Emmanuel Castis: eating scorpions in Bangkok, singing show tunes in NYC

My name is Emmanuel Castis. I’ve been a professional actor for 25 years, working across all media: stage, film and TV. I play Sam Carmichael in Mamma Mia!, one of the three dads. 

Mamma Mia! is set on a gorgeous Greek island. I have been to Greece but my last time was 32 years ago, which is bordering on sacrilegious as my heritage is Greek. We went to Athens, Crete and Rhodes (actually Rodos). I learnt to swim in the Mediterranean Sea in Rodos. 

Three words that describe my travel personality: enthusiastic, curious and adventurous. 

One adventure that will always stick in my mind is when I went on a football tour with my primary school (it was just a few years ago!). I’ll never forget seeing the desert meet the sea in Namibia. 

A bizarre thing that’s happened on my holidays was getting stuck in sand dunes at 1am in Mozambique after driving for 12 hours and then having a huge fight with my best mate about the best way to get the car unstuck. 

A funny story I tell at dinner parties about my travels is about going to Thailand to do a show with a group of singers. The organiser who had taken us there had their passport confiscated because they had fraudulently taken money from the Thai event organiser. Choice guy, that organiser. 

My first trip abroad was to a resort in Swaziland. I remember the Royal Swazi junior club, where all the children from the resort would go.

Johannesburg is my hometown. If I were hosting a tourist there I would show them Vilakazi Street, the only street in the world to have produced two Nobel prize winners, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

I would also take them to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve to see the big five on Joburg’s doorstep. The Maboneng Precinct is also a great spot.

One of my best trips was travelling to California with my now wife and stepdaughter and going to Disney Land. 

I am an adventurous eater when I travel. I love trying the local cuisine wherever I go. The strangest thing I have eaten is scorpion on the streets of Bangkok. One of my most memorable restaurants was a traditional Korean barbeque in Seoul. 

I grew up in Johannesburg and we would visit my uncle in Port Elizabeth over the holidays. The thing I remember most is being carefree and able to have fun anywhere and anyhow.

The one thing I always make sure I do on holiday is get friendly with the locals so they can take me to the non-touristy spots. 

When travelling, I am a sucker for local desserts and pastries. 

The country with the most welcoming/friendly locals is definitely South Africa! 

When I meet South African travellers overseas I think, “I’m not alone. Here's someone to relate to and relate a shared experience in the country.” 

My most relaxing destination is the Kruger National Park or Pilanesberg. 

On souvenirs, I went through a phase where I would collect masks from different places I visited, or ornaments. I have masks that symbolise theatre characters from Seoul in South Korea. 

My favourite international city is New York City. There's no place like it. And it’s the home of Broadway. I’ve worked in New York as well. It’s so vibrant and amazing. On my perfect day there I would wake up in my apartment in Brooklyn and go to the local diner for French toast with bacon and maple syrup and a “good ol’ cup of cawfee” (my attempt at writing in a New York City accent).

Then I'd catch the subway to Manhattan for sightseeing — the Rockefeller Centre, Central Park. For lunch, I'd go to Eataly next to the Flatiron Building, then maybe take a walk on the High Line. 

Back at the apartment in Brooklyn I'd get ready to see a Broadway musical and hit the Blue Note for some jazz or Marie's Crisis Café for a drink and to watch people sing Broadway songs around a piano. 

The best place in the world for a night out is New York City. You can go to a Broadway musical or play, then go and sit at a rooftop bar listening to a jazz band and then find a different band at another bar. It’s amazing. 

My ultimate bucket-list item is scuba-diving in Lake Malawi or seeing gorillas in Rwanda.

My perfect holiday involves making memories with my wife and children. 

• Mamma Mia! is showing at Cape Town’s Artscape Opera House until April 7 and at Joburg’s Montecasino Teatro from April 12 until May 26. 

Tickets can be purchased here.