He is busier than a bee. Ever since he got back from Germany, where he was a resident theatre artist, he’s been shooting TV productions back-to-back without a break.
After days of hunting him down, he finally makes time to chat with us.
He tells Drum that he has gotten used to being in demand and that he is grateful for the opportunities to do what he loves the most because when he returned back home, he was worried about how long it would take for him to secure acting gigs again.
To his delight, it didn’t take that long as he has just finished shooting a bomb production show and is in the middle of shooting the second season of Gqeberha: The Empire.
For two years in Germany, Bongile Mantsai was a resident artist at a theatre playing Othello and had to learn German in the process to deliver the play in isiXhosa, English as well as German.
After this theatre production, he was part of another big one which he also thoroughly enjoyed.
Chuckling as he recounts the time spent in the Central European country, he says his favourite line to say in German is “Ich liebe dich” which means I Love You.
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Contrary to how he’s been seen in his cruel roles on TV, Bongile says he’s actually a lover boy at heart.
“There’s a confusion when I’m cast. My father was a bishop and I’m a youth pastor back at home, I preach the word of God so my lifestyle is different from the roles I get. When I’m home and I’m preaching, people are always in disbelief because on TV, I swear a lot.”
Bongile is from Khayamnandi in Stellenbosch, Western Cape and was raised in the St Paul's Church which was his father’s.
Whenever the actor is announced to be a part of a show, the first thing many people expect to see him as is a villain. More times than not, they are right.
Although he still goes for these roles when they come his way, Bongile admits that it is not nice to be typecast.
“It’s not nice especially if you come from a theatre background like me where I played different roles in different shows. TV has a tendency of keeping you bound to a role that they see you nail so sometimes you want to tell them that you can play a character different from a villain. However, whenever I get a role like that, I look at the storyline and ask myself how I can change this villain into something different."
Despite it being a tough pill to swallow, he makes do with what he gets by reflecting back on the villains he’s played before so that he can still bring something new each time to the table.
“It’s difficult to always tap into the dark side because it stays with you for a while after you’ve played a villain. It becomes a part of your life at times, you live with it. My name is Bongile Mantsai but I’ve lost that name over the years because people call me by my on-screen character names. One thing about TV, it takes your life away from you, once you make an impact with the characters you play, it stays with you forever.”
To break out of his characters before stepping into the next, the actor says he takes time out to go to the gym for a bit of boxing and punching, go out with his family or friends, to pray and now that he is in Gqeberha, he also goes to the ocean to talk to it.
Yet again in Gqeberha: The Empire, he brings his bad boy A-game.
Bongile is playing Luzuko Mxenge’s younger brother, Hlumelo who is best described as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing with a horrifying God complex and more to prove than to lose’.
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Charismatic, confident and charming as he is, he finds himself reaching out to his brother whom he loves dearly in a time of need but ends up with one of his deepest desires on his lap when a tragic turn of events unravels.
“When I read the script for season one and season two and he came back home from prison, Hlumelo came with the intention to build a partnership with his brother. Luzuko owes him a lot because Hlumelo had to sacrifice for Luzuko. Part of the money that built the Mxenge empire is Hlumelo’s because he’s the heist guy. Within the storyline, he reminds Luzuko that he’s the reason why he is where he is and that he basically died for his sins.
“So, when he comes back, he comes back with anger and part of the anger has love in it. It’s been 10 years since he last saw his brother, life has totally changed. He doesn’t have the business vision that Luzuko has but he wants to take over everything that he can grab from Luzuko,” he adds.
To get his way, the territorial Hlumelo is ready to manipulate, lie, cheat and even spill blood to keep the Mxenge empire.
