As UNSEEN returns for a gripping second season, Gail Malabane steps back into the storm as Zenzi Mwale — no longer just a domestic worker, but a woman on the run. In Season 1, Zenzi stunned audiences with her quiet resolve and escalating desperation
Zenzi is back — bruised, bolder, and more dangerous than ever. Ahead of the premiere, we caught up with Gail for an exclusive conversation about the emotional toll, physical demands, and complex morality that define Zenzi’s journey this season.
Glamour: Zenzi’s journey intensifies this season — what was your mindset stepping back into such a demanding role?
Gail: Stepping back into Zenzi’s world this season felt both exhilarating and deeply personal…like I know that Zenzi had some unfinished business. I knew her journey was going to hit harder - more emotionally layered, more physically intense and definitely more vulnerable. I really wanted to ground myself in her growth and in her reality. I wanted to honor where she’s been while staying open to where she’s headed. I focused on resilience and authenticity - letting her strength show even in the quiet, broken moments. And honestly, I had to prepare mentally and physically, because this season asked for more. But I was ready to go deeper with her.
Glamour: Season 2 explores Zenzi’s time in prison and her escape. What was most emotionally or physically challenging about filming those scenes?
Gail: At the beginning of Season 2, we find Zenzi numb, defeated, surrendered to her new reality. Being in that environment, even as a set, can take its toll on you. Zenzi is dealing with grief, loss confinement, isolation - it all felt very real. Emotionally, I had to tap into Zenzi’s fear at one point, her desperation, but also her unbreakable will which she eventually finds. There's a kind of quiet strength she had to find in the middle of chaos, and portraying that balance was tough but rewarding.
Glamour: Physically, the sequences can be brutal - long hours, tight spaces, and a lot of stunts. I trained hard to make it look raw and believable, because I didn’t want to cheat that moment. Every bruise you see? Pretty much earned. But honestly, the challenge is what made it all so powerful. It pushed me as an actor — and Zenzi as a character.
Glamour: How did you prepare for the mental and emotional toll of portraying such a relentless fight for survival?
Gail: Picking up where Season 1 left off definitely meant going deeper than I’d gone before. I had to strip away comfort and really sit with what it means to be pushed to your absolute limit. I worked closely with my acting coach to build that emotional stamina — we focused on breath work, memory recall, and staying grounded in scenes that demanded a lot of vulnerability. For Season 2, I decided to journal in character — something I didn’t do for Season 1. This helped me to stay connected to Zenzi’s inner world. What does fear feel like when you can’t show it? How do you hold onto hope when everything is telling you to let go? That inner monologue became my anchor. Off set, I was intentional about self-care — spending time in the Word, therapy, meditation, unplugging when I could — because carrying that weight every day starts to blur the line if you’re not careful. But I knew I had to go there, fully, to honor her story.
Glamour: What new layers of Zenzi did you discover in this season?
Gail: This season revealed a whole new dimension of Zenzi — a rawness I hadn’t fully seen in her before. In the past, she’s been timid, composed and maybe even a little ignorant. But survival stripped all that back. I discovered her fear of losing herself, and her desperate fight to find her voice and own her story again. There is a moment where she questions everything she’s believed in, and that shook me. It showed me how deeply human she is, beneath the strength. It was powerful to play a woman who’s breaking but still refuses to be broken. There’s a softness that emerges in her fight, and I think that was a surprising and beautiful layer.
Glamour: You worked with several new cast members in Season 2. Who surprised you the most?
Gail: Honestly, every cast member brought their A-game to every single scene. It was my first time working with Danica - who plays TK - one of the inmates Zenzi “bonds” with in prison. She came in with this quiet intensity that just lit up every scene. On paper, her character seemed tough, guarded, cold. But Danica brought such depth and unpredictability to her. You never knew what she was going to do next, in the best way.
Glamour: Zenzi is now a fugitive — how do you think audiences will respond to her choices?
Gail: I’m really not sure how the audiences will receive Zenzi this Season. :-) Things are definitely going to be shaken up — and I think audiences are going to be split, in a good way. She’s not the same woman people met in Season 1. Her choices this season are messier, more impulsive, sometimes even morally grey. But they’re also deeply human. She’s fighting for her life, for justice, for truth — but doing it outside the lines now.
Some people will root for her harder than ever, because they’ll see the pain and purpose behind every move. Others might question her path, wonder if she’s going too far. And that’s the point — challenging the idea of what a “hero” looks like. Zenzi is complicated now. She’s not asking for permission anymore. And I think audiences will feel that tension — and hopefully, connect with the fire driving her forward.
Glamour: What was it like filming with Dineo Langa as your sister and Zolisa Xaluva as her husband?
Gail: Filming with Dineo was pure magic — intense, layered, and sometimes unexpectedly emotional. Dineo brought such a fierce yet vulnerable energy to the role of my sister. Our dynamic was instantly real - like we’d been carrying a lifetime of shared history. We didn’t even have to say much sometimes; the silence between us said it all. She made every sisterly moment feel lived-in, raw, and honest.
And Zolisa? He commands every scene he’s in. As her husband, he brought this quiet power that constantly kept me — and Zenzi — on edge. There’s a tension between us that just hummed beneath the surface, even when we weren’t in direct conflict. What made it even more fascinating was watching how the three of us navigated loyalty, love, and betrayal in such close quarters.
They both brought their A-game, and being in scenes with them pushed me to dig deeper. It wasn’t just about delivering lines — it was about holding your own in a storm. And I loved every second of it.
Glamour: What did you want to bring into this season that maybe wasn’t explored in Season 1?
Zenzi: Zenzi is a victim of her circumstances. I felt like we hadn’t fully explored what happens when she fully accepts and responds to the circumstances she finds herself in - I wanted to let her crack, not in weakness, but in truth.
Another thing I was intentional about was exploring her inner conflict — not just with external enemies, but within her own beliefs. What does justice mean when the system fails you? How far is too far when you’re fighting back? Those questions haunt her this season, and I wanted to make space for that moral gray area.
And on a more subtle level, I wanted to lean into her relationships more - not just romantic or familial, but the unexpected connections she forms under pressure. There’s so much power in those quiet, human moments. I wanted the audience to not just root for Zenzi, but feel with her.
Glamour: What does this series say about justice — especially for women like Zenzi?
Zenzi: This series pulls no punches when it comes to what justice really looks like — especially for women like Zenzi. It asks: Who gets to define justice? Who gets access to it? And what happens when the system that’s supposed to protect you becomes the very thing you have to survive? For women like Zenzi — smart, strong, but marginalized — justice is rarely straightforward. It’s delayed. It’s distorted. And sometimes, it has to be taken, not given. What I love about the show is that it doesn’t offer neat answers. It shows how justice for women — especially Black women — often comes at a cost. Zenzi’s journey reveals the emotional, physical, and moral toll of that fight. But it also shows resilience, sisterhood, and the power of reclaiming your own story. At its heart, the series says: Justice isn’t just about laws — it’s about dignity, survival, and truth. And women like Zenzi? They’re done waiting for permission.
Glamour: After everything Zenzi has endured, what do you think she ultimately deserves?
Zenzi: After everything Zenzi has endured — the devastating loss of her son and husband, the constant fight for survival, the toll of taking lives, and the harsh realities of jail — I think what she ultimately deserves is healing. Not just justice, but a chance to heal. Zenzi has been carrying so much trauma, grief, and guilt. She’s been broken by it all, and while she’s incredibly strong, even the strongest can’t carry that kind of weight forever without needing space to process and rebuild.
She deserves a moment of reprieve from the relentless cycle of violence and loss — a chance to reclaim her humanity beyond the survival instinct. Maybe not a perfect resolution, but a moment where she gets to step out from the shadows of her past and decide what she wants for herself.
But I think, more than anything, Zenzi deserves redemption - not just for the things she's done in the heat of desperation, but for herself. It’s not just about making things right with the world around her, but finding a way to forgive herself for the choices she’s had to make in order to survive.
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