“I Was Scared”: Thami Mngqolo Shares Hardship of Playing Gay Zulu Character on ‘Generations’
- A South African actor, Thami Mngqolo, shared how hard it was to play a gay character on television in the 2000s
- The entertainer appeared on a popular podcast, Engineer Your Life, where he shared a bit about his career and personal life
- Social media users had mixed reactions to his conversation and shared their thoughts in a thread of comments
Thami Mngqolo shared that playing a gay character in the early 2000s was very hard. The star had a sit-down with popular podcaster Lungelo MK.
Source: Instagram
Mngqolo highlighted that he was warned before accepting the role. The star went through a long audition programme to fully prepare for the role.
When he finally got the part, he was still prepped for the role. Mgqolo shared that it took nine months to reveal to the viewers that his character, Senzo, was gay:
“I was scared of what the fallout might be because you’ve heard all sorts of stories about Grace’s character being slapped in the street because of what she did to Karabo.”
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Thami Mngqolo opens up about playing Senzo on Generations
The actor was scared of how the public overreacted to certain moments on television, but he was mainly uncomfortable with playing the character because of his culture:
“Mg character was rooted in being Zulu from KZN, and we all know how traditional and staunch our Zulu counterparts are about how they are represented.”
After he got the role of Senzo, the producers went through another audition process to find a suitable lover for Mngqolo’s character. He was stunned to learn that Zolisa Xaluva was the chosen candidate for the role:
“He was my friend at the time. We were close and hung out all the time.”
Xaluva made things easier for Mgqolo as he too understood the craft and him as a human being. The first day the pair had to shoot a touchy scene was the hardest.
They had multiple retakes of the same scene for about two hours:
“There was so much back and forth about the right way to treat it.”
Mgqolo’s character lasted for seven years and is one of the most memorable from the Generations franchise. Generations: The Legacy is still watched by many in the country.
Connie Ferguson has made guest appearances after the original crew’s falling out with Mfundi Vundla in the late 2010s. Today, the show has changed completely with new faces and a new storyline.
SA responds to Thami Mngqolo talking about Senzo
Social media users shared their thoughts on the conversation:
Source: Instagram
@Tabile Tau said:
“One of the reasons I took on the role of Sefako. Thank you for the wise words, Bra T.”
@IAm was wowed:
“How did this man not age a day beyond when he debuted on our screens?”
@Dragon's Kundalini🗿commented:
“Senzo and Jason made me stop watching regular programming. Till this day, I still don't own a TV.”
@oyisa explained:
“I never saw anything wrong with their relationship on Generations as a child. They were just a couple to me, come to find out, people thought their relationship was disgusting.”
@Manga/Nanga said:
“I’m not going to lie, Senzo and Jason really pushed the conversation in South Africa and honestly opened the doors in making us a more tolerant country.”
@Thabi🌻highlighted:
“People saying, I'm not gay, I'd never play a man, ’ but you're also not a pastor, a gangster, a billionaire, poor, a dad, a policeman, etc, so that means you wanna go on screen and play yourself.”
Watch the TikTok video below:
Musa Ngema bids farewell to Generations: The Legacy
Briefly News reported that Generations: The Legacy bid farewell to one of its main cast members, Musa Ngema, in April 2023. The actor took to Twitter to express his gratitude for the memories created and shared with the cast, crew and viewers during his time on the show.
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Source: Briefly News
