Gail Mabalane – Blood & Water

By starrymag | June 11, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you have been working on? 

A) Apart from being part of the “Blood & Water” cast, I started shooting a film earlier this year which unfortunately had to be put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  I look forward to picking up on that and completing it hopefully soon.

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for “Blood & Water.”  

A) “Blood & Water” follows the exploits of sixteen-year-old Puleng Khumalo (Ama Qamata) as she engineers her transfer to the prestigious inner-city school, Parkhurst College.  Puleng takes us on this crazy ride as we experience life through her eyes as she transferred to the school to investigate the seventeen-year-old cold case of her abducted-at-birth older sister she’s never met.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the series?  

A) When I first read the script, I found it incredibly captivating and brilliantly written.  I also welcomed the challenge of playing a mother of three and a mother to a teenage daughter.  Then, of course, they had me at Netflix. [smiles] I had not done anything on the Netflix platform before, so I had to jump at the opportunity.

 

Q) How was your character Thandeka Khumalo originally described to you?  

A) At first, when I went in for my first audition, all I knew was that she a mother of three.  She’s the mother to Puleng Khumalo (our lead character) and her younger brother Siya (Odwa Gwanya), but also mother to the abducted at birth daughter.  I knew that Thandeka was a mother who would do anything for her children and lives with a sense of hope and positivity that her daughter will return.

 

Q) What kind of research or prep went into your portrayal?  

A) Apart from the fact that I have a good sense the void that “loss” can leave in one’s life due to my own experiences, I spoke to people who have experienced loss and have gone through the experience of a missing person in their lives.  That helped give me some perspective.  I then spent a lot of time adding authentic layers to the character.  As a mother myself, I was able to draw from my own life, too.

 

Q) Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them on this series?  

A) I had only worked with the brilliant Sello Maake Ka-Ncube before.  The rest of the cast I got to meet for the first time at our table read.  This was certainly a breath of fresh air.

 

Q) Were you looking forward to sharing a scene with someone(s) in particular?  

A) I went into shooting already knowing everyone I would be sharing scenes with.  I love how my character, Thandeka and her daughter Puleng’s relationship developed through the series.  There are some scenes I looked forward to shooting. In terms of shooting with someone in particular, I would have loved to at least have a scene with every character on the show…but that’s hardly ever possible. [smiles]

 

Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to film?  

A) Whew…it would have to be the scene in the first episode where Puleng finally gathers the strength and courage to share her feelings and express herself and how she feels about where the family is at.  It was a pivotal moment I believe for their mom and daughter relationship.  It’s also my favorite because it speaks to one of the things that I hope parents and teens can take away from the show.  The importance of open and honest conversations between parents and their children (teens in particular).  Teenagers want and deserve to be heard.

 

Q) How did you shake off a long day of shooting?  

A) Sometimes, I’d take walks because we were privileged enough to shoot in the beautiful city of Cape Town.  But most days, I’d hit the gym and sleep.

 

Q) What did you personally take away from your time on “Blood & Water?” 

A) The best thing I got to take away is new relationships I’ve been able to form and build on.  I love meeting new people and hearing their stories.  I love that I was able to connect and forge new friendships.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. What kind of fan feedback have you been receiving to the show?  

A) Oh man, the feedback has been absolutely crazy…in a good way. I think that I can speak for everyone on the show.  The amount of love we have received from all over the world has been overwhelming.  We continue to get so much love from our own country and continent, which is heartwarming.  Then, there are fans in Italy, Russia, the USA and so much more who continue to love on us.  From Inboxed messages to videos and collages and daily posts, we are truly so grateful.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and the work you do?  

A) Thank you, thank you, thank you.  We don’t do what we do for accolades. We do it because it’s what we love doing.  But there is great fulfillment in acknowledgement, like getting inboxes, messages of appreciation and encouragement from people who follow and support my work.