Vibrant, charming and down to earth are just a few words one could use to describe Grahamstown born actress, Samela Tyelbooi who portrays Lois Gumede in Society.
Vibrant, charming and down to earth are just a few words one could use to describe Grahamstown born actress, Samela Tyelbooi who portrays Lois Gumede in Society.
The 28-year-old actress got her first acting job a mere four months after arriving in Johannesburg where she landed a cameo role in the popular soapie, Generations.
Affectionately known as Sammy by those close to her, Tyelbooi spent her early childhood in Newtown, Grahamstown but later moved to Roberts Street near Kingswood College. "I would say I had a township/suburban childhood." She did her primary learning at George Dickerson Primary School and matriculated at Victoria Girls’ High School.
For an artistic person, one would assume she would have chosen an arts and drama course for her tertiary studies but the local lass chose Information Technology instead. She completed a BTech in Information Technology at Port Elizabeth Technikon (now Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University).
Tyelbooi has an older brother whom she says is a witness to her childhood as he knows everything about her. She considers her parents as superman and superwoman and says they are the driving force behind her success as she learnt invaluable life lessons from them both.
When asked how she came into the industry she said, "I have always quietly known I want to be a performer."
"I was with a friend and he told me about the auditions, I went and I luckily got the job. I would just say I was at the right place at the right time."
Tyelbooi said she plans to be an actress as long as she enjoys it. "The love for the job makes all the difference in the industry," she says.
Her character in the weekly drama is that of a young woman who tackles the difficult and multi-layered role of a doctor struggling with post-natal depression and the pressure of balancing work and family.
"Lois is not an easy woman to like because unlike most women in South Africa who put family first, she wants to have the best of both worlds." She said portraying a doctor is not difficult as she did research on the profession and shadowed doctors so as to get first hand experience of the hospital environment.
When asked whether she is in relationship, the shy actress said yes. "Being in a relationship gave me good practice for this role," ading that she also understands her character’s role as a mother as she has her own 10-year-old daughter.
With recording finished for Society, Tyelbooi says she will focus on her singing career. When asked what kind of music she sings she said, "I really can’t box it so I choose to call it world music as it fuses all the influences I have had while growing up." The young actress and singer sure has her eyes set on great things and knows what she wants for herself.
