The Sunday News
YOU probably have no idea who she is, at least for now anyway — but please do write down the name Zibusiso Ncube because she is one new actress who is going to be on everyone’s lips sooner than later.
Busi, as she is fondly called by her friends, is a model who has turned to acting. Within two months she has already played lead roles in two local movies. She is the lead actor in the just released movie, Tsotsi. She is also going to play a lead role in Wrong Place Wrong Time, a movie which will be released later this year.
If all that seems to describe an actress’s career in ascent, perhaps that ride-up is an expected one — Busi has always known that she has the talent, but opportunity seemed to evade her. She tried many a time to audition for local dramas and movies, but a seemingly interminable series of misfortune made sure she never got the opportunity to exhibit her doubtless talent.
But as they say, luck favours the prepared mind. In 2015, a confident and mature Busi managed to not only get the opportunity to audition for an acting job, she grabbed it with both hands. So good was she at the auditions that Visual Concepts Production (the company which produced the two movies) offered her a professional contract to be under their stable.
On 21 March she watched the fruits of her determination as the movie Tsotsi premiered at Elite 400 in Bulawayo. Tsotsi is also expected to be premiered in Harare on a date to be announced.
“I still can’t believe it. I never thought I would get here. Maybe it’s a dream. Someone pinch me please. The only time I have been this excited was when I was offered a contract after the auditions. I mean I never even entertained the idea that Visual Concepts Production could consider me because there were over 150 people at the auditions. I didn’t think I could make it because there were people who seemed more confident, more talented and more skilled than me,” said Busi.
Having quickly found her niche as an actress at the age of 23, Busi was not tentative when asked about the good and the bad of acting.
She said: “The frustrating part (of acting) is cutting back to scene — I hate it because it means I am not doing it right. Acting is fun, however, I love it. It’s not a walk in the park of course, it’s a bit challenging because you have to be the character, you have to cry, and you have to laugh. You have to bring the character to life.
“The thing about Simba’s movies is that as much as it’s make-believe some of the scenes are for real — a slap on the cheek is a slap on the cheek, you can feel the sting of it. There are no stuntmen.”
So diverse are her talents that Busi, who is currently studying screen writing and script breakdown and wants to pursue studies in filmmaking later on, is confident she can act any part.
“Acting comes naturally to me because I have it in me. I can’t really explain it. I think I was born to do this. I can adapt easily to any character. We are now rehearsing for the movie Wrong Place Wrong Time and I am acing it,” she said.
With all that, her acting credo is simply summed up: “You pretend and then you pretend you are not pretending — that’s acting. When performing you feel safe and loved and you are in charge. Acting is where I get to bring out the crazy, the loving, the angry, the sad, the murderous, and the adventurous me without anyone judging me. The job is to act, to be the part.”
About her part in the movie Tsotsi, she said: “You can see me in the promos of the movie. I was even the face of the special movie tickets. My face was also used on the fliers and posters. I play the part of a girl whose mother is gravely ill and she needs to survive a kidney transplant. I have a loving boyfriend who can do anything for me. His deep love compels him to get into a life of crime just to save my mom. The twist is that my father is a policeman who investigates the crimes committed by my boyfriend. That’s all I can say. People should watch the movie. They will enjoy it. It will be out in DVDs soon.”
As for how she landed that part, she said: “Simba Magadzire, (the owner of Visual Concepts), was at the auditions. He saw me perform and he was impressed and that was that. I pretended to be calm but I was over the moon, I was so excited. You know that feeling you get when you catch one of the dreams you were chasing. I went home straight after and told my mom. I couldn’t even eat that night. I was not hungry, which was a surprise because I love eating a lot. I can’t imagine a day without food. I couldn’t wait for daylight, I was impatient. I wanted to act right away.”
Musing on the magnitude of breaking into the acting industry, Busi said: “It’s a nice way to start a film career. It’s not bad at all.”
