A dedicated actress, a vibrant TV personality, a soulful musician, and a boundary-pushing creative, Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku possesses a multi-hyphenated portfolio that doesn’t only speak to her versatility but also to her dedication to take up space and maximise all her artistic faculties. Credited in the realms of filmmaking, producing, as well as modelling, she is a thoroughbred of the entertainment space in every sense of the word.
From landing an internationally acclaimed role on Showmax’s Outlaws to gracing the screens with her talent on the Netflix production Umjolo: My Beginning, My End, starring alongside Nkanyiso Makhanya and Yonda Thomas, the 28-year-old’s shine is only getting brighter.
Speaking to her about her upbringing, she recalled how she started being aware of her gifts at the impressionable age of four, honing her attributes and pruning herself every weekend.
“When I decided upon what I wanted to do, I didn’t take a conscious decision to say that I’m pursuing more than one artform. I grew up in the arts, being trained from the age of four every Saturday and sometimes more days than that. Those spaces, I believe because of my capacity to do many things all at once, allowed me to explore and to perfect some of my gifts, skills, and artistry,” she said.
Having dropped on the 3rd of January 2025, Nirvana starred in the show Umjolo: My Beginning, My End, portraying a lady named Mayi, a sprightly belle who is set to marry Sizwe Jama (played by Nkanyiso Makhanya). But soon she finds herself snagged in a cobweb of a love triangle when she develops a thing for a charming saxophone player named Zweli (brought to life by Yonda Thomas).
Nokwe-Mseleku spoke briefly about her onscreen avatar, drawing similarities between herself and Mayi.
“I resonate with Mayi’s compassionate spirit and her ability to act on what she believes is right. To her, if it’s right, it’s right, and I’m very much that person in real life. If it’s not working for me, then no—I can’t fake it. But if it is, then I’m gonna swim in it. So, Mayi’s appetite for life, compassion, and love for romance and true love are things that I resonate with a lot,” she said.
Written characters are wells of emotions and experiences waiting to be drawn out only by those courageous and student-like enough to learn about those they are meant to embody to the fullest. True to life imitating art, it is no different with acting, calling upon the expertise of the directors to help the actors realise the full potential of assigned characters by curating a space that will assist in this undertaking.
Nirvana spoke about the importance of having a competent director such as Zuko Nodada, who not only held her hand through the process of breathing life into Mayi but was also cardinal in creating an environment that helped her thrive in understanding Mayi.
“Bringing Mayi to life was such an honour because it was such a collaborative endeavour. I would say Ta Zuko Nodada, our director, really facilitated such a safe space, and I think that’s what actors need. We need a safe space to be able to explore and to play. That in itself is part of the art: to facilitate freedom whilst being disciplined. I found it encouraging and lovely to have been part of such a production. I would even say Ta Zuko is the best director I’ve ever worked with,” she said.
Nokwe-Mseleke also had words of honey for her fellow co-star Yonda Thomas, who she singled out as being of great help on set, helping her mentally and performance-wise.
“Yonda is such a phenomenal character. He makes it very easy to become a better actor. He is also intimidating because of how deeply committed he is, and I’m not the type to get intimidated easily.
“I remember this one scene where I went to him angry. That scene was such a challenge for me because I was trying to figure out how to bring out my emotions. I felt like it was such an emotional scene. I remember after we had finished it, I cried, telling him how much I felt I had messed up. And he comforted me, reminding me not to be so hard on myself. He coached me so much. It was an honour working with someone so professional, so playful, and so disciplined. Very skilled and passionate about his craft,” she said.
Nirvana handpicked her late grandpa and veteran actor Alfred Nokwe as one of her inspirations as well as American icon and Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie.
“My grandfather, Alfred Dudley Nokwe, is a definite influence for me because he was such a phenomenal actor. So poised and refined. Though he’s no longer with us, I would say that he was instrumental in setting a standard for me and a lot of us in the film and TV industry in this country. I also draw inspiration from Angelina Jolie, and her ability to flow into character. She seems very comfortable in her sensuality, and that’s something I enjoy seeing, even when I’m watching her in an action movie. There’s always this grace and stillness about her, and I appreciate those attributes of stillness and poise,” she said.
For Nirvana, taking care of herself by ensuring that her body is in tiptop shape and sharing her light with her tribe in the shape of friends is what matters the most.
“I love to spend time with my friends and partying. I loveto party, and with my friends in particular. I don’t just go out to the club – it’s gotta be with friends. I think it’s important to be intentional about being with people and having good times. I also think my baby, the Connect Supper Club, allows me to host people. It also helps me to facilitate meaningful conversations and connect people with others all at once. That’s who I am. I’m all about community.
“I also spend a lot of time taking care of my body. Sometimes when people see me taking the amount of vitamins I drink, they’re like, ‘Ooh, girl, that’s a lot of vitamins.’ There’s a lot of organs in my body, you know what I mean? Organs to take care of. Those are the things I’m passionate about outside of acting,” she said.
Nirvana revealed that she was raised vegetarian, and that it was only towards the end of the last year that she had her first bites of meat for the “experience”.
“One thing people might not know about me is that I’m a vegetarian. This year is the first time I tasted lamb. In December, I tasted good grilled chicken for the first time in my life. There’s a lot of first-times with me, since I was raised vegetarian and because I’m not bound by an oath I decided to go ahead just for the experience. I’m still not a meat-eater, but I am trying to taste what it is that everybody is raving about just to see if I am missing out on anything,” she said.