You may know Mduduzi Mabaso as one, if not all, of the many characters you have seen him play on your screens in movies and shows like Hotel Rwanda; Blood Diamond; Cry, the Beloved Country; Madiba Magic; Shaka Zulu; and Divide and Rule,
However, the man behind the roles might surprise you, as has been shown by this revealing interview he did for the cover of online magazine, tagged!: Mduduzi Mabaso moves to his own beat, and it shows
Mabaso currently plays the strategic and dangerous Bra Elliot, The Gabhadiya of DiepCity, Mzansi Magic’s newest and most thrilling telenovela about four girls thrown into a life of crime, from a young age, by their difficult circumstances.
If you thought of Mabaso as both mysterious and enigmatic, then you will love the way he took journalist Andile Ndlovu into his confidence and allowed himself to peeled like an onion. You may even be brought to tears as you read about the seven years he just waited for his big break. Can you imagine Mabaso not being able to watch television because he was jealous of the other actors doing their thing on the screen?
There has been much debate about what makes a truly great actor. Some say it’s the ability to physically and emotionally transform into someone else – a teachable technique –; others are convinced it is natural talent that cannot be taught and other believe it is an intellectual endeavour rooted in understanding the character and the times they are living in.
If we settle the debate by agreeing with all these justified reasons then we can also say Mabaso fits the description of great actor by any definition. In his embodiment of Mgedeza on DiepCity, he has gone as far as asking fellow actor Chrispen Nyathi to teach him Shona for a scene. The result was a powerful scene that was a true reflection of South Africa’s rainbow nation and the DiepCity community. Mzansi Magic viewers just could not get enough of it and hailed the actors. That’s Mabaso for you, no scene is too small or insignificant.
In his tagged! interview, he talks about the importance of stories like DiepCity and telling them authentically.
But don’t take our word for it. Mabaso opened up about his personal life and family, his acting techniques and how he has only achieved 2.5% of the goals he has mapped out for himself to name a few revelations. So who keeps Mabaso grounded and what does he still want to achieve? You’ll have to read the tagged! interview to find out and hear everything from Mabaso's mouth: Mduduzi Mabaso moves to his own beat, and it shows
To catch more of Mduduzi Mabaso tune into #DiepCity every Monday to Friday at 20:30 on the home of the best telenovelas, Mzansi Magic DStv channel 161. You can also ready all about Mduduzi Mabaso and Chrispen Nyathi speak Shona on DiepCity.