Soap On A Rope

Season 1 SABC3 (*193) 19:30 Comedy

Alfred Ntombela’s swapped his mischievious laugh and bigscreen bestie Leon Schuster for something a little smaller. The 45-year-old, nicknamed Shorty, plays Detective Hannibal Masondo on show-within-a-show TV comedy Soap On A Rope (2016-current) and he says that searching for a killer is different to his trademark imp-ish movie roles.

Why did you choose the most serious role on Soap On A Rope? To be honest, it was different to audition for something that I’m not known for. I never thought that I’d be good in a serious scene, but it all worked out during the auditions and the script helped build context. How did you find the tight filming schedule? It was hectic! I did two shoots everyday in a short space of time and everything was quick [the 13 episodes were filmed in 13 days]. It’s also different filming in a studio as opposed to outside. How so? With Leon’s movies, we film outside and the action is real. Cameras follow you outside and there’s constant movement. When you film indoors, it’s behind a wall. There’s very little movement and it’s all about facial expression. If Soap On A Rope is renewed for season 2, will you drag Leon on for a guest spot? It all depends but if Leon is still strong and willing, I don’t see why not. What else are you working on? I work with young and undiscovered talent who are interested in the entertainment world. I do workshops that help these young people get ready for television and film, putting together their CVs and understanding the business better, from top to bottom.