Ego and poor work ethic often part of deal, veteran actor Aubrey Poo said.
|||What exactly did veteran actor Aubrey Poo mean when he said: “This is for all the actors who take it seriously” in his acceptance speech when he won Best Lead Actor Award at the Saftas three weeks ago?
Many said he was taking a swipe at celebrities being included in productions to drum up publicity.
“I don’t think any producer or any creative producer in their right mind makes those calls,” the 35-year-old actor explains.
“The broadcaster is to be blamed for such because they make such calls. It’s a numbers game.”
Less than two days after having made his statement, Poo went on to win another at the prestigious Fleur Du Cap Theatre Awards for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for his sterling role as Orpheus McDoo.
This gives him the street cred to begin the conversations that need to take place in the industry.
“They put so much pressure on producers. They have to have enough viewers to sell advertising space. That’s how they make their money,” he says.
“Getting a pretty girl who has 80 000 followers on set may seem like a cute idea, but it’s a short cut because you are inheriting an ego, you are inheriting so much when you go that route. You are inheriting someone who does not have the work ethic - that’s what I mean when I talk about taking it seriously.
“It’s not a threat to me personally. I started preparing to be an actor at the age of 12. I went to an art school. By the age of 15 I knew I wanted to be an actor. I studied dramaticisms and did most post-modernisms in dramatic arts at the age of 16.”
The Pretoria-born actor has had eight years of training. He did his high schooling at Pro Arte and completed a National Diploma in Drama at Pretoria Technikon.
He says he is from the school of thought that believes in putting your best foot forward.
“When I turned 30, a lot was happening in my career. There was a lot of uncertainty. I did not want to be an actor who floated through his career from one role to another. I wanted to be involved in projects that defined my career. I started to worry about the legacy I wanted to leave.”
Poo was 20 when his career began, after seven failed auditions for roles - one of which went to his mentor, James Ngcobo.
Winning two awards in 48 hours is unprecedented.
“It was an oh my god’ moment. It was surreal. But also in that moment you think what now?’ You have earned it, but now you have to deserve it continuously. The pressure is to constantly deserve it. I can’t (do) shoddy work.
“Look, I think it was a coincidence that I did a project and in its category it stood out, but I did what I do with any work - I threw myself into it. It was a truly collaborative effort.”
The Ingoma actor says if he is not happy with a scene, he asks a director to do another take.
“There are good actors who are not trained, but they invest in themselves. They invest in the craft and invest in learning about performance. I am trained, therefore I am biased about the mark of a true actor. I believe a trained actor understands the technicalities of everything he is doing. The rhythm of the scene, the rhythm of the character.
“My friend once said to me: Don’t ever shy away from saying you are trained in your craft. Being trained and having the technical expertise in your craft gives you an edge.’ You technically understand in every second what you are doing.”
Poo’s controversial character of Pastor Gabriel in Isidingo returns to TV screens on May 2.
“Thorough preparation went into that role. I saw the kind of preparation that happens abroad and I decided to take my work seriously.
“I had a long chat with the creative director about the character to make it a collaborative effort,”
After a few days, Poo says he sent the director links to YouTube footage of the famous American prosperity preacher Creflo Dollar and of Mosa Sono, the pastor from the Grace Bible Church.
Sunday Independent