It must be difficult to play a TV character who is disliked by fans; just ask actress Lerato Marabe, who was once hit by someone who didn’t like her character.
Lerato, who portrays Pretty on Skeem Saam, told Drum about an incident that happened a few years ago when she and some friends were in KFC looking for lunch.
“In high school my friends and I decided to go to KFC after school. So while we were waiting in the queue, this one lady walked up to me and slapped me across the face because of the storyline at the time.”
She stated that she was so angry that she contacted her mother to come get her. Lerato noted that people sometimes expect celebrities to be dolls, always in a good mood and never respond.
The actress also spoke up against sexual harassment in the entertainment sector, saying that it has grown so common that people even joke about it among themselves.
“A lot of the time, the people in the industry will promise them jobs or whatever it is and be like you know what? If you sleep with me I will give you a job.’ Women even laugh about it. It wasn’t like a serious thing. I was like: ‘Are you guys serious? There’s so many ways that you can go about it, why would you sleep with someone?'”
She said it was important for those already in the industry to speak out to protect those who were coming through.
“It was so touching being there. Skeem Saam is an educational show and highlights some of the issues these children face. So, it was great to see them response to us. I really enjoyed motivating and giving back to my community.”