Industry giant Tony Kgoroge joins local drama 'Imbewu: The Seed'

Tony Kgoroge will appear on Imbewu: The Seed from Friday, September 14 on etv.

Tony Kgoroge will appear on Imbewu: The Seed from Friday, September 14 on etv.

Published Sep 12, 2018

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This week e.tv local drama, "Imbewu: The Seed," will see a change in Zimele “Ngcolosi” Bhengu character, which will now be played by industry giant, Tony Kgoroge.

The character was previously played by actor Mpumelelo Bhulose, who was fired in July for absenteeism and late-coming.

Ngcolosi is MaZulu (Leleti Khumalo) husband and one of the three shareholders of Maluju Oil, a company he views as rightfully ‘his’. Tony will tackle the strong-willed, powerful and larger-than-life character, from Friday, September 14, where he will continue with the current storyline.

Kgoroge is well known for his leading roles in the series "Gaz'lam" and "Zero Tolerance." He’s also acted in numerous feature films including, "Lord of War," "Blood Diamond," Invictus and The First Grader. And on TV series like "Isidingo," "Dark Angels," "Deafening Silence," "Soul City," "Madam and Eve," "Homecoming" and "Life is Wild." He is also the president of Culture and Creative Industries Federation of SA.

“Entering the show when a character has already been established is risky, but I look at it as a continuation and not a takeover. The character has a different look now, and viewers may interpret that in different ways, but as an actor our job is to get into the character and do justice with the part. There are different techniques in which to do this,” he said.

He said since the start of shooting, he was not given any strict brief as to how the character should be portrayed.

“I’ve worked with the producers before and they know what I am capable of. So there is a level of professionalism and trust between us. I wasn’t really told what to do with the character. I was given the freedom to play around and if I have any trouble then I can go back to them for clarity,” said Kgoroge.  

He said one of the major challenge he faced while shooting was the fact that he struggled with the pronunciation of Zulu words.

“I come from Joburg and we speak “Joburg Zulu”, and Durban, Zulu is very different, so on set I was pronouncing words wrong and it was hectic. I had to basically relearn the language,” he said.

About the script, Kgoroge said that he admired the fact that directors are giving Durban actors a chance.

“Durban has great talent and KZN has never been given exposure. It’s a great script. It’s fresh and great to see new faces. I think we were reaching a point where actors where moving from one show to another - it was as if we were running out of talent. But that’s not the case and the show proves this,” he said.  

Catch Tony Kgorokge on "Imbewu: The Seed "weekdays at 9:30pm on e.tv.

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