Seasoned actor Linda Sokhulu plans to strip herself bare to find her inner funny side with her leading role as Tina Hlatshwayo on 1Magic’s risqué new dramedy Grown Woman.

With the saying that goes: "life only begins at 40", Sokhulu is set to narrate a life of a widow who only starts to enjoy her life at 49, all thanks to a much younger, very hot on-screen new lover Rakwena Ra Kwena played by Bohang Moeko.

“Tina is a businesswoman who is a mother to two children. After the death of her husband whom she had been married to for over 25 years, she has to find herself again and try to bring meaning to her life now that she’s a widow,” explains the 46-year-old actor. 

The show will premiere on February 3 at 9.30pm.  

“As Tina looks inwards and figures out who she is and what makes her happy, she encounters a handsome, much younger man who helps her rediscover herself and somehow in the process she falls in love with someone who’s as old as his son…. It becomes something unexpected yet thrilling to her.”

The show features a star-studded cast which includes Sandile Mahlangu, who plays Tina’s son Sakhile, and Somizi Mhlongo’s daughter Bahumi Mhlongo, who plays her daughter Noxee. Other cast include celebrated actresses Nandi Nyembe and Hlubi Mboya.

“I said ‘yes’ to this role because it’s different from the other roles I’ve done. It will help me to explore my range and see what interesting element I can bring to a character such as Tina. I hope I do justice to the character and the storyline,” said the Durban-born actor.

“Breaking down a new character to viewers tends to be demanding but I hope they will get to resonate with Tina and the journey she embarks on… despite the comedy part of it.”

The 46-year-old has cemented herself in the entertainment industry with well-known on-screen roles such as the vibrant, sassy ex-hooker Cleo Khuzwayo on the SABC1 soapie Generations, the cut-throat lawyer Nikiwe Sibeko on SABC3’s Isidingo, and Ziyanda, the radio executive with an ancestral calling on Rhythm City.

“Acting is the most unpredictable work a person can choose… acting is such a challenging career and somehow it doesn’t slow down despite the number of years you’ve been doing it. To be honest, I think that’s the intriguing part about it… I am always on my toes as I look forward to what’s next,” she says.

“For me, I am more concerned about the human behaviour and their story, something I get to explore through a script which I portray on the screen.

“It’s a constant quest of discovering different personalities that walk the earth.”

Before she became the famous actor that she is, Sokhulu grew up in the grasslands of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. She matriculated at Cambridge College in Durban in 1994 and later studied fashion design at Natal Tech for two years but unfortunately couldn’t complete the course because she had an epiphany that fashion design wasn't where she wanted to end up. She later joined a workshop at the Natal Playhouse where she came to love acting.

“Acting isn’t a glamorous thing, it’s an artform first before anything else… similar to a passion project. At times fans aren’t aware that their favourite actors are in between auditions and not nailing anything for months or waiting to get the thumbs up they need for a specific role... so, it’s not all that glamorous.

“The grueling journey of landing a role can be mentally and emotionally taxing but can be quite rewarding when you find the characters that gel with who you are as an actor.”

In her youth, the multi-talented actor also appeared in two plays with the Play House – Schools Macbeth and Izwe Lezathini. She has also done work with independent companies focusing on children's theatre, including The Sky is Red with Artists in a Container and A Doggy Tale with the Actors Co-op.

“I don’t have a specific role that resonates with me because there were challenges in every single one of them. I usually sweat bullets prior to acting a role – I worry whether the emotions I put in are good enough or whether I execute it well, however, as I grow into the character I tend to love what those roles are and they end up holding a special place in my heart,” she adds.

With the new year filled with hope and aspirations, Sokhulu’s other plans is to audition for as many roles as possible and to continue to coach a group of young budding actors at the Market Theatre Laboratory.

“I started doing coaching last year with a dear friend of mine, Pamela Wolfman, and it’s been quite a fulfilling experience to open up the world of opportunities for actors who are yearning to make a name for themselves in the industry,” said the seasoned actor.  

“South Africa has immense talent that needs to be exposed to how the industry works. In the same breath, it doesn’t matter how much talent you may have but perseverance helps you to get your foot through the door to plenty opportunities.”