'The Daily Show’s' Loyiso Madinga is slaying at this actor thing: It was always part of the plan

The Daily Show comedian Loyiso Madinga has spread his wings and taken over the acting world, impressing in Netflix's first original African series Queen Sono.

Loyiso plays the role of Pearl Thusi's sidekick Fred on the show. The series was produced and directed by SA's Kagiso Lediga and filmed in 37 locations across the continent. It also features several dialects, including Afrikaans, Russian, Xhosa, Zulu and French.

It was a surprise move for many of his fans, who had seen Loyiso dominate the international comedy scene with his stand-up shows and appearances on the hit US talk show hosted by Trevor Noah.

Loyiso told TshisaLIVE that he had always wanted to act, and was amazed when he decided to put it out to the universe and got the Queen Sono gig soon after.

“I have always wanted to act, it's always been part of the plan. So when I decided that this is what I would like to branch off into, a few months later this opportunity came to me.”

Loyiso had to learn a French accent for his role and said it was a great challenge.

The star is also not counting out the possibility of joining a soapie or shooting a movie, saying he's open to whatever the universe has in store for him.

With the success of the series so far, he hopes that other creatives will be inspired to tell African stories and take them to the world.

“This is a validation that our talent can live on a global stage. Sometimes we sell ourselves short, but this is evidence of what we can do, and hopefully local creatives will start shooting more for the world.”