Meet 7de Laan’s Bonita

It’s been six years now that Hildegardt Whites has graced our screens playing the part of Bonita in 7de Laan.

She is a charming and poised woman who originates from the West Coast. “I was the only girl among four boys and I already knew when I was in school that I wanted to be an actress,” Whites explained.

The Risidale resident started studying performance art in Cape Town straight after Grade 12 and then studied at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) where she graduated, but not before meeting her musician husband, Kuba Silkiewicz.

“I met my husband while I was studying and even though we are both in the entertainment industry it can get hectic at times but we work hard to make it work,” she explained. Whites explained that she had a tough time trying to break into the industry as she went from audition to audition without much success, only being chosen a few times for a few plays and adverts. “At the end of my studies, we put on our best performance for scouts, casting directors and casting agents who were invited to come and watch us,” she said.

“A few days later, I received a call for an agent who asked me to come in for a screen test and I went there prepared,” she added. Whites said that she received a few phone calls for several roles on the popular soapie but had to turn them down. “When they called me to play the part of Bonita it was such perfect timing and I took the role, which was supposed to last four weeks but here I am six years later,” she said.

She described Bonita as a passionate lover who would do anything for her loved ones. “There are similarities between Bonita and me. We are both go-getters who know what we want out of life,” Whites said. She added that she was also a singer and loved singing second best to acting. “In the future I see myself acting in movies as it’s something I have always wanted to venture into,” she said.

Details: Hildegardt Whites publicist, Leon Cloete leonc@infinitecom.co.za

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