TV presenter and actor Siphiwe Mtshali opens up about his first comedic role in One Weeks.
SIPHIWE MTSHALI: ‘SMINDLO IS A CHANCER’
The One Weeks star Siphiwe Mtshali portrays the role of Smindlo who Fana’s (Zakhele Mabasa-Mokone) comedic friend.
He is described as a loyal friend whose dream is to live a life of fame and luxury but whose laziness holds him back from reaching his full potential.
Mtshali tells Showmax that Smindlo is a chancer who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else.
“Smindlo is such a chancer, man. What I find hilarious about him is that he thinks he is smarter than everyone, which is really not the case. He’s basically a freeloader. Without Fana’s constant conundrums, Smindlo really doesn’t have much going on for him,” says the actor.
A character who is definitely smarter than Smindlo is Angie (Mangaliso Mthembu), also known as Woolworths or Frozen.
The actor describes the on-screen banter between Angie and Smindlo as one of his highlights from the season.
“Mangaliso is such a breath of fresh air; she’s so talented. Casting Mangaliso for the Angie role was a genius move; I couldn’t see any other kid playing that role but her. I’m a father of boy children, so working with a girl child was interesting. She challenged me a lot. I really loved the banter between the two and how easily Mangaliso annoyed Smindlo with her intelligent clap backs,” says Mtshali.
“What you’ll realise when watching One Weeks is that we didn’t try too hard to be funny,” adds Mtshali.
BACKGROUND OF ‘ONE WEEKS’
One Weeks follows the story of a charming high school dropout from Soweto who finds himself unexpectedly dating a successful lawyer.
The family comedy about follows Fana, a charming high-school dropout from the streets of Soweto, who can’t believe his luck when he finds himself dating Lihle, a successful lawyer.
He has to rely on the help of Lihle’s sharp-witted 10-year-old daughter, Angie, to avoid losing Lihle to rich men.
The comedy is created and written by Gomora’s Chris Q Radebe who reveals that the show will taps into the wicked sense of humour that South Africans possess but also sheds light on the financial dynamics between partners in a relationship.
“South Africans love to laugh at themselves. For this particular show, the premise showcases how partners carry themselves in a relationship where the gender roles are reversed. Every broke guy sitting at a corner in the township aspires to date a successful woman, because they think only about the perks. One Weeks holds up a mirror to the side of this dynamic that they know nothing about – the amount of work it takes to keep a woman of such calibre,” says Radebe.
One Weeks premiered on Showmax on 22 July, with new episodes on Mondays.
Have you watched One Weeks yet?
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