Actor and producer, Shona Ferguson, returns to soaps for a fascinating story arc as Katlego Sibeko’s estranged older brother in Isidingo, writes Debashine Thangevelo
SHONA Ferguson is one of South Africa’s powerhouse figures in the TV industry. And the actor-cum-producer merits every ounce of reverence.
Aside from a role in SABC1’s Generations, playing Dr Leabua in SABC2’s Muvhango helped Ferguson gain a more solid footing in the industry.
He went on to have a bigger impact with e.tv’s Scandal, where he got to showcase his awesome tattoos, too.
M-Net’s The Wild, which won many awards in its, sadly, short tenure, also gave him immense leverage to showcase his proficiency in a lead role alongside Tumisho Masha.
Interestingly, his equally talented wife Connie also bagged a key role in that soap. She has since reclaimed her sway as Karabo Moroka in the revamped SABC1 soap, Generations: The Legacy.
And aside from these two being one of the country’s darling celebrity couples, they are also making waves with their production house, Ferguson Films, which is behind Mzansi Magic’s hit series, Rockville, and the feature film, The Gift, and iGazi.
Bottom line, Ferguson has not only proved his gravitas as an actor – he is loving being a producer… as frustrating as his responsibilities might be.
Despite this manic schedule – and being a new grandfather – he has agreed to take on the role of Thapelo “Tyson” Mokoena in SABC3’s Isidingo.
In case you are wondering why you should care about this character, let’s just say his arrival will shake things up for the Sibeko family. After all, he is Katlego’s estranged older brother and she is a magnet for trouble.
When Tonight called Ferguson, he was in the midst of putting together the pre-production plans for Rockville 4.
He says: “We shoot on Monday. We have until Saturday for prepping. Our world (in the series) has gotten bigger and more exciting. So it means a lot more preparation.”
Of course, he is so meticulous in his planning that he set aside time to shoot his scenes for Tyson, too. But this does put him under immense pressure as he plays a lead character in his home production.
He says: “As an actor, I like taking what I do extremely seriously. The nice thing – and it does make me comfortable – is that I’m able to do justice to Tyson and JB as I have specific days that I shoot them.”
He adds that he makes it a point to never shoot the same characters on the same days.
Given that his last soap role was in 2013, he did have to readjust to the shooting style.
Last year, he took a break from acting as his production work demanded his complete attention.
However, when he received a call about Tyson, he was intrigued by the character.
He notes: “JB is a man of few words, so there is a lot more emphasis on the performance rather than the dialogue. The last time I had a character written for me, I was in The Wild. Since then, I have crafted the characters I play.
“On the first day I shot in the studio for the soap, I forgot what it was like. The shots are pre-planned. The blocking is done in a certain way… it’s very technical. So you do get thrown. My first couple of scenes were very different and it took some adjusting. But the next day was better.”
His character exudes charisma, which is augmented by his political background.
Given his tie to our resident gold-digger trophy wife, it’s bound to upset a few dynamics among the Sibekos and close business affiliates, like Barker Haines.
Ferguson hints: “What I do know is that he is going to shake things up between Lincoln and Barker. It’s going to raise the stakes in terms of the drama, and the respective families. And, honestly, that’s what got me excited about this character; he doesn’t have a one-dimensional storyline.”
At the same time, he also feels the growing pressure for the forthcoming season of Rockville.
He offers: “The fourth one has to take it to another level. No one has higher expectations than us (Ferguson Films). Viewers can expect a lot more sexy drama and heavy emotion. There are many episodes where they are going to be bawling their eyes out.”
He also pointed out that the storytelling is very research-driven as the aim is to tell controversial stories that impact as well as encourage debate among South Africans.
In the meantime, his role as Tyson is definitely going to inspire lots of water-cooler conversations. Let’s just say “drama” is the key word, here!
Shona Ferguson makes his Isidingo debut on Wednesday, March 23. The soap airs on SABC3 on weekdays at 7pm.