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Authentic, witty and fun – BET A-list brings out the best in Jessica Nkosi

Johannesburg – Actress turned presenter Jessica Nkosi is officially part of the BET A-list team. The TV personality will now present the show alongside Nomzamo Mbatha and Nandi Madida. 

Speaking to The Juice, Jessica shares what fans can expect from her addition to the show as well as her future acting plans.

What are you looking forward to most now that you have joined BET A-List? 

It’s such a fun platform. You can be yourself. And they specify that they don’t hire you to try and be someone that you’re not. I auditioned as me, and that’s what they loved – the authentic me. As an actress, nobody really knows me. They know my characters, but they don’t know Jessica Nkosi. So it’s a fun way for me to introduce myself to the world.

What was the audition process like? 

For me it didn’t click, cause I was like, 'let me just do this'. I only had experience presenting that one time on OPW (Our Perfect Wedding), but I was like, 'let’s see.' I wasn’t not going to try. I would never give up. I wouldn’t say I don’t want to try just because I’m scared they weren’t going to take me. I just went there and it was just about me being myself.

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What can your fans expect from you on the show? 

They can expect the real me. They can expect to finally meet Jessica – fun, quirky, witty. Bringing you the best of the best.

Will you still be focusing on acting? 

Definitely. I can’t say much about it now, but I do have a theatre piece coming soon. I start rehearsals for it next month. Acting is my bread and butter, acting is my first passion. I love it [presenting] and I appreciate the opportunity and it’s a beautiful way for me to show people who I am, but I’m an actress at heart.

Is there one role that you would still love to play? 

I have a list of the characters I want to play, and so far, literally, I’m not even close to completing my list. I want to play a super-hero, I want to play the villain who kills everybody, I want to play the druggy on the street, I want to play a man even. I want to be able to gain weight to play a certain character. I always think of Charlize Theron who gained weight to be in Monster, and I’m like, that’s what I want to do.

What are your top tips for being a presenter? 

From what I have gathered in the fifteen episodes that I shot first for OPW, it was to be authentic, to not sound too rehearsed. Be yourself, don’t try and mimic how you see other people do it. I always say God made us so different, each and every one of us. We each have something different to offer to the world. Don’t over-read your lines so much that you sound like a computer when you speak. Take it, read it, make it your own, and don’t stray from who you are.

A post shared by jessicankosi (@jessicankosi) on

 

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