Thanks for the hatred - Winnie takes it as a compliment
GENERATIONS viewers will find it galling to know that Winnie Modise, who plays Khethiwe in the daily soapie, thinks her character is the "sweetest ever" on local TV.
PLEASED: Winnie Modise says the hatred means she's a fine actressShe says she loves the fact that Khethiwe gets up people's noses.
Khethiwe is probably the most hated character on our telly screens at the moment, with Generations fans pouring out vitriol against Khethiwe and Winnie on the Generations Facebook page.
One posting on Khethiwe received more than 200 hate comments, with some who confuse the actress and her character demanding that Modise be removed from the soapie and others demanding that Khethiwe's storyline be scrapped.
"OMW. [Oh, my word!] There's just no end 2 Khethiwe!!! She needs 2 b retrenched 4rm the cast nd b put on 2 Gospel Gold or sumthing; she needs sum serious spiritual therapy. Real pain in the A#!," posted Alfreda Davids, echoing other comments.
But Modise has a cool response.
"If the hatred is directed at Khethiwe I really can say it's a job well done. As much as there are those who hate Khethiwe, there are those who relate to what she's gone through," she says.
"There are lessons to be learnt from every character."
The extraordinary change in Khethiwe - from being submissive and pious and deferring to elders to morphing into a manipulative and scheming person - has all the hallmarks of someone with multiple personality disorder.
"I still believe Khethiwe is the sweetest person. She has just made wrong choices and is facing the consequences. But as she tries to get out of the situation she makes it worse," says Modise.
She sees the calls by viewers to write her character out of the soapie as a back-handed compliment of her superb acting.
"Whatever Khethiwe does is scripted. I'm not playing myself. If people react in that fashion, then it's a job well done by the writers and me," she says.
She reveals that Khethiwe also shocks her.
"Sometimes she does things I'm against as Winnie."
But she loves playing Khethiwe as long as it gets people talking.
When asked if she thinks the character Meme of Muvhango is a bitchier soapie character than hers, she says: "I have no idea. Both have been in abusive relationships but in the end they just want to be loved."
- dlaminimd@sundayworld.co.za
