Big Brother Titans presenter Lawrence Maleka, who quit The River this season as Zolani, discusses his experience on the 1Magic drama.
On Friday, February 3, the award-winning actor Lawrence Maleka broke the hearts of The River viewers when his character Zolani was murdered on the show.
Maleka tells Drum that his favorite moments on the show as the brash and cheeky Zolani Dlamini occurred behind the scenes.
“Unfortunately, [my favorite moments on The River] are everything that has occurred off-screen. There are times when I wish we could capture certain moments for folks. If you think these individuals are insane, you should meet them in person.”
Maleka’s friends threw him a farewell picnic when he left season 5 of The River, having served as his aunt Lindiwe ‘Madlabantu’ Dikana’s assistant for five seasons.
The actress also recalls working with Sindi Dlathu, describing their scenes together as “one of the most magical moments”
Sindi placed her head on his shoulder after getting to know each other for a few days while filming the initial scenes of the telenovela. As euphoric as the moment was, it marked the beginning of the two actors’ strongest friendship, both on and off screen. Since then, she has always been present. We have talked scripts and everything else.”
Lawrence Maleka, who plays Zolani on The River, claims that the character was not written with him in mind, but he landed the part after winning the hearts of Mzansi with his township dialect and his relationship with Lindiwe.
“Actors and directors interpret the screenplay in a way that works best for both parties, and Lawrence exceeded our expectations in this regard. “Many of the subsequent stories were inspired by who Lawrence became as uZolani and the chemistry he had with uSindi Dlathu [and other actors] – the chemistry you wouldn’t find on paper,” one of the writers remarked in a panel discussing Lawrence’s journey with the award-winning 1Magic telenovela.
The 32-year-old appreciates the cast and crew of the serial for treating him as a peer and an equal, despite the fact that he was a rookie when he joined The River in 2018.
Lawrence Maleka bids farewell to his The River role, Zolani. #TheRiver1Magic #AnEraEndsZolani photo by @QmbHulEiFu on Twitter
February 4, 2023 — TRUELOVE Magazine (@TrueLoveMag)
The degree to which Lindiwe and Zolani were close. I feel her suffering 🥹. #TheRiver1Magic https://t.co/QJM3oCTolG
— ❄ LUCKY ❄ (@LuckyMahloane) 6 février 2023 #TheRiver1Magic Purchase a large box of tissues because you are about to watch Sindi Dlathu’s finest performance at Zolani’s funeral. pic.twitter.com/nfMl3PJ0Rl
— jabulani Macdonald (@Jabu Macdonald) February 6, 2023
BREAKING:
Lawrence Maleka has stepped down.
Maleka will not reprise her role as “Zolani Dlamini” on Season 6 of #TheRiver1Magic. #KgopoloReports
More information will be forthcoming on #TheEntertainmentAlert. pic.twitter.com/FGvKqahGQD
— Kgopolo (@PhilMphela) 17 Oct 2022
»Lawrence Maleka reflects on his favorite scenes from “The River.”«
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