Online Reporter
The 947 studios were buzzing recently when the iconic Lorcia Cooper-Khumalo stopped by the “947 Drive with Thando!”
The interview tracked her evolution from a dance floor legend to one of South Africa’s most respected actresses, proving exactly why she remains the queen of our screens.
The big news centered on her joining the cast of the Netflix’s “Fatal Seduction” season 3. She teased that her character brings a fresh layer of secrecy and seduction to the show. She also opened up about the massive preparation required to step into a world already packed with a powerhouse cast.
Even though she is a serious actress, Cooper-Khumalo brought plenty of laughs and dance moves to the studio.
She also joked about her ageless look, especially when fans who watched her years ago on “Backstage” are now adults. During the interview Cooper-Khumalo took a moment to give flowers to the legendary “Backstage” producer Mfundi Vundla.
She explained that he is the reason her career took off because he refused to give her famous role as Charmaine, to anyone else.
“You know who deserves all the credit, I ran into him at a restaurant about two months ago and I literally went up to him at the table, I didn’t think he would remember me, was Mr Mfundi Vundla. I said to him, ‘Sir, I owe you the thanks, the respect and the honour for how my career has turned out’,” she shared.
“They auditioned dancers all over the country, they then didn’t audition in Joburg and when they first called me, I couldn’t do the job because I was touring Germany with a contemporary piece and then the line producer and another producer was calling me, eventually they got him on the phone to talk to me and try and convince me to do this job.
“And I didn’t know who he was right, and I’m like, ‘Sir, I don’t really know what that means, but I feel like if this is meant for me, it will come back’.
“He didn’t cast a Charmaine, he waited for me. So Mr Vundla deserves all the credit for that and I’m so humbled and so appreciative that I can give him his flowers on a platform like this, especially since he was on your show not so long ago.”
On a more personal note, she opened up about her motherhood journey. She shared how she balances the gruelling hours of a series lead with raising her two children, emphasising that her family remains her grounding force amidst the chaos of the entertainment world.—IOL.
Mathew Masinge