The star who plays Skhumbuzo causes drama behind the scenes as well
|||IN 2010, talent scouting for an actor wasn’t what it is now when social media is the catalyst in discovering “stars”. Back then, auditions were the way to go: a brief would go out to casting agents who would get their clients to attend.
However, SABC3 and Isidingo adopted a different approach by going on the road to cast an actor for the role of Skhumbuzo “Ace” Nzimande, a former soccer player-turned-hot-shot sports presenter.
Four judges, Gray Hofmeyr (Isidingo creator), SABC3’s then brand manager, Mpotseng Lebentlele, SABC’s then commissioning editor, Tshego Monaisa, and myself, set off on a road trip to find Ace.
The search came down to five hopefuls with 27-year-old Sisa Hewana from Port Elizabeth bagging the honours. However, there was little time to celebrate. Hewana had to be on set to shoot his scenes not long after.
He recalls: “To be honest, it was not what I expected. The audition process was quite lengthy, a few days. In my mind, it gave me an idea of what to expect… but not at all. It’s like swimming in a pool compared to swimming in the ocean. My initial days were long, very long. I would shoot 12 scenes a day. I didn’t have trouble adjusting to the multi-cams. What I struggled with was inhabiting the role. It’s very easy to learn your lines. And it’s an important part of the process. But you need to be in the character, feeling everything.”
Although he was introduced as this suave, charming and incorrigibly flirty guys’ guy, the character has evolved much since. And he boasts a more chiselled physique these days, too.
He offers, “My character was a ladies’ man. It wasn’t hard to portray that, if it’s in the script (laughs).”
Of his memorable storylines to date, he reveals: “There are two. One was when he slept with his brother’s fiancée. The second was when he was involved in gambling. I was driving the entire story for a few months. It was taxing. It was very dark and I had never gone there before with the character.
“In 2011, I went for training for a more practical introduction at drama school, with Karin van der Laag. Aside from the training, I watched a lot of movies, read a lot of books on acting. I really did the work.”
His investment in learning the craft also stemmed from his yearning to be a compelling storyteller, both as an actor and director. It was two years ago when his desire to get behind the camera took root.
Hewana notes: “I’m the kind of person who likes to know what’s going on. I don’t want to be just a link in a chain. So from the get-go, as soon as I learnt the art of performing on camera, I became interested in what’s going on behind it. Isidingo has an open-door policy and I used it and started asking a lot of questions. And I spent time in the box where the director sits.”
Over time, he had a tricky juggling act as an actor and aspiring director before he was officially taken on as a trainee director. These days, he finds himself among the four directors on set. Each one has a block, which comprises six episodes.
On how being an actor also informs his views as a director, the actor, who is also a life coach, says: “I understand what actors do and I think it’s very important for a director to understand what everybody does as you are the captain of the ship, so to speak. What is also important is the emotional side. You have to be the buffer between the lines and the actors performing those lines. And you have to get your point across in terms of how you interpret the story as opposed to how they do.”
Yes, he concedes to it being a delicate exercise.
However, his friendship with Chris Beasley, who went from being his co-actor to director, helped him with the transition.
Aside from the specific set of people skills that is needed, he adds: “That’s only part of the job. The most important is telling the story with cameras. When you are shooting, the story is king.”
And as much as he is a perfectionist, he doesn’t have the luxury of time to mull over things. But he still gets the job done. Who knows, one day he could be producing his own stuff.
As far as Hewana is concerned, his passion and ambition have no ceiling. And when the father of two isn’t working, he is in the studio writing and producing stuff with his musician brother. The storyteller has only just begun his journey, but the road ahead is filled with possibilities for this gem of a find!
Isidingo airs weekdays on SABC3 at 7pm.