Film & Media
33
Freelance
Website
Phumzile Sitole, 33, is an actor, writer and voice-over artist and has performed in theatre, TV and film across the world. One of her first big roles was playing Diatta Ndoye in the third and fourth seasons of Star Trek: Discovery.
As a young girl, Phumzile was an avid dancer and loved putting on shows for friends and family on weekends. “The first time I did a performance on stage — I will never forget the feeling of waiting in the wings. I still feel that bubble of excitement — few things make me feel so alive,” she says.
Best known for her recurring role as Akers in the series Orange is the New Black, she also played Sharise in The Good Fight, another recurring character.
Phumzile’s milestones include being accepted to do her Masters in Acting at the Ivy League school Columbia University in the City of New York. Working on international series gave her the opportunity of being on mid-blowing sets, like the spaceships of Star Trek: Discovery and the break rooms of Orange is The New Black.
Working under banners like CBS, Netflix and Nat Geo are further feathers in her cap. “Your imagination is one of your strongest tools,” she says.
- Honors Degree in Theatre and Performance, UCT
- Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Acting from Columbia University in the City of New York.
- Masters in Acting at Columbia University
- The incredible professional sets that I wouldn’t have dreamed of — like the Spaceships of Star Trek-Discovery and the break rooms of Orange is The New Black
- Working under banners like CBS, Netflix, and Nat Geo, empires
As a kid, I was an avid dancer and so I relished making use of friends and family on the weekend to perform in front of. The first time I did a performance on stage — I will never forget the feeling of waiting in the wings. I still feel that bubble of excitement — few things make me feel so alive.
Don’t rush. Every second is vital to who you are becoming. Enjoy moments fully especially with the older people you love. Take in their stories and their perspective. Listen more than you care to speak and don’t stop playing. Your imagination is one of your strongest tools, so find the people and opportunities in your life that get you to use it the most.
I hope to see a little more light, literally. Our country has never lacked talent and potential and so I truly hope for the avenues for that potential to be realised. I would love leadership that can inspire that potential to come out and leadership that holds itself accountable at every turn. A South Africa that places even more value in education and the proper tools needed for entrepreneurs to continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.