PROFILE Spreading his acting wings
YONGA THOMAS TO PLAY THE ROLE OF DUMO IN NEW LOCAL DRAMA ‘I try to make sure day in and day out that they can bank on me.’
He is known as television’s most famous cop. If you need a person to nail a role of a police officer, Yonga Thomas is the man to call.
Despite this, the remarkably talented actor continues to master all the roles that get thrown his way, leaving viewers wanting more of this hunk on the small screen.
Now Thomas will star in a new local drama series that premieres on eExtra on July 1, playing the role of Dumo.
Titled Ambitious, the thrilling drama series will touch on the political landscape of South Africa, and be the first exclusive local show to premiere on the channel. Although Thomas says he doesn’t usually watch most of the soapies and drama series he is part of, he is particularly looking forward to seeing the work he did on Ambitious.
“I’m my worst critic, which is why I don’t usually watch myself on television, but for some reason I’m excited about watching Ambitious. I believe it will reveal a different side to my acting and show just how much I have grown. I hope the work I put in pays off,” he said.
In the drama series he has a brother and the storyline tackles a male platonic relationship, a topic he says is not fully explored on television.
“Sibling rivalry and competition is one of the topics we look into. Dumo is smart in his own way. He is a self-made man who wants a fat paycheque and is very ambitious.
“His brother is all for school and getting a degree, whereas Dumo sees things differently. He is all for going out and making things happen, proving just how different ambition can be,” he explained. “The Ambitious storyline touches a lot on South African topics. It draws from politics as in labour issues, housing and tender issues. It talks to what we are going through in South Africa.
“It kind of has a national message that will be delivered to the right people,” Thomas underlined, emphasising more that “the question it poses is that if you have an ambition, a dream, and your dream was on auction, how much would you pay for it? How much would you sacrifice for your dream? What will the price be?”.
He says the point is to get viewers to put themselves in the actor’s shoes and ask themselves these crucial questions. “It was in Grade 6 when I realised that I loved being a storyteller. There were auditions for a high school play and I chickened out while my friends made it through, and I watched them as they participated.
“So in Grade 7 I auditioned, and from then on I never looked back,” the actor said, pointing out that his mom was sceptical when he finally told her he wanted to be an actor, explaining that she wanted him to do something more stable in her view.
The 32-year-old says although most might not remember, his first television role was in Mvelo, and his first police officer role was with Mzansi Magic’s Isibaya as Tony.
“From then on when someone was looking for a person to play a cop, they called me. This is what happed with Saints and Sinners, where I played a cop, Siya Malinga. This is the role that opened doors for me, but Isibaya opened the Saint and Sinners door for me first,’’ he elaborated.
Thomas is also Detective Majola on SABC 3’s soapie Isidingo. Getting to be a part of Class Act and being a finalist on the famous reality show, Thomas says this helped him gain entry into the acting industry.
“Class Act was amazing. It launched my career and afforded me my first acting job, and because I came in through a competition, I knew my journey in the industry would be hard and competitive,” he said.
For him the challenge is attaining staying power and being bankable.
“I ask myself, once I’m in a show, how do I make sure I stay there? I try to make sure day in and day out that they [production team] can bank on me.
“I reinvent myself and work hard at my work, and surround myself with people that empower me,” he pointed out.
Thomas explained that he regards the auditions and competing as part of the job. “I would really love to play a lot of roles, but I would more especially love to play someone everyone can relate to. I would like to one day play the role of Steve Biko. I’m putting it out there,” he said.
He knows portraying this role would be challenging.
“I would also like to play the villain because everybody just looks at me and sees a good guy. I want to play a character people hate; an abusive man in a storyline that tackles the abuse of women,” he explained, indicating that growing up in a household full of women, the character would be uncomfortable for him. Thomas says though he likes the direction the acting industry is heading in, he believes there is still a lot holding it back despite the positive development of getting more and more new people to join it.
“We are aware we need to start telling more stories and making more films. However, things that hold us back are issues like walking into an audition and filling in a form where you are asked for your Twitter handle.
“How does that help me get a job? I get that we are moving more towards social media to sell the product, but you don’t want to compromise the performance side,” he explained.
Thomas furthermore says the fear of telling South Africa’s political stories also holds the industry back.
“We are also scared to venture more into action films. We try to play it safe all the time and we also don’t want to watch South African films in cinema,” he said.
He indicates that failure to support fellow South African filmmakers is what is preventing Mzansi from reaching the level of quality it needs in filmmaking.
“It’s going to take a lot of work. When it comes to implementation, something is lacking,” he concluded.
We try to play it safe all the time and we also don’t want to watch South African films in cinema. Yonga Thomas