It’s been four years since Jamie Bartlett successfully morphed into villain David Genaro on e.tv’s Rhythm City.
Although suavely dressed in designer suits and custom-made jewellery, there is no masking the underlying darkness in Genaro’s attempt to come across as a reputable businessman.
To date, he has left a trail of bodies in his wake. His ruthless ambition took root when he was running the radio station 9-9FM and the magazine attached to it. At the time, he envied the career success of Miles Vilakazi, the owner of Redemption Records, and, in an attempt to mirror his rival’s sway in the industry, decided to launch the music career of upstart Sam Sedibeng. But when it appeared as if Sam was being lured by the enemy camp, he killed him. His festering hatred for Miles resulted in gospel singer Rachel Phakati becoming a fatality in a car accident.
His morally questionable actions continued when, after embarking on a steamy affair with Diphuka (Lucilla’s impressionable niece), he did nothing to save her after she overdosed. And when Nonti, his assistant, cottoned on to David’s dark deeds, he simply got rid of her.
In an earlier interview, just before David was shot at his wedding and was presumed dead, Bartlett shared: “David is pushing moralities big time. He killed several people and had sex with an under-aged girl. He is a megalomaniac. The lines between reality and fantasy have become so blurred I don’t think David can tell the difference.”
That the writers have taken the character in so many different directions does make one wonder if they are at the end of their tether writing his story arcs. And, honestly, when a character is built to such omnipotent levels, he needs an adversary to match his intensity.
Always bringing the character down several notches (as was the case when David returned as his camp twin Franco) after being shot at his wedding, eclipses the humility I believe the writers were hoping for.
In the current storyline, David, who is also celebrated for his raging libido, has convinced Gail to be his baby-mama while also having a hot romance with Saurez Baloyi (Zikhona Sotlaka), a prosecutor for the NPA hoping to prove her mettle.
With Gordon Crumb fingering him for the murder of Rachel, it goes without saying David is on the warpath once again.
“The problem with David is he believes he is omnipotent. He lives in a world that is struggling to exist with him. We have seen him come back from the dead, we have seen him change his identity. He makes the mechanism of writing rather difficult,” Bartlett admits.
In the past some of the most revered villains such as Barker Haines (Isidingo), Daniel Nyathi (Scandal) and Stefano DiMera (Days of Our Lives) were brought to book for their past indiscretions. Unfortunately, the storylines lagged to the point were boredom crept in.
Given the limitations of such a scenario, isn’t it destructive to ruin the rose-tinted view aficionados have of David?
“The character needs time to breath to give it more gas. I took some time off to do a beautiful independent movie. The money was much, much less than I’m earning now, but I wanted to do it. It has incredible emotion, full frontal nudity… carnal sex. The story is centred on a tortured relationship between a 17-year-old girl and a 45-year-old man,” he reveals.
Unfortunately, the movie didn’t pan out and Bartlett decided a spell abroad would do him some good.
“When I come back I will do my beloved Death of a Colonialist. You know, it’s difficult to play a 65-year- old man while I am playing David,” he laughs.
Back to David’s arrests at the MIA ceremony, Bartlett reasons: “I think a part of that has to do with keeping the fight alive between Miles and him. He needs to be brought down several pegs. At the moment, that isn’t the case.
“I think that in him coming down to a more human level instead of always feeling invincible, he will learn what it is like to hustle.”
Even Bartlett concedes that his character has no redeeming qualities. He says: “David does drugs on screen, he squeezes the most incredible pleasure out of the most trying circumstances. He needs to start getting dirt under his fingernails now.”
On playing a character as larger than life as David, Bartlett shares: “I’ve struggled with him. The kind of kissing and sexual liaisons he has are something else. My character needs to learn how to grovel.”
In giving David a tattoo of a Chinese symbol of immortality, let’s hope the change in tack of the writers doesn’t shorten the character’s lifespan. After all, he is the heartbeat of Rhythm City.
l David Genaro is arrested at the MIA ceremony on Rhythm City on August 29.