Moopi Mothibeli, in his TV debut, kept fans of Generations: The Legacy on the edge of their seats with different storylines before it all came to an end in 2020.
After chilling away from the small screen for a while, the actor is making a huge comeback to television with his new role on The Estate.
He joins the show as Mohau Kabi, a smart BSc engineering student, as season 3 is set to debut on Monday July 18 on SABC3.
He is fresh from his leading role in Hotel on The Koppies which aired on Prime Video.
He tells TshisaLIVE that Mohau is a “slice-of-life character that represents the status quo of the nation, where young people are seemingly fed up with lack of jobs, service delivery and inept corruption that’s eroding our society. Above all, Mohau is a major proponent for land redistribution — with the view of levelling the playing field.”
Mohau comes from a poverty-stricken background. He is the head of a child-led household. From an early age he assumed the role of mother and father to his younger brother. He worked hard to get himself through school and university — paying for it out of his own pocket.
After he left Generations the star scored a lead role in Charlie Vundla’s Hotele Lerallaneng. He went on to star as a detective in a 13-part miniseries, Night Shift, commissioned for SABC2. He also guest appeared on Netflix series Justice Served.
With all this under his belt, he says he has never played a character like Mohau.
“He is a strong-willed guy who has known nothing but a hard life. He is resilient and unfazed by whatever situation comes his way. The pent-up rage he carries comes from a place of love for his family. Putting things right. And maybe that might be his ultimate flaw — he believes he can fix everything, including saving his nyaope addicted brother.”
On whether he has managed to shake off his role as Smaga Moroka in the popular soapie Generations, he said:
“Generations was my first professional gig and I was on it for five good years. So it kinda makes sense that people associate me with that character still. I mean, that’s how they’ve come to know me. And I take it as a sign of endearment. Some people will forever know me as that guy whereas others will now hopefully know me as Mohau Kabi. I guess, that’s the gift and a curse of being a soapie actor in SA — people know you by your character name, if they recognise you at all.”
Moopi has had a taste of both TV and film and says he loves both mediums.
“Two entirely different mediums. The approach is similar but execution is worlds apart. Films enjoy more time spent on shooting one scene. Depending on the film and the scene, spending 60 minutes or more on a take can be a norm. And as an actor, I love that. Cause it’s an opportunity for both actor and director to refine the work. Whereas in TV that’s considered a luxury — one that most TV productions cannot afford. TV is the equivalent of working in a factory, where takes and scenes need to be in the can in the quickest time possible. A lot more scenes to shoot in a day. The advantage to this fast-paced process is that it keeps the actor on their toes. I guess that’s why it costs way more to make films due to the lengthy shooting style. However, this trend is changing. Feature films are being shot in under a fortnight nowadays,” he says.
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Moopi Mothibeli is sure his new role on 'The Estate' will shake things up!
Image: Supplied
Moopi Mothibeli, in his TV debut, kept fans of Generations: The Legacy on the edge of their seats with different storylines before it all came to an end in 2020.
After chilling away from the small screen for a while, the actor is making a huge comeback to television with his new role on The Estate.
He joins the show as Mohau Kabi, a smart BSc engineering student, as season 3 is set to debut on Monday July 18 on SABC3.
He is fresh from his leading role in Hotel on The Koppies which aired on Prime Video.
He tells TshisaLIVE that Mohau is a “slice-of-life character that represents the status quo of the nation, where young people are seemingly fed up with lack of jobs, service delivery and inept corruption that’s eroding our society. Above all, Mohau is a major proponent for land redistribution — with the view of levelling the playing field.”
Mohau comes from a poverty-stricken background. He is the head of a child-led household. From an early age he assumed the role of mother and father to his younger brother. He worked hard to get himself through school and university — paying for it out of his own pocket.
After he left Generations the star scored a lead role in Charlie Vundla’s Hotele Lerallaneng. He went on to star as a detective in a 13-part miniseries, Night Shift, commissioned for SABC2. He also guest appeared on Netflix series Justice Served.
With all this under his belt, he says he has never played a character like Mohau.
“He is a strong-willed guy who has known nothing but a hard life. He is resilient and unfazed by whatever situation comes his way. The pent-up rage he carries comes from a place of love for his family. Putting things right. And maybe that might be his ultimate flaw — he believes he can fix everything, including saving his nyaope addicted brother.”
On whether he has managed to shake off his role as Smaga Moroka in the popular soapie Generations, he said:
“Generations was my first professional gig and I was on it for five good years. So it kinda makes sense that people associate me with that character still. I mean, that’s how they’ve come to know me. And I take it as a sign of endearment. Some people will forever know me as that guy whereas others will now hopefully know me as Mohau Kabi. I guess, that’s the gift and a curse of being a soapie actor in SA — people know you by your character name, if they recognise you at all.”
Moopi has had a taste of both TV and film and says he loves both mediums.
“Two entirely different mediums. The approach is similar but execution is worlds apart. Films enjoy more time spent on shooting one scene. Depending on the film and the scene, spending 60 minutes or more on a take can be a norm. And as an actor, I love that. Cause it’s an opportunity for both actor and director to refine the work. Whereas in TV that’s considered a luxury — one that most TV productions cannot afford. TV is the equivalent of working in a factory, where takes and scenes need to be in the can in the quickest time possible. A lot more scenes to shoot in a day. The advantage to this fast-paced process is that it keeps the actor on their toes. I guess that’s why it costs way more to make films due to the lengthy shooting style. However, this trend is changing. Feature films are being shot in under a fortnight nowadays,” he says.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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