Thandy Matlaila has revealed that she was told she'd be blacklisted in the industry for speaking about inequalities and exploitation in the acting industry.
Speaking on Massiv Metro, the actress explained that after an article was published where she spoke out against the exploitation of artists in the acting industry, she received warnings that she would be blacklisted.
"Because of that article, I got calls from people asking 'Do you want to be blacklisted? You are going to get yourself in trouble!' I don't live for the industry. The industry needs to live in me. Until we get that right, this industry will never grow."
The 30-year-old said the reality is that actors are not valued and explained that people looking in from the outside end up judging actors thinking they are "wasting money".
"I was telling a friend of mine the other day - he likes video calling - and I was like 'you are going to deplete my data.' He said, 'hau, but you are a celeb. Aren't you guys sponsored?' It doesn't work like that. I have to buy my own data. People think we are unreliable and unreachable, meanwhile we just trying to live."
The actress told SowetanLive in November last year that she had to turn down multiple offers because production houses were only interested in paying her "peanuts".
She explained that one of the offers she turned down was from a production house she had worked with previously.
"They called me four years after our first gig and then wanted to offer me the same rate. I obviously declined the offer. That was insulting to me. You cannot do that as if the cost of living is not rising."
Listen to rest of the interview below:
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