Actress Salamina Mosese has opened up about her marriage, going through depression and the success of her new film, Baby Mamas.
She has been in the industry for 21 years, and through that period, has learned a lot.
“I have learnt that one shouldn’t be driven by the fame aspect of what we do. If you keep it about the work, the walk is less daunting. It’s a tough industry where freelancers are sometimes totally broke for months on end. The sooner one finds other ways to supplement the income the better it will be.”
Salamina has faced numerous challenges in the industry. In her own words says, the older you get, the more problematic that is.
“There isn’t always work. The older you get, the more problematic that is. As a scholar living at home, the times in-between shows being filmed was much easier. It becomes brutal the minute you leave the security of home. I became a chronic saver. So, I always had a rainy day fund and I became militant about my saving. I still am.”
Salamina teamed up with one of her friends for the film Baby Mamas, which became a huge success.
“We worked ourselves to the bone, to get this project to cinema and even in our marketing drive, so the success has been humbling. Stephina always says that filmmaking is like an extreme sport and we have learnt that it is exactly that. There is still a lot of work to be done to get our film industry to where it needs to be.”
Depression
Her social media accounts have been used as an avenue for her to talk about her battle with depression.
“There is no shame in having mental health conversations and I think its common enough that we need to have these conversations openly and in public forums.” When it comes to coping with depression the actress says some days are better than others. “This is still very much a work in progress. Some years have been better than others. I don’t think I will ever be able to say that I am completely healed and I have conquered it. But I am in the best place I’ve been in a while, in terms of managing it.”
In as much as she prefers to keep a private life, she lets us in on some of her life’s details.
“There will always be things that I never post on social media about but when I do let people in, it’s when I feel like there’s either a teaching moment or a specific reason to divulge something private. We don’t post our daughter, and that’s deliberate. Every now and then I will post about hubby if we are somewhere together or whatever, but I think we both have more to offer to the industry than our relationship. So, we control our exposure for our own sanity, so that it still feels like a normal relationship, with its ups and downs that don’t always need to played out in the public space.”
