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Cape Town – Actress and singer Tichina Arnold is currently in South Africa filming scenes for the Mzansi Magic drama Lockdown.
Best known for her role as Pam in the popular 90s comedy Martin, she recently starred in Survivors Remorse and Daytime Divas on 1Magic (DStv 103).
During a telephone interview with Channel24 Tichina fills us in on how she got involved with the show, her character and what she’s most looking forward to during her time in Mzansi.
Talking about how she got the role, Tichina says it was through a business friend of hers.
“Bart Philipps and I used to work on Triumph Awards. He called me up and said ‘I have a very great opportunity for you in South Africa. I know Mandla N [creater and producer] and he has a show called Lockdown and I want you to talk to him.”
She continues: “And that’s exactly what I did. After speaking with him and how passionate he was about telling the black woman story of incarceration, which is a systemic problem we have in America as well, I was all for it – I am all in!”
Tichina, who has only seen snippets of the show, plans to binge watch the previous seasons to get up to speed with the show.
“I have the script. I think this is such an amazing opportunity for me to do what I have been doing all these years and that is bringing light to real situations. And being responsible and being the black woman that I am this a great gateway and a platform for me to do that.”
MORE ABOUT HER ROLE
Tichina will be playing Paulette, an American woman who gets locked up in a South African prison.
“Her goals are a little different, why she’s there and what she’s trying to achieve, I don’t want to give it away. But how she carries herself in prison is a completely different way. She is going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
Her character will be featured in nine episodes which she is set to film in the next two weeks.
A big part of Lockdown’s appeal is the emotive soundtrack. When asked if she will be doing any singing Tichina says that she doesn’t know if her character will sing in the show but wants to put her music out as well.
And what can viewers expect from the new season?
“The new season is going to be intriguing, it is going to be gritty, it is going to have some humour but is going to be impactful,” says Tichina.
EXPLORING SOUTH AFRICA
Although Tichina will only be in the country for a short time she hopes to get in some sight-seeing when she is not working.
“I can’t wait to hear the music. I want to hear some SA house music. I want to eat South African food, I want to be amongst the locals and see what the locals are doing. I can’t wait to see what South Africa is all about.”
Lockdown season 3 will be back on television screens from Monday, 9 July on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161).
