For nearly 13 years, she has played the troubled Karabo Moroka in SA’s most watched daily soapie, Generations.
Today, Connie Ferguson is regarded as one of South Africa’s hottest actresses, and has the accolades to prove it.
In 1998 Connie received the “PAWE Young Artist Award”. Unmistakably one of the most gorgeous personalities on South African television, in 1993 Cosmopolitan chose her as one of “South Africa’s Ten Most Beautiful Women”.
Previously an SABC TV continuity presenter from 1993 to 1998, she has had lead parts in at least five TV films. These are What If (Penguin Films), Crime Reporter (Bateleur Films), Maitemogelo (Spectro Films), Soul City, 1, 2 & 4.
Connie has been married to Muvhango star Shona Ferguson for nearly six years, and they have two beautiful daughters, Lesedi and Alicia.
Even with her hectic schedule, the mother of two, believes family comes first, and she does her best to maintain a balance as she juggles life as a leading soap star, a devoted wife, and a loving mother.
Introducing gsport’s Woman of the Month for February, soapie goddess, Connie Ferguson.
Full Name?
Connie Ferguson
Nickname?
Cons
Husband’s name?
Shona
How long have you been married?
Five years, going 6 this year.
Children?
Lesedi (14) and Alicia (4)
Two girls, how are you enjoying that?
Ah, loving it (laughs), they’re too cute, they’re beautiful!
What did you do before you became an actress?
I used to juggle acting, modelling and presenting; I used to do all three, so I was like an all-round entertainer.
What made you choose acting?
Stability, in the acting industry… It really came down to a choice when Generations became an every-day soapie.
It was a once-a-week drama, and then it became a twice-a-week drama, and then in 96, I think, or 97, it became an every-day soapie…
So, I wouldn’t have time to do anything else, you know, I LOVE acting!
It looks like it! How has playing ‘Karabo Moroka’ in Generations impacted on your life?
Oh, she’s a hectic character, because she’s emotional… For a time she’s been very happy, on a high, and then for another period of time, she’s been going through a lot, you know, she’s emotional.
She’s a taxing character, she’s been through a lot. She’s been blind, yeah, and she’s been on drugs, very unlucky in love (laughs), so she is a very challenging character.
What similarities do you share with Karabo?
I think she’s very kind and loving, and considerate of other people, I think that we definitely share.
You say you love acting, what makes you love it so much?
I think it’s the adrenaline when you’re on set, working on a soapie is not as easy as people think it is…, because we do just over an episode a day, and that’s 27 minutes of screen time, that’s a lot of work!
It’s the adrenaline, it’s learning lines under pressure, it’s going on set and being somebody else, just the whole thing is very challenging.
Who do you think South Africans are so addicted to soapies?
I think because, in a way they identify, they need to get away from their own lives, and they look up to some characters, and it’s escapism for them.
It’s something to talk about, you watch Generations tonight, and tomorrow everyone’s talking about what Mgamla was doing, or what Karabo was doing.
It’s people they can relate to, in a funny way (laughs).
’m sure a lot of people come up to you and call you Karabo, instead of Connie. What is the real Connie Ferguson like, away from acting?
I’m a home-body, I love spending time with my husband and children, I love spending time with my parents in Botswana, so I don’t see them often enough.
I try to go to Botswana every month, just to see them. So, I’m actually very family-orientated.
Our theme for February is Love: How would you define Love, what role does it play in your life?
For me Love is sharing and caring. That’s really what it is, and it’s respect, it’s understanding.
And I have a soul friend in my husband, he’s my best friend, he’s my partner, he’s my buddy. We do almost everything together.
He’s an actor on Muvhango now, he’s just started on Isidingo, so when we don’t see each other at home, we steal moments at work (laughs), we just can’t spend enough time together. For me, that’s Love!
That has been very challenging, especially with Lesedi, who’s now a teenager, but ahh, I’m very selfish with my weekends.
I try not to do too much over weekends, because that’s my time with my family, as are my evenings, because I need to hear on a daily basis my children’s’ day at school, I try to be as involved as possible!
Good to hear, especially with the kind of life that you have, it’s easy to forget about that?
Absolutely!
Are you a sporty person?
Not sporty in terms of doing sports, but I’m a gym fanatic.
Well, you need to be, to expend all that energy on the set:
(Laughs) That’s true, that’s true… I used to do karate as a kid, but when I came to Joburg, I didn’t know what class to join, and what not, and I became too busy acting, presenting, and I just lost touch with it.
But what I do now, is Tai-Bo, and I alternate daily between Tai-Bo and resistance training.
Well it’s showing, you’re looking fabulous!
Oh, thank you (laughs).
Do you have a favourite sports star?
Oooh…, I don’t have much time to watch sport (laughs).
We aim to celebrate femininity at gsport, how would you define femininity?
I think femininity is just being comfortable with being a woman… I’ve read a lot that women don’t like muscle, or that women are scared that, when they don resistance training, they’ll develop muscles and start looking like men.
I don’t think that that has anything to do with not being feminine, or losing your femininity.
I think being feminine is just being comfortable being a woman, and being comfortable being in your own skin.
For you, what’s the most amazing thing about being a woman?
I think women are naturally emotionally-giving people, and for me that’s the best thing.
That’s how we can be both career women, and mothers, wives: because we have it in us, we can be both emotional and professional.
Yeah, people are very quick to give up, that’s what I’ve noticed. And in our industry is not easy, I don’t think any industry is easy.
I think you have to keep pushing, and pushing, and pushing…
People are very quick to say: ‘No, I failed, I didn’t do well…’, ‘No, I can’t do this, it’s too hard…’
My advice is, you cannot fail, until you stop trying! I read an article about a 74-year old woman who wrote matric.
And as she passed matric, the feedback I got from people was, ‘Why bother at that age?’ You know what, the day she dies, she’ll know she achieved her dream, she didn’t fail!
It doesn’t matter how many times the wrote matric before, the fact that she got it, even at 74, means that she didn’t fail, and that’s all that matters.
Who are your role models?
I look up to Oprah Winfrey, and I adore Nelson Mandela.
But I honestly must say that my real hero-role models are my parents, because from nothing, they managed to raise an amazing woman like me (laughs)!
That’s such good praise for them!
Absolutely, and that’s how I want to raise my two daughters! They are my biggest, biggest role models.
What is your biggest joy in life?
My family. I cannot imagine my life without my family.
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