‘I earned Sh1,000 to clap in Hollywood shows’ Single Kiasi lead actress

The apartment that Gathoni Mutua shared with two other roommates she had met online was on Fountain Avenue, West Hollywood, in the United States. It was a rundown building that made creaking sounds from walking. But for a rental fee of Sh50,000 against Los Angeles’s high rental prices, it was a good find.

But it wasn’t just about the rent. It was also conveniently situated near the Dolby Theatre and the Hollywood walk of fame was a short distance away. Beverly Hills was further down the road.

“The neighbourhood was what I’d call a modern-day bazaar for Arts. The arts community was vibrant and eclectic, and there was always something new to see, hear, and do that is related to visual, performing, and public arts. There were thousands of us— dancers, musicians, comedians, actors—drawn from different parts of the world and hoping to make it in the entertainment business but we were yet to figure out our craft.”

Gathoni was there to be an actress.

Born to missionary parents, Gathoni spent her formative years in Ivory Coast where she studied French and was immersed in other cultures. “Interacting with the diverse communities tied to the fact that I come from an artsy family, I leaned more toward arts. Then, I couldn’t put a name to exactly what I wanted to do but I knew that the entertainment industry was my home,” she offers.

Her parents, also artsy, dissuaded her from making the field her focus but encouraged her to sing, play the violin or act on the side. “You cannot eat art,” they’d tell her. At 18, she enrolled at a local university to pursue International Relations but dropped the course after two semesters. 

“I got a scholarship opportunity to study music in Canada and this was the breakthrough that I needed to get into arts,” Gathoni says.  After her one-year study in Canada, she got another opportunity which paid her partial tuition fees to pursue theatre films in California, USA. That was my third university in three years,” says the 31-year-old.

She graduated in 2014 and got a role in a Christian film, Woodlawn, a sports drama where for the first time, worked with a proper set. “I worked as the cast extras coordinator which involved looking for extras and their outfits. At one point, I was managing more than 1,000 extras in one night. It was an intense film for me, and it was a culmination of my dreams and ambitions,” she offers.

With the money received from this film, she moved out of her uncle’s house where she lived while in school and rented a shared apartment in Los Angeles (LA). “If anyone has told you about LA or Hollywood, most people don’t like it. It is hard to get anywhere because there is no public transport and it’s expensive. Basically, you need money and connection, something that I didn’t have,” she says.

With thousands of talented people auditioning for the same roles, finding work was hard so she started taking roles like paid audience member jobs. “The most common gig I could find was clapping during recording sessions. I would be a clapper earning about Sh1,000 per day and it was really tough because you’d be there, clapping all through the shows with barely any breaks. While this was my survival mechanism then, I got to learn a lot about what happens on set because, with this kind of job, you are among the first people to watch a particular show. While at it, I got an opportunity to play as an extra on the first episode of Season one of the Lucifer series and an episode of Murder in The First,” she says.

Just when Gathoni had started getting acting and assistant directing gigs, her visa expired and she had to come back to Kenya in 2015.

 “The very first job I had I was swindled by someone close to me. When it came to finding work, it was a slap in the face because everyone wanted to know about my experience working in Kenya. That was a wake-up call for me,” she offers.

Gathoni started teaching theatre to learners in an international school, wrote a musical, and shelved her acting ambitions until 2018 when she went back to auditioning and actually got a lead role in a Kenyan drama series, This is Life.

“The show did very well and I had something to show regarding my acting experience in Kenya. I got other gigs along the way before landing a lead role on Showmax’s drama series, Single Kiasi. Directed by Insignia Productions duo Grace Kahaki and Philippe Bresson, Single Kiasi now in season two follows the lives of three women in Nairobi ─Sintamei (whom she plays), Mariah, and Rebecca as they go through the ups and downs of marriage, relationships, and careers.

“Single Kiasi comes after my years of preparations, experiences, and lessons. The casting process was nerve-wracking, and it was a miracle that I was called back for the role. We finished shooting towards the end of last year,” offers the actress.

Her power, she says, is that she is multi-hyphenate. “I am excited that I have built a very strong foundation because there is no field I can’t thrive in. The Kenyan market is saturated, and one might not be able to survive on an actor’s salary alone,” she says.

On the side, she sings, does voiceovers, writes and directs films, and offers acting lessons to adults.

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