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
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
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!
