Just after being hand-picked by Beyoncé to feature in the film Black is King, Port Elizabeth-born Nambitha Ben-Mazwi broke away from her usual serious characters to delve into a comedy – an African original holiday special.
Affectionately known as Lady Nam, she joined a cast featuring Busisiwe Lurayi, Thando Thabethe, Clementine Mosimane, Yonda Thomas, and many more, for a three-episode miniseries called How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding.
Lurayi stars as Tumi Sello, the family rebel and disappointment, who begrudgingly joins her dysfunctional family for the first Christmas holidays in years. It is, however, not the merry return of the prodigal daughter everyone was hoping for. She manages to ruin her younger sister Beauty’s (Thabethe) Christmas wedding before it even takes place, and spends the next three days frantically trying to get things back on track.
Lady Nam plays a character named Refiloe. She is particularly thrilled to bring her character to life, as she tries to avoid being typecast while, at the same time, showcasing her quirky sense of humour.
The series is a collaboration between Burnt Onion Productions – run by siblings Katleho, Tshepo and Rethabile Ramaphakela – and Netflix.
Lady Nam is no stranger to the international platform. She has starred in productions such as Netflix’s Black Mirror and in Madiba, opposite Laurence Fishburne.
This project, however, was a little different – and not just because it’s a comedy. Rethabile Ramaphakela, who is the executive producer for the series, said, “Shooting during a global pandemic was very different to what we’re used to. How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding is a very [COVID-19] conscious production.
“The safety of the crew and cast was paramount to being able to bring this story to life and having the support of a partner that is committed to diverse storytelling and that believes in uniquely African stories proved essential to our success.
“That we can still use our voices, talent and creativity, to bring the spirit of the holidays to audiences on a global platform like Netflix at this time, is remarkable and exemplary of the strength of this partnership.”
- Source: www.netflix.com/howtoruinchristmas
