
The Queen': Thembsie Matu on why Petronella doesn't stick to the script'Award-winning The Queen' actress has revealed that Petronella needs to do the talking when some episodes are too short!
by Rae Seleme
25-11-2021
in SA TV and Film
The Queen' actress, Thembsie Matu in a scene as Petronella. Image via Twitter @_NombuleloM
Legendary actress, Thembsie Matu, who plays the role of a helper, Petronella, on The Queen has revealed her character doesn't stick to the script.
--
Matu, who keeps audiences glued to their TVs every evening says she's asked by producers to improvise a lot because of her feisty character.
#TheQueenMzansi Mpolaye gape Petronella pic.twitter.com/nIx5ZT658T
JabulaniMacdonald (@Jabu_Macdonald) November 16, 2021
Also read: Petronella and I are similar': The Queen's' Thembsie Matu on her role
PETRONELLA PROLONGS CONVERSATIONS The award-winning actress told Drum Magazine in an interview that she didn't expect her character to blow up as it did when she joined the telenovela.
--
You have no idea what all the support and love I'm getting means to me.
They transport me to a place where I'm just full of gratitude and respect for them and inspire me to do more.
Viewers are entertained by her singing, and the ridiculous advice she gives her best friend, Detective Vuyiswa Maake played by Zandile Msutwana.
Fans are also mesmerised by her smart mouth when she's dealing with her husband, Mjekejeke played by Sipho Manzini.
Matu also revealed that she's sometimes asked to prolong conversation in her scenes and that most of the things Petronella says are not in the script.
--
You know, sometimes when the episode is too short, I am asked to prolong the conversations Petronella has with people.
Most of the things she says aren't in the script. I just imagine what those three people I know would say in that instance.
Bathong! I know we're dealing with Shaka's death in the family mara I miss this crazy woman like crazy! Oh @ThembsieMatu mara! What a talent! What a legend! #TheQueenMzansi #petronella pic.twitter.com/Bf5AvWpTE8
Rami Chuene (@ramichuene) November 5, 2019
SHONA FERGUSON TIPPED HER ABOUT PETRONELLA The mother of two also told the publication that she was tipped by late actor-producer, Shona Ferguson about the role.
She was training dancers for a wedding scene on the telenovela when the Ferguson Films co-creator pulled her aside and told her about this role they had.
Shona Ferguson who was playing the role of Jerry Maake at the time handpicked Matu because he thought the role would be fitting for her.
The actress was given a character bible to understand the kind of character Petronella is and channelled her mind to think like Petronella.
She prepared her role by studying three people she knows and combined their characters to become the famous Petronella.
One of them is a woman who loves being around young people, to the point where she thinks she's one of them.
She's always there, giving advice and sharing her own experiences.
Also read: Brutus doesn't stick to his script': The Queen's' Phumeza
#TheQueenMzansi this character is a bang #Petronella pic.twitter.com/ddfOKNow4B
Monaheng (@Monaheng_) February 23, 2019
Petronella locked the fridge #TheQueenMzansi pic.twitter.com/eIlUFquN8O
Tsuli (@Tsuli007) November 23, 2021
Mjekejeke finally standing up for himself, Petronella is a bully #TheQueenMzansi pic.twitter.com/VNL57r6uni
JabulaniMacdonald (@Jabu_Macdonald) November 18, 2021
CLICK HERE to take part in our survey & stand a chance to WIN R5 000 in CASH!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
03/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/04/2026
CVP, one of Europe's leading suppliers of professional video and broadcast solutions, today announces the launch of its new German operation and the formati...
03/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) today announces the appointment of Nick Barthee as Chief Operating Officer, strengthening its leadership as the company conti...
03/04/2026
Net Insight introduces programmable Trust Boundaries that make live media interconnection predictable as traffic moves between facilities, networks and cloud en...
03/04/2026
Winning in the new media economy: Avid showcases AI-powered, connected intellige...
03/04/2026
NUGEN Audio CEO Dr. Paul Tapper to Lead Presentation About Dialog Intelligibilit...
03/04/2026
NAB Show 2026: PlayBox Neo Highlights Workflow, Security, and IP Advances
Brie Clayton April 2, 2026
0 Comments
PlayBox Neo will showcase the latest i...
03/04/2026
For Taku Hirano, Everything Is Connected From touring and composition to teaching and instrument design, the in-demand percussionist sees it all as one body o...
03/04/2026
Berklee Honors Humberto Ramirez with Master of Latin Music Award The alumnus and acclaimed trumpeter is honored for his influence as a performer, composer, an...
02/04/2026
HBO and NFL Films have announced Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Sea...
02/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Makito ONE, a single-blade video encoding and decoding platform, at NAB Show 2026. The platform combines dual-channel video encoding...
02/04/2026
Telestream has introduced UP.Lens, a cloud-based multiviewer and monitoring serv...
02/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5220, April 19-22, Las Vegas Convention Center), marking the company's 60th anniver...
02/04/2026
Net Insight has introduced programmable Trust Boundaries, a feature integrated i...
02/04/2026
Bitmovin has announced support for SGAI (Server-Guided Ad Insertion) in its playback products, using HLS interstitials. SGAI combines elements of client-side an...
02/04/2026
Riedel Communications' SimplyLive RiMotion R12 replay system is supporting B...
02/04/2026
LTN, a managed IP video transport company, and Ateme, a video compression and de...
02/04/2026
Harmonic has announced that TDF, a broadcast infrastructure operator in France, has deployed Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor and ProStream X Video S...
02/04/2026
Eluvio and the United Rugby Championship (URC) have announced first-year results...
02/04/2026
The Kansas City Current and Scripps Sports have announced that ION will broadcas...
02/04/2026
ESPN will debut Courtside at the Women's Final Four Presented by AT&T, an alt-cast airing Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, and Sunday, A...
02/04/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are ...
02/04/2026
ESPN's MegaCast Coverage of 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four Begins Friday, ...
02/04/2026
DAZN has announced the launch of DAZN Playmakers, a global influencer program designed to build a network of sports content creators. The programme will give cr...
02/04/2026
Tony Cole, Jessica Lee shift into new roles reporting to ESPN SVP/Content Operations Chris Calcinari....
02/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
02/04/2026
Real-time tracking, virtual production, and Pixar storytelling converge for Apri...
02/04/2026
NASA's long-awaited Artemis II mission has launched four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon, marking the first manned launch toward the moon sin...
02/04/2026
(L-R) Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis, and John Magaro appear in Omaha by Cole Webley, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo courte...
02/04/2026
4 - 11 April 2026
VEMIA's latest gear auction is just around the corner, and there's already a wealth of sought-after instruments and studio gear li...
02/04/2026
Little Labs emulation now available to all
The latest Universal Audio plug-in to become available outside of the company's DSP-powered UAD2 platform has...
02/04/2026
SBS Welcomes Back Cup Fever! For The Biggest FIFA World Cup Ever
2 April, 2026
Media releases
Santo Cilauro, Ed Kavalee and a host of special guests retur...
02/04/2026
Truth. Power. Perspective: NITV's Flagship Current Affairs Programs Return t...
02/04/2026
L3Harris has successfully powered the historic launch of the Artemis II mission, providing propulsion and avionics....
02/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/04/2026
Already deployed extensively by NBC Sports, FOR-A Corporation will demonstrate GoVertical! AiDi, the real-time 9:16 autocropping feature of viztrick AiDi, durin...
02/04/2026
Interra Systems, a provider of end-to-end quality assurance solutions for the digital media industry, announced that Elite Media Technologies has selected its B...
02/04/2026
Harmonic's Media Processing Solutions Maximize Bandwidth Efficiency for Terrestrial Broadcast Delivery
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that TDF, a...
02/04/2026
NBC Sports Deploys viztrick AiDi to Stream Live Events in 9:16 Mobile-First Formats with Auto Tracking, Development Signals Strategic Shift for FOR-A
Long reco...
02/04/2026
Evergent will showcase new innovations in subscriber lifecycle management and monetization at NAB Show 2026 (Las Vegas, April 18 22), including:
New advances i...
02/04/2026
Riedel Communications is proud to be part of Binghamton University, State University of New York, Athletics' milestone year, celebrating the university'...
02/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Techex have today announced new, fully managed, cloud-native Master Control services designed to meet the growing operational demand...