My goal is to make people feel seen — Youngins' Masango

Actor Kealeboga Masango says getting meaningful roles is what made her fall in love with acting.

The 22-year-old said getting such roles has allowed her to make someone feel seen.

“What’s most important to me as an actress is to make people feel seen and heard, and that’s my goal and passion in acting,” she said.

“It gives me a platform to change people’s perspective and opinions on how they’ve perceived people like that, or maybe they are like that and they feel represented.”

Masango, who plays feisty Buhle Kunene on the teen drama series Youngins, says playing Buhle allows her to be a representative of girls like her.

“I feel like in this new [2nd] season [which started on Friday], there is more depth to Buhle and she no longer makes everything about herself but she cares more about others. There’s a sense of growth she experiences in the friendships she has with the Olifantsfontein five, you’ll get to see the façade of her being a powerhouse drop,” she said.

Though Masango says she and Buhle are completely different people, she admits that there are personality traits the two share. 

“We both work hard and we put pressure to do well for ourselves. We also are caring, even though we are protective of our feelings,” she shares.

Having worked on different productions, Masango says working on Youngins was much more enjoyable because she worked with her age mates.

“The beauty of working in this production is that my cast members are my age, so we relate to each other a lot and can have fun on set. We gel better together and that makes us understand each other better and therefore, the chemistry you see on screen is real.

“Though the show is centred around teenagers, even adults are drawn to it because for every character portrayed, someone is facing or has faced similar challenges. Everyone has experienced teenage life and that has come with weird stages that the characters on the show play so authentically.”

Thabiso Ramotshela (Mahlatse), Lebohang Lephatsoana (Tumelo), Ayakha Ntunja (Amo) also shared a glimpse of what we can expect from their characters. 

“Mahlatse is alone. Even though he’s surrounded by people and doing what he usually does, which is saving others he still feels isolated,” Ramotshela said while Lephatsoana reveals that Tumelo will be a victim of peer pressure.

“Peer pressure is the main thing; that’s the one thing that’s a big challenge for him. He succumbs so much to pressure. I’m excited about all the upcoming twists and what Tumelo is about to go through. He transforms in the new season.”

Ntunja, who plays Amo, says that her character will be more assertive.

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