The most sort after A-list actress Brenda Wairimu, who had always wanted to pursue vet medicine due to her love for animals narrates how she ended up in acting.
Brenda who had always been top in her class started acting in 2009/2010 in music festivals and choral verses but had never done drama before.
“I started acting in 2009/2010. The only ‘acting’ I had done beforehand was music festival, choral verses. I didn’t do drama. I joined then I pulled out because I was like ‘Eeh, I won’t have enough time to study, you know I was like a kachoppie. I was index one, and in Form 4 (KCSE) I was number 3 in Coast province so don’t just see me like this” She revealed in an interview with Talk Show.
Brenda passed her KCSE exams but could not make it to campus on JAB as she did not manage the cut point and couldn’t afford a parallel course.
It is through a sponsorship to USIU to pursue International Business Administration and Journalism course that fate forced her to hustle for pocket money that saw her end up in acting since the sponsorship covered fees only.
“I really wanted to be a vet, I love animals. But I didn’t get called for what I wanted to do and I didn’t have the recourses for enrolling in the parallel program so I just went where I could. I got a sponsorship and I joined USIU where I studied International Business Administration and Journalism” Brenda narrated during an interview with Talk Show.
It is while at USIU that an opportunity presented itself and Brenda grabbed it.
“I was broke and I was on Facebook and saw an audition. I have always loved film and TV and when I watch them I am not just watching, I am looking at very tiny, fine details but I didn’t know that this is what I wanted to do. So that time I was broke since the sponsorship was for the fees so I didn’t really have pocket money or what not and I saw that they were auditioning for ‘Changing Times’. And I think I was more adventurous than I am now and so I went for the auditions and I spent an entire day there because like 800 people showed up. Some of the friends that I had gone with gave up and left but I stuck through it and I went into the audition room and yeah!” Brenda narrated.
Brenda admits the road was rocky but with great support she made it. “First of all, in my first acting job, I was terrible. I was bad, it was really terrible. I got better with time and that is why I will always be grateful to Jennifer Gatero. I don’t know what it is that she saw in me but I was supposed to be there only for a short while and she developed my character, she even gave me a family and I was like what? And that is how I started.”
Brenda has starred in changing times as ‘Sharrifa’,as ‘Lulu’ in Mali,as ‘Dala’ in MTV’s Shuga and as ‘Pamela Onyange’ in Kona.
