A Pearl of wisdom and beauty
|Published
996 22/01/16 Pearl Thusi talks about her career and new projects. Picture:Nokuthula Mbatha 996 22/01/16 Pearl Thusi talks about her career and new projects. Picture:Nokuthula Mbatha
She is one of the busy women in town, juggling several jobs. From TV and radio presenting and acting to lucrative brand endorsements, including a hair-care range, KwaZulu-Natal-born Pearl Thusi is not in Joburg to play games.
“I set out to conquer the world. I had so many dreams. I wanted to become a wildlife vet. I wanted to conquer the modelling world. I had a secret wish to be an actress. I also had a secret wish that I wanted to go on radio. I am glad that those two things have happened, radio and TV,” said Thusi.
“When you are a child and you are growing up you think to yourself that by 25 you will be a millionaire. The world has no limits. And then as we grow older we start setting limits to ourselves that aren’t supposed to be there. That in some ways unfortunately happened to me. But not completely,” she said.
Not only is the 27-year-old a busy career woman, building a formidable empire, she is also mother to an 8-year-old daughter.
“I also had a plan to be in the Miss South Africa competition by 2010, but that did not happen because I had a daughter very young and got engaged. I had to let go of that dream.
“There have been a lot of compromises on the journey to where I am today. Some of them I can’t talk about.”
Many have been speculating in the media about a relationship with sports presenter Robert Marawa. The two have not come out to deny or confirm the rumours, but fans on social media have been given snippets about how happy Thusi is with the love of her life.
“I am in a very happy space in terms of my love life. We have a normal relationship like everyone else,” Thusi said.
“I am very fulfilled and I am happy. What’s amazing about my relationship is that I am going through the growing pains of it privately. That is very important because you need to figure yourself out in a relationship before you can say or do a lot of things outside.”
Thusi dismissed the claims that she was trying to hide who it was she was involved with.
“It is not like I am trying to hide my relationship. But I have my daughter to think about. I also have my father, my aunts and uncles. I can’t compromise my father and the way that he raised me. I respect him very much. He can’t know things about me that he is only supposed to find out when they are being officiated. That’s how I was raised and that’s how it’s going to stay.
“But I can confirm that I am in a happy space. I am just trying to balance things. I am trying to be still. Its hard to be still in this industry.”
The former Isidingo actress can now include roles in three feature films in her résumé. The films were shot last year. The latest, Rosa, a German production shot in Cape Town, will be hitting the festival scene early this year. Her two other movies will be screened later in the year.
“My first big break was hard. It was with Zone 14. I had done some modelling gigs, but the transition to acting was not easy. Acting takes more.
“I auditioned so many times to be in Zone 14 – until they brought me in because I had been so committed to auditioning, even though they kept turning me down.”
Thusi is working to have her own show on radio, in the graveyard slot between 1am and 3am on Sundays on Metro FM, besides the show she presents with Phat Joe.
“You’ve got to pay your dues in radio.
“It’s difficult because weekends are for my daughter and I find myself in a very weird space.
“I am so exhausted, but am supposed to be energetic for her at that time.
“It’s also difficult for me to keep up with all I am up to,” she quipped.
Her social media fans are continuing to enjoy seeing pictures of her as she shares the joys of motherhood with them.
“My daughter is my most precious and private thing, but I choose to share because I know what a difference it can make to another young mom whose journey into motherhood was a rough one.
“I am trying to show them there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – to show them that you can have happiness even in that situation.”
Thusi says she is putting in 10 hours of work a day because she wants to die empty – having used up all her talents.
“I want to die empty with nothing left to give to the world. The big thing for me is to get Africa to believe in herself through my work.
“We are all raised to understand that we need to chase the Hollywood dream. But does an American care about me or my continent… help my country care about me?
“I want to contribute and chase the African dream,” said the animal lover, whose dream of becoming a wildlife vet did not work out, but who shares her home with three dogs and a cat.
The Sunday Independent