Veteran actress Mmabatho Mogomotsi stars in Outlaws, Showmax's new series premiering on September 6.
In her new role, Mmabatho plays Moretlo, the Basotho head of the largest cattle raiding syndicate in Lesotho.
The series is set on the lawless border between Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal.
The actress did a Q&A about the new show.
Tell us about Outlaws.
It’s a story where two families are at loggerheads over cattle theft. Stock theft wars between communities in Lesotho and KZN are a reality for many who live in those areas. I’ve spoken to a few people who identify with the story. For Moretlo, it’s a story of a mother, being a mom and mothering her family to stay afloat. Doing what she needs to do and doing what’s right by her. So it’s a story of survival, in a nutshell.
Tell us about your role.
Moretlo is the matriarch of the Ts’eole family on the Basotho side of the story. Moretlo is an ordinary woman in the village but she’s got a twist about her. She will fight for her family by all means necessary. She would put up a different personality and do what she needs to do at the time to survive. She would use her gun without thinking twice. So Moretlo is not your ordinary damsel; at war she changes into something different.
Do you relate to your character?
I’m a mom. I’m a mom who is firm with her children. I’m a mom who’s also laid back but draws the line. Moretlo is the same with her son. She reins him in but let's go where necessary. So there’s a boundary she exercises. That’s more like me. I’m not my children’s regular friend; I am their mom first. But they can come to me for anything. That’s the kind of mom Leruo has in the story. So that’s the similarity between me and Moretlo.
This is South Africa’s first modern-day Western. Did you have to do any stunts?
Oh yes. We ride horses, we shoot guns, we do things I never thought I would do but always wanted to do. Some of them are a bit demanding. Because of that, there’s an opportunity for body-doubles here and there.
Why should people watch Outlaws?
First, the name itself draws you in, right? Outlaws. It’s like a Western, riveting, full of drama. Most of all I have respect for the talent you see and experience and the talent you don’t see behind the camera. It’s the puzzle coming together in the magic that is Outlaws. Both in front of and behind the camera, there’s magic in there. Besides that, the story is excellent and that’s what the audience will stay glued to.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.