He stars in the most epic stories to come out of South Africa. Shaka Ilembe tells the making of a great African king, Shaka played by Lemogang Tsipa as the adult king and newcomer Ntando Zondi plays a young Shaka Zulu. Nomzamo Mbatha plays Queen Nandi the revered mother of Shaka, with Thembinkosi Mthembu starring as King Dingiswayo and Wiseman Mncube in the role of King Zwide. Thembinkosi opens up about preparing for the major role and the sacrifices he made.

A DREAM COME TRUE

He never imagined he would play King Dingiswayo in the international production. "In 2016, there was a talk of the production possibly coming together. I knew I would not be part of it because I was still at university," he says. "But the show got postponed until I made my name. So, when I auditioned, I was hoping to make it. Especially as a Zulu man, it meant a lot to me. So being on the show means a lot to me. I was happy to be part of it and represent my culture."

AN ACTOR PREPARES

Preparing for a major role was not easy. "I did my own research. Then I read the script and interpreted it in my own manner," he says. On set, they worked with language advisers and casting directors to help and guide them. "The audition process was hard, they took us back to history to prep us for our characters. I watched classical films like Scarface, Vikings, Godfather, and Peaky Blinders just to develop my character. I didn’t want to watch the previous Shaka Zulu, to avoid copying the other actors. I watched King Zwelithini’s gestures and movements and adapted that into my role."

LIVING THE ROLE

The fight scenes on the show are all choreographed with precision. Thembinkosi says his first fight between him and the villain of the show was real and he enjoyed every minute of it. "It was choreographed but in a way that was real. I enjoyed t. I felt most of the punches," he says. "We were so into it that we would hit each other by mistake. So, while we were busy, I got hurt on my back. He punched me and I fell on my back. I was not supposed to fall, but I was in the moment and felt the punch and we continued," he says. "I had back pain for some time, about three weeks." He didn’t make a big deal about it as he thought it was minor. "I don’t like bothering people. I am from the township; we get hurt all the time. But eventually, the pain became bad. I had to tell them at work. But they are amazing, they took care of me and got me physiotherapy. " Thembinkosi says his character is close to his heart. " I fell in love with it and being injured was the least of my worries."