Aubrey Poo on fate and tackling a different kind of role…
AUBREY Poo has become a household face in South Africa. The 30-something actor has bagged roles in myriad soaps and TV dramas from Scandal, Isidingo, Jacob’s Cross, Muvhango, The Book of Negroes, Sokhulu & Partners to The Wild. And now he’s in SABC2’s drama, Bone of My Bones.
His character, Karabo Mohlala, is unlike any he’s played before. He sheds light on how he came to be involved in the project.
“Well, I got a call asking: ‘Would you be interested in this project?’,” Poo says. Of course, by that stage, the creatives on the project had a clear-cut idea of the actors who fit the bill for the characters etched.
He laughs: “The story is set in Pretoria. Little did they know I’m also from Pretoria. In one single meeting, it was revealed, more and more, that I’m meant to be on this project.”
And the character into whose skin he slips is far from one-dimensional.
The actor explains: “Karabo is a mechanic by day and an aspirant singer whenever he gets the time. Obviously, when we first meet him there are a lot of challenges, financially and in his marriage, given that his dream is to be this successful R&B afro-pop singer. What transpires is that he gets his lucky break while singing at a funeral and, from there, momentum grows.”
He hints that “the story is so layered, you will get to see other sides of him. Obviously, I don’t want to give the plot away as we are only one episode in”.
Now that the TV landscape has become very populated by international and local femalecentric shows, for Bone of My Bones to offer a guy’s perspective is a bit of a game changer.
He says: “I had never thought about it that way… I think at the dawn of our democracy focus had to go to those that were dispossessed the most. So the female narrative took centre stage.
He continues: “In addition to that, men never seemed to go through the emotional complexities that women have in their relationships.
“I think we haven’t come full circle. But I think this is an acknowledgement that men do have their conflicts as much as women do and their narrative needs to be told,” he adds.
As for his making a break from previous characters, he says: “I’m in a movie with Khabonina Qubeka and Khanyi Mbau, which should be coming out later this year – about August or so. That character also lives in a creative space.
“What also made it interesting is the producer wanted to see me play something else. It is fortunate, for an actor, when people have that trust in your scope and range; the challenge is when they don’t get you to play the obvious. For me, that was interesting, that somebody could see me in that light.”
Although Poo hasn’t worked with most of his co-stars – aside from Warren Masemola, who he worked with in Scandal – he says: “We jumped into the sea of this project and made it work.”
Why should viewers tune in? He says: “Aside from the amazing talent, I think it’s going to be refreshing.”
Meanwhile, this year’s going to be quite demanding for Poo as he juggles the demands of theatre and his television commitments.