Entertainment_SA had the privilege to chat with Hlubi Mboya Arnold, the South African actress and AIDS ambassador best known for her role as Nandipha Sithole on the SABC3 soapie Isidingo.

Aside from her bubbly personality, Hlubi let us in on a few details about her interesting journey in acting, her fitness lifestyle and lucky for us, she even gave us a few marriage advice and health tips!

While many might think being a celebrity is all glitz and glam, Hlubi has opened up about the challenges she has faced in the entertainment industry during an interview with E-SA.

Here’s how the interview went down:

How do you feel about winning an award under the Best Supporting Actress category for the movie Dora’s peace during this year’s  SAFTAs?

‘’I feel quite honoured, God has opened up doors for me, doors that no man can close. For me, acting gives me a platform to spread the good news, spread the message and create a way for the people and things that matter to me in this world. Oh my gosh, acting is an access for me to reach minds and spread the message of the things that I believe in.’’

Your award speech during the SAFTAs saw you reveal that it came as a surprise to you because you were expecting Renate to bag it, can you please elaborate on that?

‘’ I think when you’ve been in the game for almost twenty years, you come to a place whereby you don’t expect things. You tell yourself that you doing it for the work and you doing it for the love, and the awards or compliments are just not important to you. I think she’s a fantastic actress, I love her work.’’

We are sure that it has been a blessing and entertaining journey for you as you climbed the ladder in the acting department. Tell us, what have you specifically gained from these experiences as an actor?

‘’I learned a lot for the past twenty years, I learned that this is an industry of rejection, this is an industry where you have to have a thick skin. Keep in mind that this is a highly competitive space, and there are times where there is no work, those are the times that made me stronger and I say ‘amen’ that I went through such stages, that’s why I am stronger today.’’

What have you learned from the role of Nandipha on Isidingo?

‘’I found out that I can make a difference through a role, I can make a difference in my country, and that I can make a difference in my continent. The role of Nandipha educated people, and it also eradicated the stigmas surrounding HIV/AIDS.’’

 

Do you feel that it is important for someone to be passionate about the theatre and acting in order for them to be successful?

‘’Of course, one needs to be passionate about anything, that’s what success is. The word ‘passion’ is so loosely used today, it’s has gone below passion. There needs to be something burning inside you that pushes you to wake up and grind.’’

What do you consider most challenging about acting?

‘’ I would say, to be able to create without any ammunition. I’ve been in a situation whereby I am doing a job but I just don’t feel my creativity stretching, and that is frustrating for us as artists.’’

There’s been a lot of breakups in the industry lately, and seeing that you are happily married, would you please share how you manage to keep the spark ignited?

‘’We’ve been married for over a year, and we’ve been dating/together for 15 years, and let me tell you something; yes he’s my friend, he’s my boy,  but for a relationship to be alive, you have to give it attention. You have to nature it, you have to give it love, and I am not saying I got a perfect marriage, but it’s how badly we both wanted it to work. So if you are a couple that does the same, you are bound love each other till the end. Lastly, don’t forget to treat each other with respect, and learn to understand each other and just do your best in marriage like how you do best in your career.’’

Which actor/actress serves as a source of motivation for you?

‘’Oh my gosh, there are so many of them, I mean there’s so much talent in the industry. My list starts from the likes of Joe Mafela (R.IP.), Vusi Kunene Rapulana Seiphemo, Lorcia Cooper you know, the list is endless, and thank God that I once had the privilege to work with them.’’

Hlubi gives out some fitness advice:

‘’For those of you who are into fitness as I am, you have to keep a regular schedule of exercise, be active in what exercises you do, socialize with people who are into the same exercises as well. I would also advice for people to meditate, just to take the edge off you know. With that said, I am not saying you should stop eating your Mcdonald’s/carrot cake/ pizza, I am saying learn to maintain a balanced diet and minimize all the unwanted carbs and fats. Another thing I’d like to say is, keep track of your spiritual life because it will lead you to feel good about yourself, and once you feel good about yourself, your whole body adjusts to that.’’

We are certain that you have bigger goals within your career, so please tell us, is there a dream role that you are aiming for?

‘’You know, I love my industry so much, and as a black person one needs to be versatile. So I’d like to write scripts, I’d love to produce scripts, learn a lot about the industry as well and have longevity.’’

What advice can you give to aspiring actors/actresses?

‘’Be courageous, be passionate about role-playing. This is a business of relationships, this is a business of people, walk with integrity, and be authentic every day!’’

What are some of the trends that you see in the theatre/in the entertainment industry that could help students plan for the future?

‘’There’s so much free online stuff that could help the youth build a better future for themselves, I mean there are organizations, NGO’s, things like ‘’SWIFT’’ (Sisters and Women in the Film and Television industry, NGO’S that give free master classes, free learning there are so much opportunities to empower yourself instead of gossiping about celebrities and following useless trends. Do your research, and build yourself!’’

Say you were not an actor (thanks God she is), what profession would you choose to occupy?

‘’I wanted to be an African diplomat, to be into law and politics, I mean where would do you think I get the vocals from? But God had a different plan for me, so here am I.’’

Some actors are notoriously difficult to work with. Could you talk about how you overcome these types of challenges?

‘’I’m very direct about unprofessional behaviour on the set, I always encourage people that just as much as the actors are important, the crew is also important. It’s also about respecting and treating the crew with dignity, that for me is a professional actor.’’

Hlubi has graced the covers of a number of South African magazines including True Love and Elle. She is the proudest of her Elle cover, as she was the first black woman (non-model) to appear on its front page.

She has also been ranked in five editions of FHM magazine’s 100 Sexiest Woman In The World, and to top it all off, she has been voted as the humblest and highly vibrant celebrity this month by E-SA!

Picture credit: Drum.co.za

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T.Nkabinde