Collar or cuffs?
Is he for real or is he out to steal? Young Pastor Samson has us searching for signs.
As any life-long soapie fan knows, it’s red-alert time whenever a new preacher comes to town. Whether they’re turning the confessional into a fondling booth, starting a cult or fleecing their flock, it’s all too easy for someone to hide bad intentions behind The Good Book. But is Mlungisi’s (Patrick Mofokeng) nephew Samson Ngema (Mpho Sibeko) cut from the same cloth? Phindile (Pretty Ncayiyana) and Mlungisi are convinced that this young man is #blessed [a trending hashtag used on social media platform Twitter]. But while he has believers on the lookout for signs that his new church is meant to be, viewers will be looking for other signs, particularly when Samson starts to come between sweethearts
Javas (Thapelo Aphiri) and Phindile from Wednesday 21 November or starts daily prayer meetings at Safe N Clean from Monday 26 November.
HEAVENLY FATHER
“We get introduced to Samson as this charismatic young man,” reveals Mpho. “He is really quite convincing. He didn’t really know his dad. He grew up with his mom and she exposed him to a lot of men because she had a number of boyfriends – all these crooks and con men – who’d come and go. Giving the character a back story myself, I’d say that he grew up in a tough environment and he needed something that would bring him peace and keep him sane. He sees religion as a place of solace. So religion is a tool for him to welcome people into what they think is a safe space. It brings people closer to him,” says Mpho. Watching a father like Mlungisi at work and living in his house will give Samson a glimpse of what he has missed. “He is grateful to them. He is really genuine to his family. You can tell, in some episodes, that he doesn’t have the words to express his gratitude for what they do for him,” says Mpho.
THE CHAMELEON
Samson has a remarkable ability to reach out to everyone, from his younger cousin
Lindiwe (Nomvelo Makhanya) to her stuffy dad Mlungisi. “He is very calculated in his approach to people. Samson is a shapeshifter. He can speak the language of the youth. He can adapt himself to any situation with his end goal in sight,” says the actor. “Samson helps Lindiwe with a lot of things, like letting her go out because in the storyline they have grounded her for the rest of the year,” says Mpho laughing. “Because that is something that he feels that he lacked growing up. He never had that person who would stand up for him. And when Samson then speaks to Mlungisi, he butters him up, like, ‘I wish my dad was half the man that you are,’ little things like that. Fathers like having their egos stroked.”
SAMSON’S STRENGTH
Playing a controlled and charismatic pastor like Samson proved an interesting challenge for Mpho. “I am one of the shyest people. I am a nervous wreck at times. When preparing for the role, I had to go online to read a lot on successful people, people who are confident and charismatic, just to kind of see what traits they have. A lot of businessmen or CEOs don’t mind bringing themselves down to uplift the next person. And in terms of movement, Samson is very touchy in a platonic way – not sexual – with both men and women. So while playing that, I just had to forget about me for a second because I really enjoy my space. There was a lot that had to happen with Samson that I as Mpho was not comfortable with,” he hints.
NO DOOM
On the topic of charismatic preachers, Mpho advises, “We need to be careful who we trust. If you really want to see a pastor, then you stay away from a pastor who is going to feed you to snakes, who is going to spray you with bug spray or want you to sleep with him. Stay at home rather, because you keep the word of the Lord with you wherever you go.”