I didn't even know I was raising the pink flag, says Uzalo's Khaya Dladla

Actor Khaya Dladla has won the hearts of South African TV audiences with his role as a flamboyant and hyperactive gay man on SABC 1 drama Uzalo, but the actor wants to be remembered for more than just his sexuality.

Khaya's role as GC on the show has been hailed by fans, who regularly take to social media to share their thoughts about a character who is not scared to speak his mind or gossip about his neighbours.

"It's great fun playing GC but it has really been a lot of hard work. I am the complete opposite of him, I'm more reserved and I have a filter. Lots of people will think that it would be easy to play a gay man when I am gay, but I struggled to relate to the character at first and really had to do research and spend time with people like GC to get into the role fully," Khaya told TshisaLIVE.

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Khaya has performed in several acting projects over the last decade, including well-known stage productions Sarafina and Lion King, but he said Uzalo was only the second time that he has played an openly gay character.

So, he was a little surprised when members of the LGBTI community started seeing him as a "flag bearer".

"I didn't even know that I was representing the LGBTI community or raising the pink flag with my role as GC. I didn't even know that there was a pink flag. I was just playing a character I believed in. But if it resonates with an audience and gives them a platform to speak on issues, then I am happy," Khaya said.

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Khaya said his research found that many of  gay people in townships were still in the closet and did not behave how the entertainment industry often portrayed them.

So, he is determined to break audience perceptions of gay people by "adding more depth" to his character.

"If the role is played properly and treated delicately it can be accepted. I had to be careful with the role of GC because it is someone's true story and I want to push the character without breaking the emotional connection people have with it," Khaya added.