I had to do the right thing - Brighton on marriage & being a dad

Scandal! actor Brighton Ngoma has revealed that he decided to tie-the-knot to his long-term partner because the birth of their son had awoken them to their responsibility to "step up and do the right thing".

It has been three months since the couple got married in an intimate traditional ceremony and Brighton told TshisaLIVE the pair were always planning on getting married.

"Married life is not much different to before. Me and my partner were together for 10 years and so it was about time that we made it official. The only thing that changed was the status. Honestly, it was largely because she had fallen pregnant and we had a child, and so we had to step up and do the right thing traditionally. But we were ready for it."

Brighton's son turned one this week and quickly became the apple of his father's eye.

"It's insane to think that it has been a year of being a dad. It is a challenge, it has been very different, but we are learning every day. My wife has all the motherly instincts, so she is raising both of us," he said with a laugh.

Brighton is known for his role as Quinton on Scandal! , a role he has had for nine years. While he was grateful for being able to stay on the show so long, he revealed that he endured a difficult time in the beginning of his stint with the show.

"I didn't study acting so it was a difficult start and I just tried to take in all the criticism and learn from it as best as I could."

Brighton has both Xhosa and Swiss heritage and, as one of the few coloured actors on TV screens, said he was aware of the need to preserve culture through the arts.

"An actor is an actor regardless of race or creed. We have to preserve and respect every one of our cultures. I won't say I am ignorant and haven't noticed a distinct lack of coloured actors, especially on so-called black shows. Sometimes I am offended by it, but  I then have an identity crisis and ask myself if I am allowed to be offended. Am I too white sometimes? Am I too black sometimes? An actor is an actor and everyone should be given an opportunity to act, whether you are coloured or not."