Actor replacements on various shows are not a phenomenon that’s unique to South African television. Shows like The Bold and The Beautiful, among other international shows, continue to do it. We have seen this trend with the 25 James Bond (007) films over a period of 50 years where the character was played by 10 various actors.
Recently in South Africa, renowned actress Terry Pheto has been cast to replace Bonnie Henna/Mbuli as Dudu in Rockville season three.
Kabomo Vilakazi at the 2013 SAMAs. The rapper believes replacing actors can never work.
This blog post is emanating out of my accidental twar with journalist/editor and rapper Kabomo Vilakazi. The SAMA award-winning artist tweeted that “replacing an actor/actress to play the same character has never worked. Ever.”
In the twar, I volunteered to blog this analysis based on examples of where it worked and where it didn’t but he just simply wasn’t interested. He told me to blog my heart away and that my opinion is not more important than his. It was just 60 minutes after the Season Three premiere of Rockville
I am not an actor but I would imagine in acting school, actors and actresses are taught about replacements in one of their modules. In my opinion, that can be a dissertation on its own. This brings me to the point I wanna make. What makes actor/actress replacements work or not work?
Hlubi Mboya turned Nandipha into a much-loved character after replacing Manaka Ranaka
When Hlubi Mboya was cast as Nandipha Sithole on Isidingo, she was cast to replace Manaka Ranaka who had fallen pregnant and the producers felt HIV positive Nandipha could not fall pregnant so it was gonna be difficult to write the pregnancy into the storyline.
However, Hlubi took the character, owned it and got people to fall in love with Nandipha. The same can be said about the late Ashley Callie who played Barker Haines’ daughter Lee Haines. Lee was so convincing in her role such that she developed herself a legion of fans.
Michaella Russell has been critiqued on her Charlie delivery
However, on the same show, the recasting of Charlie Holmes has caused quite a stir among the show’s viewers. Michaella Russell replaced Jay Anstey and viewers struggled to see the Charlie they knew in Michaella. Initially, the actress struggled with interpreting the role and its original meaning.
Hard act to follow: Jay Anstey set the bar very high for Charlie Holmes
Charlie is a wayward and rubble-rousing daughter which Jay understood perfectly especially when it came to Charlie’s psychosis and trouble-seeking ways.
Michaella was initially only good in delivering the script and character movement. However, she did not successfully act out the character’s thoughts and her wayward ways were not to the level Jay set.
Though the public called for Jay’s return, Isidingo stuck to its guns saying they are not bringing Jay back, instead, said the show’s head writer, they are throwing the new Charlie in the deep end. So much so that viewers almost got accustomed to the new Charlie as her acting improved. However, the original Charlie remains a hard act to follow.
Lesley Musina recently replaced Mutodi Neshehe as Ndalamo in Muvhango
Muvhango has had a number of replacements from Tumi originally played by Lebo Mathosa later by Shoki Sebotsane. Tsholo Monedi also did great justice to the role of Meme after the original actress was fired because she could not act.
However, onto recent replacement on Muvhango, Lesley Musina was called in to play Ndalamo Mukwevho on the show instantly connecting with the show’s viewers. However, Mutodi fans were not very pleased and took to social media to express their disappointment. Mutodi Neshehe (original Ndalamo) was quick to set the record straight calming everyone saying he likes the new Ndalamo.
Empathy: Mutodi Neshehe wrote on Facebook that he likes the new Ndalamo
The replacement of Angela on Generations: The Legacy isn’t working at all as the actress seems to be playing nobody but herself. Dineo Nchabeleng made Angela a much loved character especially since Angela grew up right in front of everyone’s eyes.
First class actresses: Baby Cele and Nthati Moshesh
One of the best character replacements that has worked like a perfect charm on South African television has to be the casting of Baby Cele as Thandeka on Season Four of Home Affairs. Nthati Moshesh personally recommended Baby to the show’s powers-that-be saying she would be most happy if the new Thandeka was played by an actress of Baby’s stature.
Baby stepped on set, got into character and delivered what Nthati delivered and more as she went in search of Thandeka’s deeper feelings including fears, dreams and aspiration without uttering a single word. As Thandeka faced a new set of challenges both professionally and personally, Baby stepped up to the challenge of doing justice to the foundation of the original actress while growing the character into the new season, essentially delivering a very powerful performance.
Unsurpassed act: Baby perfects any acting challenge thrown at her
Baby’s performance as Thandeka and Michaella’s as Charlie, may just as well be the pinnacle of this article as both actresses display traits crucial to this write up, for instance, the art of making a replacement work and making it not work. This is so especially if a great actress has played a character you would take over from.
While Baby grew the character of Thandeka in a heightened storyline, the same cannot be said about Michaella’s interpretation of Charlie on Isidingo during a heightened storyline. Needless to say, it is always going to be difficult in South Africa for everyone who takes over an existing role.
As critical as South Africans are, they do give credit where it is due. Which is why our journalists-cum-rappers, as artists, should think critically before posting sweeping statements that amount to blanket approach.
Michaella has since improved on her acting but Jay Anstey is hard act to follow
You see, Michaella missed an opportunity in winning the hearts of many Isidingo viewers. The elongated storyline of Charlie’s relationship with Barker’s nephew Bradley Haines, and how their parents frowned upon their relationship and the subsequent trial in which Bradely faced murder charges of his father, indeed threw Charlie in the deep end as the show tried to get viewers to eventually fall in love with her.
Essentially, Michaella did not build on the work of her predecessor, got on set, freestyled Charlie and hoped for the best. As much as I am not an actor, I am of the view you cannot just do that.
You have to fuse various elements as storyline surrounding the character develops and goes deeper to places where the original actor/actress was not exposed to in terms of story direction. There needs to be a balance between the new actor/actress interpreting the role and taking it further as story develops.
Beauty with brains: Terry Pheto is one lucky lady who works hard to achieve success
Currently, one hopes Rockville 3 will develop the role of Dudu's further and she will move over from being a spoilt-brat wife and really do some digging as she learns to fend for herself while her husband is in prison.
Terry isn’t exactly one of the best actresses around. She is just a beautiful woman who got very lucky, exploited her Tsotsi Oscar win to build a brand for herself while working hard in the process. That is not to say she isn’t an ok actress. She gets the job done and delivers to expectations – so far (on Rockville), she is doing only ok. Perhaps that is what could have prompted the tweet from Kabomo.
Terry as Malaika in The Bold and The Beautiful
Be that as it may, production companies across the globe will not stop replacing actors and actresses as we have seen locally, Isidingo was very defiant in their Charlie replacement and did not give in to viewers demands.
When all is said and done, I would imagine, from the perspective of an actor/actress, the art of replacing an artist on any given show is a hard act to follow and only outstanding artists can delivery to the level that TV viewers demand and expect.