still in the works, much will come to light once they’ve come to fruition but Tina teases us about five shows her and her team are working on.
At the very moment of our conversation with Tina, she reveals that her co-producers are holding a crucial meeting about the future of the exciting projects coming our way amid her hectic acting schedule.
“This year, I had a deep meaningful conversation with my agent in Cape Town … ukuthi, ‘Could you please, please, please just give me about three months just to concentrate on TJP?’ And they did and I'm glad that within that three months, we came up with about five shows.
“some of my former bosses are part of these five shows. People like your head writers, your lead directors, people who have directed me and one of the biggest giants, a production company, I'm about to co-produce with them.”
