Pearl Monama debuted on Generations in June and since then she's been in a whirlwind of action as Jack's (Vusi Kunene) daughter Sphe.
She burst onto the scene so suddenly that I've been most quizzy about her. What's it like to go from being a recently graduated actress to landing a major role on the country's No.1 show?
I had a chat with her to find out:
Tashi: It's your first TV role and it's such a notable one. What's it been like?
Pearl: Extremely overwhelming. You know, when I started and I was told about the wedding and all of that, it just completely overwhelmed me. It took me a while to warm up to the entire idea that this is me being on such a big soapie.
Everything is just coming in bits and pieces and the wedding was so big so that was also overwhelment on top of overwhelment. It's like a huge volcano that's erupted but I'm very happy about it and extremely excited because this can only be the beginning of greater things to come.
Tashi: Absolutely, this is your big break. What was the audition process like?
Pearl: The audition wasn't really difficult at all. When I auditioned I had two scripts and because they were still writing for Sphe, I auditioned with Angela's scripts (former Generations character).
I was thankful because usually when you audition you don't get a chance to run the scene with anyone that you'll be reading with but on the day I auditioned with Bafana (Mnqobi Duma).
He came out and sat down and we ran both scenes and that immediately calmed me down so when I entered (the audition room) I knew what his voice sounded like, I knew what the flow of the scenes were so I was completely calm at the audition.
I was a bit nervous when I had my onscreen audition, which was my first callback, but that also went well.
Pearl got two callbacks before landing the role the day after her second callback.
Tashi: What was your first day on set like?
Pearl: Yoh! I was so nervous... sometimes you're nervous and you can cover it up and all of that but I could literally feel that I was nervous and because my first day on set was also my introduction to the husband to be - all of those nerves were boiling up.
I think my voice was shaking at some point so it was nervewracking and very overwhelming but you know, you get over such things quickly. You snap out of them and you carry on with the work.
Tashi: And now you're one of the family. Literally! - after the wedding. How has your life changed since being on the show?
Pearl: My life hasn't changed all that much. People haven't really started recognising me for one. I was telling my brother this morning that if you know me, you'll know that that's me on screen, but I haven't been bombarded for pictures and autographs and things like that so it hasn't really changed that much.
But the people that are
in my life, they are the people who've done a 160. They ask a lot of questions: "How does it feel? What do you do? What is it like?" It's exciting but I think everyone else is excited more than I am.
I think it's simmered in me... like the wedding I shot in June already and it's only happened now so that excitement for me died down and then it came up again. It's just getting used to being excited at one point in life and then being excited about the
same thing when half the country's excited about it. *
laughs*
Tashi: Where do you stay? Near the studios?
Pearl: No, I actually stay near the East Rand, in Benoni. It's a distance but I've had to get used to it quickly.
Tashi: Tell us about you. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school?
Pearl: I was born in Witbank and then we moved to Benoni. I actually went to Afrikaans schools - my entire schooling was in Afrikaans.
Then I went to study film and drama studies at the University of Pretoria, that's where I did my honours as well and I've been performing with Fana Shabalala (from The Forgotten Angle Collaborative) and doing physical theatre with Bailey Snyman and Nicky Haskins (from Matchbox Theatre).
Tashi: Why did you go to an Afrikaans school? Is your family Afrikaans?
Pearl: No, no-one in my family speaks Afrikaans. You know, I don't know why mom sent me to an Afrikaans school... I think the kindergarden that I was at when she was working was the closest to her work and that was the kindergarden that was predominantly Afrikaans so that's the language that I picked up first.
When I went to Grade 1 - you know they have those inerviews with kiddies before they sign them up - so when I went to Grade 1 they did my interview in English and then I started answering the questions in Afrikaans so they said to my mom: "Just keep her in Afrikaans, it's going to be easier."
I went to Laerskool Kragbron in Witbank and Hoërskool Brandwag in Benoni. My mom was like, "This is the advice I got long so I'm going to stick with it."
Tashi: What do your mom and dad do?
Pearl: My mother works at African Bank and my dad works at Standard Bank in the Homeloans division.
Pearl lives with them.
Tashi: I can imagine for them, you being on the show - it must be crazy with everyone at work at well.
Pearl: Yes, my mom's still getting phonecalls - even from old friends she used to work with in Witbank. People are still calling saying, "I saw this girl, she looks a lot like your daughter - is it her?" My mother's very excited.
It's one industry that parents - like certainly black parents - don't really understand. When I started going for auditions and nothing was coming up, the worry starts. She'd say: "Just do a masters, maybe things will be better after that," so when this came up she's still over the moon to this day.
Tashi: What's the biggest similarity between yourself and Sphe?
Pearl: Sphe's very humble and she's very respectful and she's not a loud person and I'm a drama student so we've got our craziness here and there but I'm just as respectful and I'm just as humble and I'm just as soft as she is. Her father is Jack Mabaso so that adds a bit of mystery to her. I'm not as mysterious but I'm just as humble and respectful and sometimes quiet. I'm only crazy when I'm around artists like me.
Tashi: And the biggest difference?
Pearl: She's sneaky I believe - she's very sneaky - and she's mysterious. I think that's the biggest difference - I don't think I sneak around like Sphe does.
Tashi: Is there anything else that people should know about you?
Pearl: Just keep watching. You know, I might here and I might not be here the next day so just keep watching and looking out for me. Acting's not the only thing that I do.
Tashi: Ja, you sing as well don't you?
Pearl: No -
Tashi: You drum!
Pearl: I hold a note. *
laughs* I'm a mover as well and I do theatre as well and those are the things that I don't want to lose.
Tashi: Are you single?
Pearl: Yes I am,
very single.
Tashi: What do you in your time off?
Pearl: I'm at home watching television. A couch potato! I don't go out partying - if I do it's once in a while.
Tashi: Besides Gen obviously, what are your favourite shows?
Pearl: So Generations is No 1. We also watch isiBaya at home and I love reality TV for some reason. Tia and Tamera was my favourite but that's off screen now and I love your Cake Boss and all of those shows. And cartoons - I love cartoons.