A Mitchells Plain meisie, who made her TV debut on popular soapie Suidooster last week, says her hard work is finally paying off.
Megan Saayman, 25, from Rocklands, plays the role of Chantal, the sister of Denver, who is thought to be one of the men who gang-raped Dr. Siya Thuli.
Denver died in hospital in the good doctor’s care, and now Chantal has stepped in to find out just how her brother died.
The single mom of two kids was dependent on her brother, who the breadwinner.
The bubbly young woman says she is still in the clouds about her TV debut, but believes she is finally reaping the fruits of years of hard work.
“I studied Professional Acting for Camera at City Varsity, and graduated in 2018,” says Megan.
“Before TV, I invested my time in theatre productions and also formed part of Matilda The Musical which saw us tour internationally.”
She said it is fantastic to work on Suidooster and alongside people who she’s been looking up to in the local film industry, such as Denise Newman, Portia Joel and Jill Levenberg.
The cherry on top is being able to tell the stories of the coloured community to an international audience.
“I am thrilled to be working with all these big names in the local soapie industry, it’s a win for the coloured community with the opportunities arising in Suidooster and the kykNET channel.”
Megan, who is single and still lives with her parents and three sisters innie Plain, is also a gospel singer.
“I grew up in Rocklands and I’m still here. I attended Cedar High School where my love for the arts began and was nurtured.”
She also made her debut on another TV series, The Kingdom, on SABC1, on Sunday night.
The drama series enacts Bible parables and stories about faith, hope and love, and depicts ordinary people who, when faced with seemingly insurmountable struggles, discover their power.
The cast includes Maurice Carpede, Rob van Vuuren and Zakeeya Price, while Megan plays the role of Miriam.
In episode one, she plays a shy teenager who is afraid of singing in front of people after going deaf, and has to rebuild the relationship with her dad.
The pair meet Josephine, who introduces them to Sean, a deaf rapper.
“The story speaks a lot for the deaf community and challenged me to learn sign language for this role and I can definitely say the deaf community doesn't get the recognition they deserve.
“What they do is amazing and having to put myself into this character has taught me a lot,” she says.