Get to Know Muadi Ilung, the Rising Actress Owning Her Journey and Taking Up Space
Born in Johannesburg, rising actress Muadi Ilung’s dream of telling stories budded during her youthful years as a high schooler, manifesting as a love for drama and theatre. As fate would have it, the passion navigated her through the years till she made her first appearance as a lead in her debut feature film, Black Burns Fast, a milestone that jump-started her career in the professional circuit and confirmed her rookie status in the industry.
Ilung’s talked about her love for telling stories and how it began.
“I was exposed to Drama in high school during my days in Northcliff. I took part in plays, where my love for performance arts began. I’ve always been an art kid, because that’s another medium of storytelling—the visual arts,” she said.
Muadi Ilung | SUPPLIED
Although she grew up with an artsy leaning, her parents beckoned her towards studies, encouraging her to pursue a life path with more stability. The parental push guided her down the road of Urban and Regional Planning before her former lover located her later on in life once more.
“I rediscovered my love for the arts again when MLA decided to sign me once again in 2021. I feel like that development was my love for acting calling me to come back, which is where I am at right now,” she said.
Muadi, portraying Ayanda, co-starred alongside Esihle Ndleleni in Black Burns Fast. Directed by Sandulela Asanda, the Queer teen film was the burgeoning actress’s feature film debut. She spoke about how right it felt to partake in the movie from the get-go.
“From the minute I got the audition, I knew it was something special. When we auditioned, we were asked to speak about our high school years just to see what we could bring to it. I originally auditioned for Zenande, but my agent wanted to see what I could do with Ayanda instead, so I submitted my shot at Ayanda, and the rest is history,” Ilung said.
Muadi Ilung as Zenande in Black Burns Fast | Credit: Coco Van Oppens
Tapping into the reservoir of lived experience and nostalgia, Muadi spoke about the process of putting the film together by rolling the hands of the clock and reliving high school experiences for the movie.
“This movie was my first time in a lead role in a feature film, so everything was new to me. But that’s what made everything about the making of this movie special, you know? Having a young Black writer and director able to express the kind of past we had back when we were in high school. It was a beautiful and special connection. We also had the exercise of writing a love letter to our high school selves, so throughout filming we were connected to the experiences of our young selves,” she said.
Ilung reflected on moments of battling and getting over imposter syndrome while on set.
“Trusting yourself and trusting what you bring to a character are two important things to remember. I had to remind myself time and time again that I was chosen for a reason because the director and the producer wouldn’t have picked me if they hadn’t seen anything. So when I played Ayanda, I allowed myself to bring only what I could bring to the character,” she said.
Muadi Ilung as Zenande in Black Burns Fast | Credit: Coco Van Oppens
Black Burns Fast premiered at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, a moment Muadi marked as a personal milestone that transformed the way she viewed herself as a professional artist.
“When Black Burns Fast went to Berlinale, it felt real. That was one of my proudest moments. After the filming got that far, I started calling myself an actor—or at least allowing myself to. Prior to that, there was always this awkward part of every conversation where people would ask me where they could find me after I told them I am an actor. That awkward silence because I’d have no answer for that. So when the film went to Berlin, it gave me those bragging rights about being an actress and being a storyteller,” she said.
Muadi talked about representation as a darker-toned Black woman and wanting to see more Black women being portrayed in their complexities.
“I wanna see more films with Black women in all their complexities in lead roles. I’d like to see more stories where Black women are centred, especially as a darker-skinned Black woman—I haven’t seen too much representation of us being portrayed as love interests. That’s why playing Ayanda was so special to me. In addition to this, I’d like to see representation in many aspects because we are not monolithic,” she said.
Muadi Ilung | SUPPLIED
She shared some of her interests outside of acting.
“I’m a huge book reader, so you’ll always find me on BookTok and book festivals, and I frequent a book longue in Cape Town. I’m also a beach person, so you’ll always find me there in summer. I would love to, and I am considering taking up more hobbies just to diversify myself,” she said.
For Muadi, all future aspirations are to become an international brand.
“I see myself on the global stage, partaking in huge productions someday. That’s pretty much the goal,” she said.