Actor Lehlohonolo Mayeza Opens Up About His Role on Showmax’s Series ‘Outlaws’

• South African actor Lehlohonolo Mayeza recently opened up about his role on Outlaws
• Mayeza also revealed how bagging this role since the first season of the series has changed his life
• He also mentioned what fans can expect this upcoming season and the challenges he faced onscreen

The new season of Showmax's highly anticipated drama series Outlaws is set to be released in November 2025, and one of their popular actors, Leholonolo Mayeza, decided to open up about his character as Leruo Ts’eole.

In a media statement shared with Briefly News, Mayeza unpacked his character and how it has changed his life off and on screen. The popular star, who's originally from Lesotho, expressed the amount of love and support he's been getting from the people back home.

"I honestly didn’t expect the kind of support I got from my people! One moment that really stood out to me was when I was back home in the deep mountains of Lesotho, herding with the other boys. They celebrated and marvelled at how well I represented them. In that moment, I truly felt, 'Yes, I did that. I really did that,'" he said.

Read also

Influencer Lasizwe Dambuza debuts another series on YouTube: "The story was inspired by my ex"

Lehlohonolo also spoke about acting alongside Noluthando Ngema, who will portray the role of Sihle Biyela, previously played by Nirvana Nokwe:

"Noluthando is an incredible actress, not just on screen but personally as well. Working with her made the process much smoother, and I learned a great deal from our scenes together.

"The experience has been truly rewarding; it strengthened me mentally, physically, and emotionally. It taught me discipline, not only in my craft but also in how to interact with people and adapt to different environments, especially as a foreigner in South Africa."

Read also

Actor Zamani Mbatha opens up about growing up without a dad, SA feels his pain

Mayeza on how people recognise him as Leruo on the street

The star further shared how his normal switched up immediately when he became popular, and now peeps always view him as his character, Leruo, wherever he goes.

"Fame has both its advantages and drawbacks. On the negative side, the public often stops seeing you as a regular person and starts viewing you as something extraordinary. The expectations can be overwhelming. For instance, when you're a celebrity, people assume you live a life of luxury and can't be seen dining at a one-star restaurant or eating street food.

"There's this pressure to alter your lifestyle to align with their idealised version of who you are. Another downside of fame is that when we make public appearances, fans often rush to take pictures, and sometimes they even end up fighting over it."

Nelisiwe on being hated in real life

In a previous report from Briefly News, actress Nelisiwe Sibiya was in awe over the reception for her character on Ithonga. The former Durban Gen star revealed that playing a villain was new territory, adding that it has made people hate her in real life.

Read also

Ciza discusses being born with 12 fingers, SA reacts: "12 fingers are considered a huge blessing"

The upside of things is that the role landed Nelisiwe an award nomination, news that sparked a frenzy of reactions from her loyal supporters. Appreciating her fans, she said:

"Thank you so much @nationalfilmandtvawards for seeing me, and thank you to wonke umuntu who supports me. It’s been an amazing journey, and we learn every day. Thank you to umvelinqangi, amathonga and uShembe for izibusiso."

Source: Briefly News