Andrea Dondolo on her parent's divorce: 'I grew up an angry child'

Actress Andrea Dondolo has revealed that although in retrospect she has learnt lessons  from her parent's divorce, it left her an angry child and almost stole her chances of a happy adulthood.

Actors get to tell other people's stories on TV and in films, they seldom get to tell their own but speaking to TshisaLIVE Andrea said she hoped to get a chance to narrate own story.

The actress remembered the day her father told her he was leaving her mother.

"Imagine being 13 and walking in the graveyard with your father, just so he could tell you that he is leaving your mother and you. At 13, I was told I had to make a decision for me and my siblings. I had to choose who we were going to leave with, on the spot..."

Andrea said her parent's divorce, which was more than a three-year process, introduced her to a dark world where she was always angry and held grudges. She was moved from one house to the other as the process continued.

The actress said the only "blessing" it came with was that it taught her to journal, and pushed her to excel in sports and arts with hopes to find a better life elsewhere.

However, years after the incidents that have made her the woman that she is, Andrea used her experiences in the art. She revealed that she conceptualised the character of Vuyo (a character of a poor talented athlete played by Brenda Ngxoli) of SABC 1 drama Home Affairs and modeled it on her life. 

"It's crazy that some of us (actors) die without telling these kind of stories, even though we've lived through some of these experiences. I must write a play about that...I grew up an angry child. Because the thing is, mostly the repercussions only get to you way later in life, threatening your chances of a happy adult life."

Andrea said she realised that as a child she didn't deal with her anger, but is grateful that she later got into a space that allowed her to introspect and confront herself.

The actor said that drama and acting helped her expose the hidden pain she had and is the reason she is now "so content" with her life. All she wants to do now is get a chance to share her stories through the arts.