Impostor syndrome nearly saw Masasa Mbangeni turn down Scandal! return

Fans were over the moon when actress Masasa Mbangeni returned to soapie Scandal! to play Thembeka, but the star revealed the comeback nearly didn't happen.

Masasa has often been candid about her struggles with depression and anxiety, and recently opened up to True Love about the impact it had on her return to the show.

“Returning to where I'd started my career really rattled me. A few months ago, I got a call from Scandal!, telling me they wanted to bring my old character back. To be quite honest, I had mixed emotions about it. So much about me had changed, and I wondered if going back would do the character any good, and how it would be perceived by the public.

“During my last days at Scandal!, I was personally going through emotional turmoil. That, I suppose, assisted in how I played the character. Therefore, I knew that how I approached Thembeka this time around would have to be different.”

She said she took counsel from a number of people, including her mom and boyfriend, who reminded her of her worth.

Still, the feeling that she was not worthy of her successes threatened to overcome her.

“Actors tend to be too harsh on themselves, and the pressure is even greater now with social media. I wasn’t fully aware of the viewers’ excitement. I think I suffer from a serious case of impostor syndrome, and was worried about how people would react.”

Speaking to Sowetan shortly after her return, Masasa admitted she was nervous to be back on set, but soon felt at home.

“Walking onto the set the first time I was super-nervous and it felt like the first time. But as soon as the camera started rolling it became familiar again.”