Interviewing Global Icon & Acting Legend, Pearl Thusi – Lead Actress In Netflix’s “Queen Sono”
Pearl Thusi is widely recognized as being one of the foremost figures in the acting industry, worldwide. She rose to prominence on the local scene in South Africa about a decade ago. Pearl initially started out as a professional model before seamlessly transitioning into the acting industry. Her first big roles were in regional blockbusters such as “Zone 14” and “#1 Ladies Detective Agency”. It wouldn’t take too long for Pearl’s talent to garner widespread attention on the African continent. Her rising fame coupled with her acting prowess culminated in Pearl being casted in a number of global blockbusters. She landed big roles in massive productions such as Quantico, Queen Sono, Catching Feelings and Scorpion King. From the year 2017 onwards, Pearl began to establish herself as a trendsetter and pioneer. Pearl’s “Catching Feelings” became the first ever African film to be featured on Netflix. The film even ranked top 50 worldwide despite having a miniscule marketing budget. Acting icons such as Viola Davis and Gabrielle Union became avid admirers of Pearl Thusi after watching the film. In subsequent years, Pearl would once again become a pioneer for another Netflix “first”. Her highly touted “Queen Sono” became the very first African series to be produced by Netflix. This was a historic landmark for the continent of Africa and it paved the way for other African series to be produced and/or featured on Netflix. The actress would continue to push the boundaries and set the precedent when she became the first African woman to host a “Comedy Central Roast” show. Each of these amazing feats that Pearl accomplished have been fueled by her determination to provide a lasting legacy for her children while also extending the legacy and memory of her late parents.
Decorated Actress, “Pearl Thusi” – Tip of The Spear
Fans can connect with Pearl on her social media accounts i.e. Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. She has well over 10 million combined followers across all her social media platforms. The Hype Magazine’s Life & Style correspondent, Charles Myambo had an “IG Live” interview with Pearl Thusi. The full video of the interview can be seen below.
FULL INTERVIEW – “IG LIVE”;
https://www.instagram.com/tv/ClmNAoVgSWu/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Some Key Points Discussed During The Interview;
- Pearl once stayed in a cottage.
- Pearl eating scraps & leftovers in the past.
- #1 Ladies Detective agency – Pearl’s first acting opportunity
- Zone 14 (Auditioned 5 times) – Pearl’s experience with failure and perseverance.
- Being driven by providing for her children and establishing a lasting legacy for her family.
- Keeping the memory of her parents alive through her career and her life.
- Raising her children to become authentic and independent thinkers. Allowing her children to “respectfully challenge” her opinion as and where relevant.
- Rectifying the experience she had growing up where dogs were tied up or chained. Owning 5 dogs that she absolutely adores and providing them with an open area to play and be free.
- Pearl’s sympathy and empathy for all suicide victims who suffered in silence before their untimely death. Her brotherly love for the late Ricky Rick and the reason why he remains as her profile picture.
- How Pearl had to deal with so much loss in her life and find a way to keep persevering.
- Charles Myambo shared his experience of losing both parents by the age of 13.
- Pearl emphasizes the importance of categorizing pain, failure or loss as “character building” opportunities.
- Pearl mentioned how the path towards success is often filled with failure.
- Pearl explains her motivation behind being such a trailblazer and why she always aims to be the first to accomplish feats.
- “You are bound to get lost at least once along the journey if you are searching for something or a place that has never been reached”.
- Career Milestones (thus far) – Scorpion King, Quantico, Queen Sono, Catching Feelings and Comedy Central show hosting.
- Catching Feelings (First Film Netflix Acquired From the continent)
- First Black African Woman to host a Comedy central show
- Queen Sono (First African Series Made by Netflix)
- Catching Feelings was Top 50 in the world (without much marketing)
- Legacy. Empowering Africans to be able to negotiate on an equal level with the American/Western Industry.
- Pearl’s partially fulfilled and ongoing desire to become the “tip of the spear” in her industry.
- Colorism & light-skin shaming. Pearl has dealt with people often undermining her achievements all her life.
- Dealing with Jealous people & unfair criticism.
- Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
- Pearl’s desire to become “first person” to accomplish feats.
- Charles commended Pearl Thusi’s exceptional wisdom, compassion and insight.
- Pearl graciously responded to a few questions from the audience during the “IG Live” interview.
- Pearl’s upcoming music single (debut)
CREDITS: Interview organized by Renton Wade and Yvette Gayle.
Pearl Thusi’s Social Media Handles;
- Pearl’s Instagram – 4.8M Followers;
https://instagram.com/pearlthusi?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y
- Pearl’s Facebook – 2.1M Followers;
https://www.facebook.com/pearlthusiofficial
- Pearl’s Twitter – 3.4M Followers;
https://twitter.com/PearlThusi?t=SrS05hSEhBik6A5ePYWqzA&s=09
- Pearl’s Tik Tok – 500K;
Renton Wade’s & Yvette Gayle’s Instagram Handles
- Renton’s Instagram;
https://instagram.com/rentonwade?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Yvette’s Instagram;
https://instagram.com/yvettedgayle?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Africa’s Pride – “Pearl Thusi”
About the Author
Charles Myambo (@BigChaz14 on Twitter) is a columnist and correspondent for industry leader, The Hype Magazine. He is also well known for being a multiple genre #1 Amazon best selling author. In addition to that, Charles is a credentialed journalist as seen in Muck Rack & Press Reader and he is also a highly touted celebrity news correspondent. Moreover, Charles is an international celebrity host and interviewer who has been covered by some of the world's biggest publications. At present, his interviews have been covered by credible journalistic outlets such as Medium, Flipboard, Press Reader, Muck Rack and many others. He is also a columnist for huge African newspapers such as NewsDay, Daily News, iHarare, ZiFM Stereo (radio station), H-Metro, The Financial Gazette as well as several other European and American publications. (@charlesmyambo on Instagram)
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