Actress Mbali Mavimbela (25) said she needed therapy after playing Hlomu in Showmax's drama series, The Wife.
This was in season one and she had just got her big break!
Mbali plays Hlomu, the lead actress in the series.
"Playing Hlomu came with its own challenges. It was nothing I expected because she had been abused and I've never been abused. As a result, I couldn't really relate to her at first," Mbali said.
"But when I got into her character, I was absorbed so much that I couldn't separate myself from her. I found myself thinking like Hlomu even when I was on set. Getting into her character came so naturally so much that I found myself struggling to get out of character.
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"For this reason, I decided to get therapy and find right support so I could live my life again. I had to separate Hlomu from Mbali.
"There were also other challenges in terms of the storyline, work and trying to find myself as this was my first big break.
"I'd say season one was the hardest and an eye-opener for me because the focus was on me.
"Also, people had created their own version of Hlomu, so I prepared myself according to their version," the actress said.
"It was a roller-coaster ride, but I pushed through.
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"In season two, I was calm. I understood Hlomu's storyline well.
"I'm grateful for this role because it healed a lot of women. I say this because from time to time women tell me that they can relate to Hlomu and that they healed,."
Mbali, who is now doing season three, said: "This journey hasn't been easy, but it helped me to grow." I've been grounded and I am more content with myself. I think I'm doing well for myself, I've learned a lot about myself." she said.
