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I was like, Wow, youre stunning.
Im gonna keep quiet now.
I saw you graduated from the University of Cape Town with a degree in accounting.
Howd you get into acting in the first place?
I just felt that each day was the same as the other days, and I wasnt fulfilled.
I knew that this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life.
A friend of mine was like, you’re gonna wanna enter this.
I was like, No, I have no charisma.
I do not want to embarrass myself.
There are too many good-looking people here.
And he was like, Trust me.
And then I was like, top three, and we were on TV doing all these different challenges.
Every week, Im like, Hey, guys!
Can you vote for me?
Can you vote for me?
My familys out in the streets.
Everybody going to work is like, Hey, vote for my kid, SMS this, text this!
And there I was!
But after four or five years in the industry, I went back to Cape Town.
I moved my entire life to Cape Town.
So on campus, Im getting stares and people turning around.
It speaks, it speaks!
Could you practice accounting?
I practice it every day.
You were in Abu Dhabi with the U.N. when you got the call aboutComing 2 America.
What was that like?
My auditioning process and getting into the room was almost aComing to Americasort of expedition.
My agent at the time was like, you should probably get into the room.
it’s possible for you to send a self-tape, but its better to be in the room.
I was like, Whats the project?
He was like, Coming 2 America.
I was like, Well, Im finding a jet!
I pursued this dream.
How did you prepare for the role?
Im like, I want to work through the scene.
Can we just chat through it?
Wed literally go down to Whole Foods and chill and chat.
He told me about his life; Id tell him about my life.
She doesnt need anybody to tell her that.
Obviously, I was working out all the time.
Every Saturday, Id be like, Cheat day!
What was it like working with so many high-profile actors like Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall?
I was surrounded by Hollywood royalty.
I think the most amazing thing was watching how they celebrate each other, just pouring into each other.
Like, Man, I saw that show.
Man, when you came out on that movie.
Man, you did such a good job on this.
Just pouring into each other.
So I just observed sometimes and just was like,Man, this is so cool.
Obviously, it was a party 24/7.
We had so much fun shooting this movie; it was insane.
It was so hilarious just watching them.
She would always check that that everybody was happy and everybody was fine.
She was a lovely, lovely, lovely human to be surrounded by.
Then obviously the young guns, KiKi [Layne], Jermaine, we had a good time.
We were having fun and just geeking out.
Why do you think this story was important to come back to nearly 30 years later?
So for them, they know what it feels like to be a part of something that big.
The pressures obviously there because youre getting threats from people, like, Dont mess it up.
Like, okay, Im not trying to!
Or if its close, thats amazing too.
But we werent trying to replicate the original.
Thats what I love.
Its not a remake; youre not trying to make it again.
Its a whole new world.
