WATCH | 'You will end up hating your craft ' — Nozuko Ntshangase gets candid about burnout

Actress Nozuko Ntshangase got real with her followers when talking about the importance of prioritising physical and mental health. 

The actress took to her timeline recalling she once felt sick while on set when her “body felt heavy” and she couldn't walk properly. 

Nozuko said she was grateful for an executive producer who sent her home that day, but added she hated the idea of chasing money at the expense of her health.

“I love my work and I try to commit to 'finishing the day', no matter the circumstances. I’m definitely a team player, but that day I knew I had nothing left to give. At that moment I couldn’t understand or articulate to my agent and the production team what I was going through,” she wrote. 

“I felt shame for what I was experiencing. Everyone knows production will manipulate you to work. They will go as far as calling your agent to convince you to work when you’re clearly not well. It’s a common occurrence in the industry because they don’t want to lose money.”

Nozuko advised other actors to try to negotiate rest time with production, lest exhaustion make them hate their craft. 

“My dear actors, I know we love what we do. Let’s take care of our bodies and mental health. It’s not worth it to please everyone else and neglect our own needs. I know we love the characters we play, but we must take care of ourselves as actors first. Burnout is real.”