Scandal actor Jerry Mofokeng has bashed South African TV producers for hiring slay queens for their productions.
The veteran actor shared his sentiments at the SAFTas stage on Saturday and further delved in on Instagram.
ALSO READ: Triumph or Insensitivity: Meyiwa Family Slams SAFTAs As Senzo Documentary Wins
Scandal Wins At The SAFTAs
Scandal won the Most Popular TV Soap/Telenovela and Best TV Soap awards. Also, Melusi Mbele, who plays Jojo Kubeka, scooped the Best Actor in A TV Soap accolade at the South African Film & Television Awards.
After Scandal won at the SAFTAs, Mofokeng, who plays the role of Neo Mogkethi, aired his two cents on stage. He took the opportunity to express his frustrations on the current state of the acting industry.
He sharply reprimanded television directors and producers to “cast actors and not models”.
Jerry Mofokeng Bashing TV Producers For Hiring Slay Queens [Image: dr_jerry_official/Instagram]
Jerry Mofokeng Tears Into Slay Queens
Feeling the stage restricted him, “Ntate Mogolo” described how productions hire talentless and unprofessional slay queens. He shared on Instagram:
“You get on set ready to rehearse. The influencer arrives 2 hours late, and it’s no issue. They saunter into the dressing room, and then the makeup artists have to work around the phone that is glued to their hand. They finally get on set, and the director has to be careful not to cross them. The producers and the channel must always be happy. The scene is blocked, and you feature prominently when they are not in a close-up.
“Then the cherry on the cake is when you are told to tone down your acting because you are not number 1 on the call sheet. You dare not upstage or upset the ‘Lead’. This is not an exaggeration. Acting is like playing a tennis game. It’s a give-and-take. The more you give to your fellow actors, the more they give you – the more you challenge each other. Then the magic happens. It’s painful to play against a wall.”
