Fierce & fabulous
Mzamo Gcabashe reveals why his gay character Romeo is breaking the stereotype and looking good doing it.
“For now we’re only getting to know Romeo as the manager of The Black Door, we’re only seeing him in his duty as second in command to Mam Rebecca (Linda Sebenzo). Romeo runs the brothel,” says Mzamo Gcabashe. “He manages the clientele, the workers – whatever needs to be done, Romeo does it.” But there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes for the LGBTQIA+ gender fluid character. “Right now, we’re looking at his professional side, nothing personal. We’re still going to get to all of the personal stuff that he deals with on a day-to-day basis.” And boy are they struggles!
FRIENDLY FACADE
On the outside, Romeo doesn’t have a hair out of place and that’s key to his persona, explains Mzamo. “He’s always made up and fabulous. Right from the make-up Romeo uses – there’s nothing ordinary about it. There’s usually a very specific narrative they (producers) tell you about gay characters… and I think that audiences are so tired of that specific stereotype.” But that’s where the actor says The Black Door is going to reshape viewers’ thinking. “There’s so much more going on with Romeo than we see. He’s not just a gay assistant. The handbag accessory is done. The comingout story is done. We’re not even looking at that on this show. He’s complex and we’re going to see that unfold. Our directors give us space to develop the person behind the face, it’s not just superficial. And Romeo is just that – a real person who’s going through a lot!”
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE…
How Romeo not only came into Mam Rebecca’s employ but became her most trusted right-hand man is an interesting story. “I’m not sure the writers will want me spoiling anything – but it’s going to be an intense backstory. You need to remember that they’re two very, very different people. Yet they’ve got each other’s backs. Mam Rebecca I think trusts Romeo more than her Ben-10 younger lover Junior (Sandile Mfusi).” It’s not like Mam Rebecca would leave her “baby” in the hands of Romeo if she didn’t trust him.
Because of his personality, Romeo is also able to understand the workings of the brothel better than most. “There’s a lot of humour in the show, but the way that Romeo handles things is always as professional as if he was working in the corporate world. He sees a lot of things and he knows who the clientele are.
But they know that he can be trusted to keep their secrets,” says Mzamo. “Until there’s a reason for him not to…”