Winnie Ntshaba on older women and sex: 'People think that desire stops at 40 ... it does not'

10 May 2023 - 07:00
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Winnie Ntshaba during Royalty Soapie Awards at Raddison Hotel and Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
Winnie Ntshaba during Royalty Soapie Awards at Raddison Hotel and Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
Image: Veli Nhlapo

Actress Winnie Ntshaba has opened up about increased libido in the 40s and her trending sex scenes in Adulting.

Adulting follows four varsity friends — Bonga (Thembinkosi Mthembu), Vuyani (Luthando BU Mthembu), Eric (Nhlanhla Kunene) and Mpho (Thabiso Rammusi). Their strong bond has held them together even as their journeys in life have taken them in very different directions. As they try to find love and success in Johannesburg after university, they turn to each other for support.

Winnie plays Beth, Vuyani’s sugar mama and the fictional MEC for the arts in Gauteng. In a statement shared with TshisaLIVE, the actress said she loved that Beth's character was different.

“When I read the script, I immediately knew that this is a role I wanted to take on. It is very important for black women to see other black women in positions of power. We are often reduced to just the help or the sidekick, so this role spoke to me because of Beth’s power,” she said.

Speaking of her trending 18SN sex scenes, Winnie said “Doing the sex scenes was not bad at all; Showmax and Tshedza Pictures made sure that everything was above board. There was an intimacy coach and they made sure that we were all comfortable. BU is a gentleman and he made me feel at ease. Every time we would have to do a sex scene, we would always joke about how his first sex scenes are with a legend in the game.”

Not that Beth always uses her power for good, in fact Winnie admitted her character was toxic. 

“Seeing how she treats Vuyani has been very hard. In most stories, it is usually a rich man that is abusive to his younger lover but, in Adulting, the writers switched it up and placed the woman in the position of power, and showed that men can also fall into the trap of being abused by someone who is powerful.”

Despite this, Winnie says she can still see the good in Beth.

“There are a lot of things that I do not like about Beth but one thing I admire is how she is not afraid to go after what she wants, whether it is business or her sexual desires. I respect that, as a woman, she is not afraid to go for everything she wants. Most people count out women when they reach a certain age, so having a middle-aged woman on screen who enjoys sex and wants it is very important. People think that desire stops at 40; it does not. So I am glad that people are now seeing a different side to women to what is already out there in the media.

“Everywhere I go, people have been stopping me to tell me how they have been enjoying seeing me play Beth,” says Winnie.

“Most are stunned by how risqué she is but overall it is all love and I am honoured. As an actress, I love seeing people dissect my characters and have educational conversations around them.”

Adultings eighth and final episode dropped on Monday, with the show again at #1 on the Showmax charts.


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