Seductress role for this gem of a Pearl

Landing a movie role is not all fun and games as Pearl Thusi has learnt.

Thusi, who is preparing for her role in her third international film, The Blue Mauritius, plays a sultry gun-wielding, motorbike-riding femme fatale contracted to steal the most valuable stamps in the world.

Speaking to Daily Dispatch sister publication The Times this week, she said learning how to handle a gun was not the “most challenging but the scariest”part of her role.

She has also hired a martial arts instructor and is preparing to get her motorbike licence. To further prepare herself physically, she has been boxing, doing yoga and running. Though excited, she was cautious about whether this would be her big break.

She said: “I hope this means a lot, but I don’t want to focus on that and bank on that. The egg is there but let’s allow it to hatch and then figure out what’s going to happen.”

Next week, the local film Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu, in which Thusi plays Brenda, will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival and is scheduled to be released later this year.

Later this month, she will begin filming a local romantic comedy followed by a local drama series before production for The Blue Mauritius kicks off. Thusi will also be hosting the Castle Lite Republic of Extra Cold concert where US rapper J.Cole is set to perform in June.

But juggling these different roles, including her radio stint on Metro FM can be taxing.

“I just prioritise as much as I can with what’s important at the time. I am feeling overwhelmed but you have to deal with it. I’m doing my best.

“The thing is, teamwork makes the dream work, and I’m not doing any specific thing alone, I’ve got help.”