Former Redemption actress Gugulethu Xofa says the acting industry is feeling the impact of influencers who are landing more roles ahead of actors, which she feels is disappointing.
TshisaLIVE spoke to Gugulethu, who's fondly known as Masgebengu, about her views on the industry.
“A lot of things have changed in the industry. A lot of aspiring actors flock to theatres to be great actors but get to the auditions to be sidelined by influencers. Auditions are no longer about talent but rather about how many followers you have on your social pages,” she said.
Gugulethu added: “Even on set influencers get preferential treatment over us. They can skip their lines continuously and they won't get reprimanded, but you skip one line then all hell will break loose.”
She feels there's a lot of wrong happening in the entertainment industry with regards to actors.
“Our industry is in shambles and it's dying a slow death due to shortcut takers who are flooding into the entertainment scene.
“Some come in as presenters and switch to DJing and later switch to acting, it's disappointing really.”
A month ago DJ Kotin complained about an influx of influencers in the DJing industry when receiving his first Metro FM award for Best Kwaito/Gqom at the 2024 MMA's.
A year ago, legendary actor Jerry Mofokeng shared his sentiments about influencers who tend to arrive on set late and receive preferential treatment.
“You get on set ready to rehearse. The influencer arrives two hours late and it’s no issue. They saunter into the dressing room and then the makeup artists have to work around the phone that is glued to their hand,” he said.
“They finally get on set and the director has to be careful not to cross them. The producers and the channel must always be happy. The scene is blocked and you feature prominently when they are not in a close-up. Then the cherry on the cake is when you are told to tone down your acting because you are not No 1 on the call sheet. You dare not upstage or upset the ‘lead’. This is not an exaggeration.”
'Influencers get preferential treatment over us' — Gugulethu Xofa speaks on the acting industry
“Auditions are no longer about talent but rather about how many followers you have on your social pages.”
Image: Supplied
Former Redemption actress Gugulethu Xofa says the acting industry is feeling the impact of influencers who are landing more roles ahead of actors, which she feels is disappointing.
TshisaLIVE spoke to Gugulethu, who's fondly known as Masgebengu, about her views on the industry.
“A lot of things have changed in the industry. A lot of aspiring actors flock to theatres to be great actors but get to the auditions to be sidelined by influencers. Auditions are no longer about talent but rather about how many followers you have on your social pages,” she said.
Gugulethu added: “Even on set influencers get preferential treatment over us. They can skip their lines continuously and they won't get reprimanded, but you skip one line then all hell will break loose.”
She feels there's a lot of wrong happening in the entertainment industry with regards to actors.
“Our industry is in shambles and it's dying a slow death due to shortcut takers who are flooding into the entertainment scene.
“Some come in as presenters and switch to DJing and later switch to acting, it's disappointing really.”
A month ago DJ Kotin complained about an influx of influencers in the DJing industry when receiving his first Metro FM award for Best Kwaito/Gqom at the 2024 MMA's.
A year ago, legendary actor Jerry Mofokeng shared his sentiments about influencers who tend to arrive on set late and receive preferential treatment.
“You get on set ready to rehearse. The influencer arrives two hours late and it’s no issue. They saunter into the dressing room and then the makeup artists have to work around the phone that is glued to their hand,” he said.
“They finally get on set and the director has to be careful not to cross them. The producers and the channel must always be happy. The scene is blocked and you feature prominently when they are not in a close-up. Then the cherry on the cake is when you are told to tone down your acting because you are not No 1 on the call sheet. You dare not upstage or upset the ‘lead’. This is not an exaggeration.”
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