Esihle Ndleleni on Going from One Line to Leading Lady in ‘Black Burns Fast’

Esihle Ndleleni’s journey into professional acting didn’t follow a conventional route. In fact, her decision to attend film school began almost entirely on a whim after attending a high school career day. Exhausted by the standard university application process, she decided to apply to AFDA after hearing that the institution didn’t rely on traditional tests or textbooks.

“I applied as a joke ’cause I was so tired of the application process of normal universities – it’s so long,” Ndleleni recalls. “I just never thought of it as an actual career for me, ’cause no one in my family has been bold enough to do something like that. It’s always something that will secure a job for you. So when I applied, it was a joke, and then I got accepted, and I was like, ‘Well, guess I’m going to AFDA.'”

After graduating in 2020 and navigating the grueling audition circuit – which involved taking nine-hour bus rides between the Eastern Cape and Johannesburg – Ndleleni eventually secured representation and moved to Cape Town in 2022. Prior to landing the lead role of Luthando in Sandulela Asanda’s feature Black Burns Fast, her entire on-screen film experience consisted of a single line as a waitress.

Stepping into the lead role meant taking on an immense workload and overcoming initial self-imposed pressure.

“I did put a lot of pressure on myself,” says Ndleleni. “I think it got in my head that like, ‘Oh my goodness, I am the leading role, I’m number one on the call sheet, maybe I need to act a certain way, maybe I need to have the film on my shoulders.’ I don’t think I needed to do that at all, but I just put a lot of pressure on myself ’cause to jump from one line to this was like, ‘Oh, good Lord!'”

Being on set every single day took its physical toll. The schedule was so grueling that director Sandulela Asanda stepped in toward the end of principal photography to ensure her lead actress was taking care of herself.

“Towards the end of the shoot, Asanda sent me to get a B12 shot, which I appreciated,” Ndleleni laughs. “You were so tired! I could tell like, girl, you don’t need to treat yourself like this,” Asanda adds.

What ultimately anchored Ndleleni’s performance was the collaborative environment created prior to rolling cameras. Rehearsal sessions in small groups allowed Ndleleni to build genuine rapport with her co-star Muadi Ilung and the wider cast.

“Chemistry was great. We all just clicked the moment we met,” Ndleleni explains. “A safe space was created before we started shooting, while we were shooting, and still after we’ve done shooting, where everyone was just comfortable. We were able to come into it – Muadi and I – from a place of love, understanding, and grace and we were then able to just play around with it.”

For Ndleleni, the experience proved that carrying a film doesn’t require working in isolation. With no ego or rigid hierarchies on set, the production functioned as an ensemble workshop where everyone contributed to the shared vision.

“I didn’t even feel like I was leading the movie,” she reflects. “Obviously I was there every single day, but we were all there together, experiencing this together. No one was put on a pedestal. The film was above anyone else’s number on the call sheet, and we were all doing it for the film, not for individual accolades.”