Actor goes extra mile for his craft
IN ORDER to bring his character on Broken Vows to life‚ Thapelo Mokoena stepped into the shoes of activists such as Ernesto “Che” Guevara‚ Thomas Sankara and photo journalist Alf Khumalo.
Thapelo plays the character of Uhuru‚ a passionate writer, so he has pushed himself to learn what it means to be a journalist.
The actor, who deals with the news media on a daily basis, admitted that he now views journalism in a different light.
“I found that journalism is such a unique space and I had to look at the little details that make a great journalist.
“I approached it from a messenger’s perspective because it is almost revolutionary what true journalists do‚” he said.
Thapelo explained that he found that journalists have the difficult decision of choosing how a story is told.
“I looked at revolutionaries and people like Alf, who knew that a message had to be delivered, and became creative in finding a channel to tell it. That is the type of journalist I would be and the one I choose to bring to life through Uhuru‚” he said.
Perhaps also inspired by his passion for storytelling‚ Thapelo yearns to make his legacy outlive him by sharing his skills with young people.
He has a number of projects he’s pushing to ensure growth in the industry through development of young talent.
“I started the #BookYourFirstGig talks to help equip young people who are looking at entering the industry.
“We also have the mobile cinema initiative that we hope will grow to allow all South Africans exposure to locally produced films‚” he said.
Thapelo received Safta’s youth achiever award earlier this year for his stellar work in the industry.
The youth achiever award is presented to a newcomer or young individual in the industry who has demonstrated excellence in their craft. — TMG