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Busi Lurayi's exclusive interview with Glamour before her untimely passing

As tributes continue to pour in for the award-winning thespian, Busi Lurayi, we take a moment to reflect on a life well lived on and off-screen.

The talented actress first made waves as Phumzile on the SABC 1 Sitcom, City Ses’la. Viewers fell in love with the feisty character and her take on the English language (if you know, you know!) She made us laugh, and her relationship with her on-screen husband; Themba had us in our feels and their banter, on the edge of our seats.

Fast forward to 2020, during the lockdown, we caught up with the cast members of How To Ruin Christmas: The Wedding, ahead of the premiere. This is what Busi had to say about her character, Boitumelo Sello.

Glamour: How excited are you to be a part of the amazing production?

Busi: Excited is an undertone. I am beyond excited to be a part of a global network such as Netflix. It's such a lovely extension to my career so I’m excited to move internationally and to do a body of work that is entertaining, fun and relatable.

Glamour: The series is a Netflix original, what does it mean to you to get a stamp from Netflix?

Busi: Firstly, the cast and crew that I worked with, are phenomenal, and already of an international standard. It’s wonderful to be affirmed by the people you work with. The affirmations are the people you looked forward to working with, who’ve been stars for years. For Netflix to say, “yes, we choose you,” I mean…it’s a lot of pressure but welcomed.

Glamour: Let’s talk about your character, would you say Tumi is the black sheep of the family, can you relate?

Busi: I think at some point, most of us do. We’ve lived a life of being misunderstood by family. This is what creates the dysfunction of family, not everyone is alike. Boitumelo Sello is refreshingly flawed but she’s relatable in a sense that she’s a bit of a mess at times, she’s quite the rebel but at the end of the day, she’s a sister, daughter and friend. Black sheep? I’m not so sure I’d take it that far, slightly bad mannered? Yes I’d agree! She’s enjoyable and fun. Misunderstood and complex characters are really enjoyable to play and watch.

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