Appearing in a TV drama series is no mean feat. To get there, one must sacrifice sleep, personal time, and social life among other needs, writes ANNIE SHIRLEY
Janet Kirina, 22
Makutano Junction
Roots?
I had a very busy childhood. I was always in drama, leading in dance. I continued this in High School but it never occurred to me I High School, my dad wanted me to do pharmacy but I resisted, arguing that was not for me.
It was then that I met a family friend, Magdalene Muchoki, a presenter at KBC, who advised me not to be pressured into doing what I did not want to do. She even took me to my first theater auditions. I did not get the part but I kept on going until I was taken for the Merchant of Venice.
Janet Kirina, 22 Makutano Junction |
The fact that I can live someone else’s life, become them and convince others that that is me is what I love about acting. In addition, acting enables you to get role-play different personalities and you get to learn a lot about people and society in general.
Makutano Junction
I play Florence. She is a nasty sassy girl who works in a salon; she is a gold digger who thinks only about herself. She is always off flirting with all the guys. At first, playing Florence was a challenge because I am naturally an introvert, while Florence is an extrovert, so I hard to learn to come out of my comfort zone.
My day, my life
I usually wake up around 4am, have breakfast, then read my lines for the scenes that will be shot next. Unlike stage acting, in Makutano we get our scripts in advance. By six I make sure I am at my ‘call time’. Call time is used to describe the location and time where the cast is picked for shooting. It is expected that we are on point with our lines and character prior to shooting. The day ends depending on how many scenes you have on a particular day. Night shoots are the craziest and sometimes you get home as late as after 1am.
Get it from me
Acting requires a lot of hard work and commitment; it is nothing easy. You have to also believe in yourself because sometimes you go for auditions and you are told nasty things like, ‘did you just wake up in the morning and decide you can act or what?’ a lot goes behind the scenes before you grab peoples attention and imagination.
Christine Njambi, 29
Wash and set
Roots
I did drama in Primary School but in High School opted to play basketball. One day, however, the drama teacher called me for some reason and asked me to audition. I got the part. After High School, I joined Phoenix but I later quit and stayed off stage for nine years. I missed acting but the opportunity and time was just not available until recently when I accompanied my niece to audition for a play. She got the part but fate intervened and I got the same part when she went back to school. That was where I met a former producer for Wash and Set and thus begun my journey back to my first love.
A call to hard work
While shooting a season, it is very time consuming. I am on set from Monday to Friday. This is sometimes quite overwhelming because I also have my own boutique at valley arcade and I also manage a salon. I love acting with all my heart but to be an actress, be prepared to be very busy.
| Christine Njambi, 29 Wash and set |
My day, my life
I wake up at 4am and go jogging before getting ready for a busy day. I am usually picked up at 6.30am for the set. Breakfast is usually provided after which work begins at 7am and goes on until 8.30pm when I am driven home. Most people think that shooting a 20-minute scene takes 20-minutes. The truth is that this can take even a week to shoot.
The process
I first go through the script without cramming it, after which I go through the lines. I then get into character on my part as I practice the lines to an audience of one, basically me. Then before I go on set, I do it with someone else.
Get it from me
Do not take a nine year break like I did, If you love acting and want to pursue it professional go for it, especially now that the industry is growing.
Angela Wainaina 25
Cobra Squad
Roots?
My mum was a church elder so she pushed me into acting when I was very young. I acted throughout primary school and joined drama club while at Kambui Secondary School.
Angela Wainaina 25 Cobra Squad |
I was a runner up in Miss Kenya 2005 and that helped expose me even more. I got opportunities to take part in advertisements and promotions. Then I got a chance to take part in a documentary, ‘Noise is my voice’ and it won many awards all over the world. After that the opportunity to feature in Cobra Squad came knocking, I took the challenge and have never looked back.
My day, my life
My day begins around 7am on weekdays. I get up early to watch SKY news, CNN, BBC, or any other international news networks. I also watch the local breakfast shows to know what is happening here. This is part of my job as a news anchor at Ghetto radio. I report at work at 10am, and then read the news upto around 7.30pm.
After that I am picked for shooting sessions for Cobra Squad, especially when night scenes are required. Sometimes we shoot untill very late and I arrive home around 3am depending on the kind of scenes.
During the weekends, I never bother to make any plans because we shoot throughout. I only have time to do my Women Show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm before going for more shooting.
Action scenes
You have to be fit because you really injure your body. If you have not been exercising, then doing an action scene will be very challenging and difficult. I usually exercise everyday when I get up, not necessarily at the gym. Cobra Squad has brought a new phase for the female cast, we get to eat a piece of the action pie instead of only been cast as housewives.
The process
First of all, I always make sure I am in the right mood before shooting. If after finishing at Ghetto radio I am in a bad mood, I go home to take a shower and try to relax because it is not a good thing to carry your bad mood into the set, as it will mess with your performance. When I arrive on set, we usually do not shoot immediately, so I get to talk with the rest of the cast. They are great people, like my second family. That way, I easily get into my character.
Get it from me
If you want to act for a living, make sure you get into it for the right reasons. People like to see the glamour of being in front of the camera but not the hard work involved.
