Zikhona Sodlaka on keeping the world glued to their screen: 'It's our turn now'

Seasoned actress Zikhona Sodlaka has been doing the most to keep audiences glued to their screens and being in two Showmax hit shows, the actress is owning 2022.

The Mthatha-born actress has already earned DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Award and Safta nominations this year for her fan-favourite role as Mandisa in The Wife, Showmax’s most popular series.

Now she’s also stealing scenes in the African fantasy epic Blood Psalms, which had the most first-day views of any drama on Showmax. 

In Blood Psalms, she plays Sithenjwa, the mistress of senator Jabari (Richard Lukunku) of the mighty Great Nziwemabwe. She’s travelling with him to the Akachi citadel for the wedding of king Letsha (Mothusi Magano), but she has ulterior motives.

TshisaLIVE got a Q&A with the 37-year-old to find out more about starring in two hits shows at the same time:

How does Mandisa differ from the roles you’ve played before?

I think Mandisa is probably the most honest character I’ve ever portrayed. I love how extremely brave she is and how she’s unafraid of wearing her heart on her sleeve. They don’t write characters like Mandisa on television. Every woman has to be perfect, neat and speak a certain way. Mandisa is the opposite of what women characters in South Africa are written as. But I know a lot of Mandisas in real life. 

How similar are you in real life to Mandisa? 

She’s Xhosa and I'm Xhosa; that's all. We're very different. 

I'm shy and quiet in real life, so it's been really lovely playing somebody so loud. That's one of my favourite things about her: her absolute imperfection. Everything about her is so wrong to a person like myself, who likes to hold back. 

It doesn't matter what she sounds like; it doesn't matter what she looks like; it doesn't matter what her size is. Which is something that was quite a sore point for me in season 1 because I had just had a baby and I was just like, ‘Oh my God, do I want to play this role? Shouldn't I wait until I'm an eight again?’

Playing her has taught me to be a little bit braver. 

Tell us about your character in Blood Psalms in comparison? 

Sithenjwa poses as a concubine but she’s more than what meets the eye. Her mission is to continue the legacy of her family and set things right by her sister and the gods. 

It’s a very powerful story that sets women as epic powerful creatures. It leans a lot towards the times of the queendom and when the world was led by powerful women. Just imagine the immense power of what the world was when queens used to rule the world.

How would you describe Blood Psalms? 

I call it the African Game of Thrones because it's an epic. It's a game changer. 

Blood Psalms looks action packed. Did you get to do some stunts? 

Yes, everyone was excited to be part of all that kicking and fighting. It's just so cool. I actually think that, personally, I'm leaning towards that way of life: getting more into action and stunt work. 

What do you hope the audience will take away from Blood Psalms?

I hope people will be reminded one way or another of who they are and who black people were before colonialism. It's pre-everything. It is pre-colonialism, pre-borders and it is before the division of the countries in the continent. It was free rein. People could travel from any part of the continent to another. I hope we get that vision of ourselves while watching the series.

Blood Psalms is shot entirely in vernac. Tell us about the role this played in the story.

The language of the show is so beautiful and poetic because there’s not an ounce of English in it. Viewers will be able to experience Sello Maake KaNcube in his Setswana language, Bokang Phelane, who plays Zazi, in her Sesotho, and then Richard Lukunku, with whom I play, in Lingala, which is his language. It’s frickin’ amazing; it’s just a dance of languages. What else must we do if we are not telling stories in our languages? In Blood Psalms, we get to hear ourselves. And when hearing ourselves, we affirm ourselves. 

Why should people watch Blood Psalms? 

Blood Psalms takes us to a time we don't know, but it feels familiar. It's like our ancestors lived like that. There's a lot of respect, but also a lot of realism and a real sense of the epic. It's fantastical but grounded. I think people will be blown away.

The Wife and Blood Psalms are both ground-breaking series. How do you feel to be part of such great success?

It’s very nice to be part of something that sets the standard. And the standard is high. I don’t want anything else for myself and for my career. I’ve had an unfair privilege to be part of some ground-breaking productions; it’s becoming a habit. It’s an honour. It’s a confidence booster.

It’s also a reminder that South Africans are watching and they know what they want. A reminder that these are the kinds of stories we want to see as South Africans. We want to see ourselves reflected on screen. We are patriotic in that way that we don’t want to be told something we can’t relate to. Tell us stories that reflect us.

Showmax has allowed storytellers to explore more than they were able to a decade ago. What impact has this had on the industry, in your opinion?

Showmax is daring to be more authentic. 

So, yes to the money and to the bravery of saying, ‘Tell this story even if it has never been done before’. The audience is ready for it. The biggest myth is we aren’t telling certain stories because the audience is not ready for them, which is a lie.

South Africa belongs to the world as well and people get to watch shows from all over the world, from Asian shows to European shows, American shows to continental shows. There is no way the audience is not wrapped and ready. We’re not living in isolation from what’s happening in the world. So we’re watching and streaming; now it’s our turn to join the party.

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.