'The Wife' actor Kwenzokuhle Ngcobo talks fame, balancing TV and theatre

Kwenzokuhle Ngcobo's life changed after joining the cast of Showmax's The Wife. Having kick-started his acting career in theatre, he is still determined to balance the two worlds and venture into other avenues of acting.

The actor plays a fan favourite Qhawe Zulu. While this is his second stint on television after his role on e.tv’s Imbewu The Seed, he is adamant he will not stop theatre work and wants to strike a balance between the two worlds. 

“As an artist, I take my craft seriously. I've learnt a lot. Coming from a theatre background and into film has me learning a lot and I want to learn more about telling good stories. Not everyone watches theatre. Film and television are good platforms where you are able to spread your love for telling stories,” he told TshisaLIVE.

He's working on a theatre production about two brothers who do heists trying to make a living, featuring Bonko Khoza, Thembinkosi Mthembu, and others, which he wrote in 2016 and plans to direct.

He's been in the entertainment industry for nearly seven years, but he's never experienced fame at the scale that the show has brought him. 

“People are showing a lot of love. It's overwhelming in a good way. I'm enjoying the responses from people. I don't really care about fame, but for me, it's all about people appreciating the work that we're doing.”

Walking through shopping malls and gallivanting has become harder for Kwenzokuhle as people have become familiar with his face, but have mistaken him for the character he plays on TV.

“Some people think I'm Qhawe, but in real life I'm shy. The only thing that's similar is that I love my family and friends, I take good care of my family and I'm very supportive.”