ALL THE WAY UP

Amamkele “Ama” Qamata, 22, of Blood & Water and Gomora fame, chats to us about life, gratitude and the limelight. By PHILA TYEKANA

I’ve always wanted to be an actress. Since childhood, I knew entertainment was the industry I wanted be in. At school, I participated in drama productions and, at the age of 16, my pursuit into the industry kicked off with a role in a Cheese Curls advertisment. I was eager and I think it showed because the director of the same advert cast me in a McDonald’s ad he later worked on. At age 17, I debuted as Naledi on the SABC 1 sitcom, My Perfect Family.

Producer and director Kutlwano Ditsele was casting director for Netflix’s series, Blood & Water. He’s also the executive producer on Gomora and called me to audition — and that’s how I became Buhle. In 2016, after finishing matric at Reddam House in Bedfordview, I took a gap year. Luckily, I don’t have parents who dictate what I should do with my life and they’ve always supported my acting. I wanted to get a feel for the entertainment industry and see if it really was what I wanted to pursue. I was initially meant to study acting at the New York Film Academy, but their academic year begins in September and I chickened out of that. I interned to learn the ins and outs of the industry and that’s when I met Kutlwano.

I dropped out in my second year of a theatre course at the University of Cape Town for my role in Blood & Water. Being part of the production was amazing but also daunting. I played a lead character for the first time, ever, and at such a big scale. It was scary and came with a lot of pressure. However, we had an awesome director in Nosipho Dumisa, who held our hands throughout the entire process. She knows what she wants and how to paint a picture for the cast. We got along well, as a cast, and created a family setup for ourselves. It really felt great working with everyone. We never anticipated how big the show would be. The Netflix team would fly in and watch some of the footage and give great feedback on how big the show would be once it aired. I just thought they were being polite and brushed it off. Little did I know what was to come.

It’s a great feeling being part of this new wave of actors. The

industry truly is opening up. It’s even better that we are so well received. The day before Blood & Water premiered, the cast all got together on a Zoom prayer session to assure ourselves it was in God’s hands and, whichever way the show went, it was His will. And just like that it blew up, not just locally but internationally too. I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life; what a beautiful feeling. It just shows how quickly life can change. This time last year I was a completely different person. I was at school, living a normal life and people didn’t know who I was.

I’m currently filming Gomora — Season 2 is in the works and will be on air sooner than everyone thinks. I’ll also be in Cape Town filming the second season of Blood & Water. There’s a Dutch series called Commandos: The Mission that came out in August that I appeared on. I genuinely love acting and believe it’s something I’ve been called to do. Everything that comes after it is just additional. I will admit, it’s weird having most people recognise my face right now.

Off camera, I’m laid back and I enjoy my quiet time. I’ve received a few scripts from other productions and am going over those. Reflecting on how things have panned out for me, I realise I’m more spiritual now. I’m learning that things aren’t in my control. There’s a reason why God put me in this position. There’s something He wants to do through me and I want to figure that out.

If I had to describe my childhood in five words, I’d say: comfortable, because my parents worked hard to provide a comfortable life for us. They work together at their mining and construction firm. I’m the oldest of three siblings. Loving, because I’m grateful my parents allowed us the space where we could explore different things. I did most things as a child, from ballet to singing lessons. Then it would be adventurous, grounded and artistic.

Oddly enough, for an actress I don’t watch a lot of TV. I did, however, watch Beyoncé’s Black Is King. I love its aesthetic of black royalty. That was stunning and I would love to be part of a production like that. I really don’t know why Beyoncé didn’t call me, yazi! [chuckles]

I’m walking out of the lockdown with a deeper appreciation for my family. I’m valuing and putting more effort into spending time with them. We live in such a fast-paced world that it’s so easy to neglect the thing that is most important to us. At the end of the day, family is all we have. I plan to travel once the lockdown is over. I have to go to America and not just for leisure but to explore acting opportunities that side. I also plan to go to Nigeria to check out the scene there and other parts of the world where they tell good stories.

I’m petrified of snakes and I don’t think I’ll ever get over that fear. Last year I grew a fear of flying and now have to take anxiety pills every time I get on a plane. I was on a flight from Mozambique to Joburg and we experienced the worst turbulence. The plane shook badly and we had to fly back as the