THEMBA’S GIANT TALENT
Not every 27-year-old can pull off playing a tween but Leon Schuster’s latest sidekick has nailed it!
Actor Themba Ntuli:
pint-size powerhouse
HE’S the pint-size half of the anti-rhino-poaching pair wreaking havoc and hilarity in equal measure in the name of conservation and good, solid entertainment. And we’re lapping it up. The film Frank & Fearless has been doing well at the box office since opening late last month and no one is more delighted than Themba Ntuli, the 1,2m tall actor who plays 11-year-old animal-lover Fearless.
He teams up with Frank (Leon Schuster) to send the baddies packing, and their escapades have had movie-goers rolling in the aisles.
It’s the latest offering from Leon, the doyen of local comedy flicks, and Themba is delighted to be working alongside him. It’s a dream come true, he says. “The first Schuster film I watched was Sweet ’n Short with Alfred Ntombela and I knew at some point in my career I’d act in one of his films,” he says.
“With Frank & Fearless, everyone thinks Leon has replaced the legendary Alfred with another short guy – me – but that’s not true.
“No one can replace that guy’s talent and wit and unmatched laugh. I think Leon needed the perfect person to play an 11-year-old and I just did better than anyone else at the audition.”
This is hardly Themba’s first foray into entertainment, of course.
He played the young car guard Pule in a recurring role in Rhythm City, was in the Afrikaans movie Meerkat Maantuig and appeared in the British TV shows Leonardo and Mad Dogs (in which he played a tokoloshe).
Themba, who’s now 27, has been acting since he was in Grade 11, and is a little sad to be working with Leon (67) only now “at his old age”.
“He’s still crazy but not as young as he used to be. There’s so much more I’d have loved to explore with him. He has created a brand for himself and it’s an honour to work with him. He believes in the people he works with and trains you on the job to stretch yourself.”
Themba was impressed with the veteran filmmaker’s ability to keep his cast and crew motivated during shooting, especially as Themba is a motivational speaker himself.
“My calling is to encourage young people to better themselves and to dream bigger,” he says.
Yet it took many years to become a confident, optimistic performer and motivational speaker, he tells us.
“My height, my petite body and small voice have been the cause of my low confidence,” he says. “But I’ve learnt to love and accept myself for who I am because we aren’t all packaged the same way.
“Yes, I’m smaller than many other people and mostly play the role of a child but I’m a grown man. God has given me an ability and I can do anything I set my mind to.”
GROWING up in Vosloorus, Gauteng, Themba was aware from early on that he was smaller than other children his age. His parents, Kenneth (60) and Nokuthula (56), couldn’t
afford to send him to a specialist. The doctor they could afford gave him lots of Scott’s Emulsion [cod liver oil] because the branding said it would help him to grow, he recalls.
He had a happy childhood nonetheless. “My parents accepted me for who I am and made sure I was happy, healthy, safe and fed.”
It was only two years ago, when Themba had to see a doctor for a routine medical check-up to ensure he was fit enough for a role, that a growth hormone deficiency was picked up thanks to blood tests.
This deficiency occurs when the pituitary gland in the brain doesn’t produce enough growth hormones and, unless treated in childhood with injections of hormones, can lead to small stature and delayed puberty.
“I asked the GP what difference does knowing this make now. All I know is I’m made in the image of God. I’m wonderfully made. Had I not adopted that thinking a long time ago, I’d still be looking for cures for this condition, even when it’s too late,” he says.
Themba believes everything happens for a reason.
“I use my height, my body and my small voice in my motivational talks. For me to speak this confidently has taken tears, learning to love myself, belief, faith, confidence and lots of work in overcoming doubt. I’ve struggled to socialise but my family made it so much easier for me to accept myself,” he says.
Themba has two “normal-size” younger brothers, Zethembe (24) and Msizi (20).
“I’m sometimes treated differently by outsiders but at home I’m treated the same as my brothers. I still need to do the dishes and clean up when it’s my turn. There’s never been any special attention.”
HIS height made it difficult for him to find love, Themba says. When he approached girls to ask them out, they’d tell him he was too short to date. “Girls told me they want a brother-man who can pick them up, someone they wouldn’t be ashamed to walk in the streets with. But I didn’t let it get to me.”
He says he knew someone would come into his life who’d love him for who he is and not be bothered by his looks and lack of height.
“And that comes with a lot of maturity,” he says. “I had to sit down and do some introspection. I realised I needed to accept myself for who I am before I could love another person.”
Then, after many years of waiting for love, Themba found the woman of his dreams. They met through Facebook, he says, and while they’ve been dating for a while, he isn’t ready to share her name. “Man, she’s a wonderful person.” They met years ago when Themba was preparing to study at the Afda film school, where he’d earn his BA degree. “She slid into my DMs,” he says. “She sent me a message saying she heard that I put God first in everything I do. She told me that she’d pray for me and my journey. That message touched my spirit and I wanted to find out who she was.”
They became friends and later started dating. His girlfriend is not in showbiz, he adds – she has an MSc degree in environmental studies and works as a scientist.
Themba hopes someday they’ll get married and have a family of their own.
“But we’re in no rush,” he says. “Right now I want to establish myself as a writer and director and continue with my motivational speaking.”
He’s only 27, after all, and the world’s his oyster.
‘I’ve learnt to love and accept myself’