7de Laan actor Nicholas Nkuna has spoken out on the backlash he and actress Carina Nel got for sharing an interracial kiss, expressing his sadness that such conservative thinking still exists in Mzansi.
Nick and Carina left some fans fuming when they locked lips during a scene on the soapie late last month. The two apparently even received hate mail after the episode aired from those who thought the show had gone too far by showing two characters of opposite races getting intimate.
Now that the storm has mostly blown over, Nick spoke about the incident to the panel on Trending SA this week.
The actor and musician said he wasn't surprised by the backlash and was ready for a reaction from conservative viewers.
"Taken aback? No. We spoke with the producers and they kind of expected it because this is the first time that a black guy falls in love with a white girl. They had a gay kiss on the show before and a black girl falling in love with a white boy. But I guess when it is a black guy..."
Despite this, he was still saddened by the negative reactions to the kiss.
"We shouldn't be there at all. We had a lot of positive messages but it is still really shocking that (that there is such a reaction) in 2019 with all the friends we have. But we are here to tell stories. So if you weren't aware of that world, we are bravely saying it is here."
The show's head writer Hanli Rolfes told TshisaLIVE at the time of the outrage that she would not bow to pressure from critics or those threatening to boycott the show after the kiss.
"We live in a real South Africa where loads of people have interracial relationships. 7de Laan is focused on putting the real South Africa on TV. It is our responsibility to show that art imitates life."
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