Rhythm City actress Nolo Phiri is the producer, and Scandal actress Nolwazi Ngubeni is the casting director of Umkhokha: The Curse.
She plays every role she gets with the passion it deserves.
It was no different when it came to Nolwazi Shange’s short yet impactful time on the local modern-day Western series Outlaws.
Cast as the strong-willed matriarch of the cattle-farming Biyela family, Nolwazi’s character Nandi Biyela is described as the warmth of the household and community at large.
The 39-year-old actress and digital marketer’s time was cut short at the beginning of the season with Nandi and her husband Bheki Biyela (played by Siyabonga Shibe) gunned down by the cattle-raiding Ts’eole clan.While Nolwazi’s time on the show was short, her character’s presence is felt in her children Bandile and Sihle Biyela’s (played by Thembinkosi Mthembu and Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku, respectively) efforts to avenge their parents’ deaths.
Catching up with TRUELOVE, Nolwazi couldn’t believe she’s at the point of her South African Film and Television Award-winning career where she plays the mother figure.
“First of all, how on earth did I get here, when did I start playing someone’s mother? … But also, I keep watching my growth. The type of roles that I could play when I was younger and the roles that I play now I think it also just speaks to my own personal growth in my own personal life. It’s such a natural trajectory that we go through as humans.“And I don’t know, I feel like often as women we shy away from it. We shy away from growing older, and we don’t want to accept that knowing that is who we are. Our bodies change, our languages change, our outlook on life has changed and it’s such a beautiful thing.”
Sharing her thoughts on her character, Nolwazi explains, “She’s the person who binds the family together. As much as the dad is involved in the business, the family business, she’s made the home her business. But she also has a certain level of badassery that I absolutely love.”
Outlaws is the show that marked Nolwazi’s Showmax debut. She says that it is the story that hooks her into bringing a character to life.
“Story is definitely what attracts me first, but I’m also interested in telling the story. Who’s around in what world, who’s working on it, but I think story is what definitely compels me. Characters as well, they’re also what excites me. I don’t know, for me, it’s a feeling beyond anything else.