Simphiwe Mtshali opens up about his first comedic role in Showmax’s One Weeks.
SIMPHIWE MTSHALI OPENS UP ABOUT SHOWMAX’S ‘ONE WEEKS’
Veteran actor Simphiwe Mtshali plays the role of Smindlo on Showmax’s One Weeks. The show follows charming high school dropout Fana.
“One Weeks 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 then has to rely on the help of Lihle’s sharp-witted 10-year-old daughter, Angie, to avoid losing Lihle to rich men,” according to Showmax.
One Weeks is created by Chris Q Radebe (Icala) and stars Zakhele Mabasa-Mokone and Sihle Ndaba as Fana and Lihle respectively. Child star Mangaliso Aluta Mthembu plays the role of Angie. While Simohiwe is in his first comedic role as Fana’s friend Smindlo.
Take a look at the trailer…
SIMPHIWE MTSHALI ON PLAYING SMINDLO
Smindlo 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.
“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 free-loader. Without Fana’s constant conundrums, Smindlo really doesn’t have much going on for him,” said Simphiwe.
A character who is definitely smarter than Smindlo is Angie, also known as Woolworths or Frozen. Siphiwe 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,” he continued.
Siphiwe went on to praise Chris’ overall writing for One Weeks, which he believes contributed to the show’s success.
“What you’ll realise when watching One Weeks is that we didn’t try too hard to be funny,” says Siphiwe. “We didn’t overdo the comedy with physical theatrics; the comedy is within the writing. We really worked on trusting Chris and ensuring that the delivery was executed in a subtle and smart way. It’s a beautiful story, which I believe deserves a second and third season. Fingers crossed!”
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