When he made his debut on Adulting, his face was already a familiar one. Most people know him as BU from Big Brother.
Seeing him show another side to his artistry, this time as an actor, has been a refreshing surprise to his fans.
BU, real name Luthando Mthembu, wowed fans in his portrayal of the handcuff and bunny outfit wearing Vuyani on Adulting.
He gave viewers a glimpse of his range as an actor when he was able to switch his emotions from being the life of the party to being sad after being physically and verbally abused by his older lover, the MEC, played by Winnie Ntshaba.
Drums sits down with BU, a man who sounds completely different from the Vuyani character.
But first, how did he get to be called BU when his name is Luthando?
“It’s a long story, actually. But I’ll shorten it,” he says.
“It comes from the last two letters of my surname. Then it became my mantra that you must always ‘be you’ and never get consumed by the hype. I believe it is very important to be very careful of the decisions you make so you can be proud of them tomorrow.
“Vuyani is not who I am in real life, but I have met a lot of them. Years ago when I used to work as a personal trainer, I met a lot of Vuyanis – both guys and girls – who would be at the gym in the middle of the work day because they did not have day jobs. They had people paying for everything, including their rent,” he says.
His first shot at fame was an advert for a car brand which became quite popular.
“It was in 2020 and the ad would play a lot around the times the president would address the country during family meetings he had during lockdown. Then Big Brother was the next steppingstone and now Adulting was latest steppingstone towards being a great artist.”
He was raised in Umlazi, Kwa Zulu Natal and is the oldest of two kids.
He has always wanted to act, but on his terms.
“I initially wanted to be a musician then only act once I have my own production company, but I see God has other plans for me. I play the acoustic guitar and drums. I also sing and rap. I would actually like to release a rap album and meet people where they think I am, but ultimately I would like to release a soul album or even a book with poetry.”
He’s very proud of how he played Vuyani and the reception from the public.
“I love the colours he brings to the team. I think he also has the right people around him, people who love and support him. There is room for growth for him because I think he has a great work ethic, but he just isn’t channeling it the way he should.
“I love how the show is like a mirror for us to reflect as a society. The truth is that we all have a bit of Vuyani in us. Now we need to challenge societal norms instead of judging. The show is great, but lowkey I think it’s edutainment because there is a lot we can learn from [it].”
What many people don't know is that while Vuyani is the youngest of the four friends, but in real life, BU is the oldest of them all.
That being said, he’s also lived a little more that the others. He has studied theology in Cape Town and dropped out before finishing. He was also married for five years. At 23, he got married to a 21-year-old French beauty against the advice of his elders.
“I was in love. And I wanted to commit myself to my woman. Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last but given a chance, I would do it all again. My elders said I didn’t have to rush into getting married, we did not even have kids, but I just wanted to marry her and we did.
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“We tried our best to make it work. We did everything from church and counselling to Google advice and self-help books. I gave it my all, I did not want to opt out without exhausting all the options available to us. True love, agape love, is worth it. And I am glad that I found it.
“I attribute a lot of my success to love. I was advised not to get married to young, but I did it my way and I would do it again. In retrospect, it was a beautiful time, I will always cherish it. I just think we didn’t anticipate the growth we would have individually and as a couple. But I do not regret getting married. Anything worth doing is not easy and I am happy to have experienced that.”
Now the Zulu vegan has couple of things cooking in the pipeline but says he cannot share them.
“I have three management teams, one for the music, another for the brand and another for the acting. They are doing great things behind the scenes and even negotiating endorsement deals. But I do not believe in talking about finances, relationships or the next step I’m taking. When things are ready, I will share them.”
He has been vegan since 2018 and he says it’s great for him.
“I don’t know how it happened specifically, I have had a soft spot for animals from a very young age, but I didn’t know why. I do believe big pharma is playing us, I have never seen a fruit advert in my life yet it is so good for us.
“When I told my family, my mom laughed saying one of my very first words was ‘inyama’ so she did not believe I would stop eating it. She then went on to cook my favorite meal to torment me, but I resisted. Now years later, they have come to understand me. But I do not make my eating habits anyone else’s responsibility. Even at a braai, if I cannot get accommodated, I do not get upset. I eat what I can or order something. Sometimes I go eat at home,” he says.
