Thembi Seete opens up about her role in ‘Adulting’ S2

SAFTA nominee Thembi Seete is set to appear in the new season of Showmax’s hit drama series Adulting.

From being the queen of kwaito as a member of Boom Shaka in the 90s, to presenting popular TV shows such as SABC 1 dance show Jika Majika, and making her name as an acclaimed actress in Yizo Yizo, Gaz’lam, Zone 14 and Gomora, Thembi Seete has proven that she can do it all.

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THEMBI SEETE ON HER ROLE IN ‘ADULTING’ SEASON TWO

In Adulting Season 2, Thembi will be playing the role of Portia, a middle-aged, rich housewife who is at her sexual peak. The second season premieres on Showmax on 4 December, with new episodes every Monday.

Speaking about her role, Thembi said that Portia is a housewife, who has a home and a family that she loves very much. However, that is not enough for Portia, as she still wants to be taken care of, loved and come home to someone.

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“That’s the part that’s lacking in her life. Her husband gets into a whole lot of things, and does no good. This gets to a point where Portia feels like ‘I’m a woman and I also have needs.’ And this is when she decides, ‘I’m gonna take control of my life, my happiness and my needs.’ She goes out there to look for what’s missing in her life and she gets it. The best thing is, she’s paying for it and enjoying it at the same time,” she says.

The former Gomora actress says she’s never played a rich, spoiled and glamorous lady in her previous roles. She says this role is different and it has always been a dream to work with Tshedza Pictures.

“There comes a point in life when you get tired of playing it safe. You sort of want to stretch yourself a bit and kind of surprise yourself. I love the element of surprising myself and not being too comfortable in the things that I do. I know a lot of people will be like, ‘Thembi seems like she’s very strict with herself and she’s a good role model.’ But, why are we so scared to talk about sex? Why are we scared to talk about intimacy? 

“I think this stems from our parents because they were never comfortable enough to talk to us about intimacy. But it’s something that should be handled with respect. These are the elements I thought about – to say ‘you know what, sex is not a bad thing. It’s what created all of us.’”

Thembi says that the intimate scenes were the most challenging for her.

“My intimate scenes have never been this intimate. It really felt like it was my first time acting and that’s the beauty about acting. You can’t really say you’re comfortable with it because acting introduces you to different characters and different personalities. The things you get to do are always different. 

“So with this one, it came with a whole lot of things that really shook me a little bit and made me uncomfortable. But I also love being uncomfortable.”

STAYING CONSISTENT

After nearly three decades as an actress, Thembi says she maintains her consistency by opening herself up to learning, asking a lot of questions and make use of acting coaches.

“I explore different elements of each character I portray. It’s very possible to bring Gladys [from Gomora] into Portia if I don’t do my homework or if I’m not intentional about my moves. So I have to consistently approach my work as a student all the time and remain open to learning,” she says.

The musician also credited her co-star and former Big Brother Mzansi housemate Luthando “BU” Mthembu.

“I was lucky that they paired me with a very crazy person [Luthando BU Mthembu who portrays Vuyani], who’s easy-going and very good at making me comfortable. He made me so comfortable so I don’t think about myself too much. That’s the beauty about acting – it allows you to forget about yourself and to wear this character. I was able to put Thembi aside and be about Portia. But it’s also a blessing and a cherry on top when you have a co-actor that is as supportive and confident.”