Natasha Thahane Stars in Netflix’s New Crime Drama Marked

Actress Natasha Thahane is part of the cast in Netflix’s brand-new crime drama Marked. In the series, she plays the role of Nelisa Kunene, the daughter of Thandeka Kunene (played by Linda Sokhulu) and Zachariah Kunene (played by Desmond Dube).

Even though her new character has both parents, Natasha shared that her real-life upbringing was very different. She was raised by her grandmother, not by her mom and dad. In an interview with The Citizen, Natasha said, “All my characters have actually had a mother and a father and I was raised by my grandmother.”

She added, “My mom and dad are very much present, I love them, but I’m a granny’s child. I was raised by my grandmother.”

The new show Marked tells the story of Babalwa, a cash-in-transit security guard played by Lerato Mvelase. Babalwa is forced to make tough choices as she tries to protect what’s most important to her. As pressure builds, the line between right and wrong becomes blurry. The crime drama is made up of six action-packed episodes.

Natasha Thahane is no stranger to playing characters from strong family backgrounds. In The Queen on Mzansi Magic, she was known for her role as Amogelang ‘Amo’ Maake, the daughter of Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Maake, played by the late Shona Ferguson. On Netflix’s Blood & Water, she played Wendy Dlamini, whose father was a member of parliament.

Speaking about these roles, Natasha explained that acting in stories where characters live with both parents helped her in a personal way. “All my characters have had a mother and a father in the house,” she said.

She continued, “So they’re [child and parents] having a dynamic and having that conversation, I realised that at their age I didn’t have that because I stayed with my grandmother and God has been healing me through those characters.”