Africa-Press – Lesotho. WHEN passion meets talent, dynamite follows. This rings true for Tsabo Sello. Despite lack of formal training in acting or theatre, the 36-year-old is playing a starring role in soap opera Mali a Borena, which airs on Lesotho Television (LTV).
“It’s not necessarily a must to gain formal education in order for a person to be an actor, what matters the most is whether you have talent or not,” Sello told thepost in a recent interview.
“You can take formal training in acting but if you are not gifted in it you can hardly make it through.
Not everybody can become an actor. ” Sello’s passion for acting started when he was still in high school at Thetsane. The school had an educator who also happened to be an instructor in theatre and drama.
However, the instructor’s stay was short-lived thus dismantling a drama club that was operational and flourishing for a short stint. Sello didn’t lose hope.
After high school, he teamed up with some of his peers from Ha-Thetsane to come up with a drama group. The venture failed to live up to their expectations due to several reasons.
It was only in 2013 when an opportunity to unpack his acting talent opened up at ’Mateboho Production under the tutelage of ’Mateboho. “I have been firmly attached to the group since then.
I was nervous about acting at the beginning but I had to suppress that feeling to give expression to my calling. Affection and patience are the two traits which guide me in my acting career,” Sello said.
In contrast to his shy personality, Sello is able to handle whatever character he is expected to portray. He says he closely studies real characters in order to fully emulate their actions and reactions.
Being able to empathise with different characters at different levels has helped him improve his acting prowess. “In Mali-a-Borena, I am able to effectively play that role owing to my understanding of what the character requires of me.
I give it my all. In order to have first-hand account of experiences of a character at stake, I physically present myself to contexts of where such exist so that I easily get into their shoes and relate to whatever they are going through.
I do intensive research about the character I act before performing it. ” He says acting has “holistically” taught him about the meaning of life. He said he has faced different situations where his acting experience has come in handy.
“Among other lessons, acting has taught me not to despair in life.
It has shown me that despite what one goes through, there is always going to be a new dawn, you just have to persevere. ” Initially, Sello took acting for granted.
“I thought it was going to be a walk in the park, but it proved otherwise. I then realised that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. ”
By 2016, Sello was still not sure whether he was doing it right despite having already shot two productions. “It took me time to really master the art,” he reminisced.
Sometimes, professional life has a tendency of changing people’s characters for better or for worse, something that Sello can relate to. He says the character he plays in Mali-a-Borena rubbed off on his private life.
“Acting nearly led me astray and destroyed my relationship because I used to conduct myself socially similar to the way I had been on Mali-a-Borena.
The character had tagged in my veins, it literally ruined my private life in some way,” said Sello. Luckily for him, Sello quickly realised the effects of the detrimental impact this was having on his life.
“I had to find a balance between my social and professional life,” he said. According to Sello, a good actor is somebody who takes instructions from the director and is passionate about the role one plays.
“An actor should not turn a deaf ear to the advice they get about their character. Also, adherence to values and principles come in handy in ensuring that one executes their role effectively.
Such values include punctuality at all times and doing their best to positively modify the character they play,” he said. Some of the actors he looked up to are the late David Genaro, who featured in the defunct soapie, Rhythm City on Etv, and Nkunzi on Uzalo.
“I saw them as men of their words. They didn’t bend on principles and always stood their ground. ” The only thing which makes him discontent about acting is its potential to dent one’s image and change people’s perceptions.
“If you are playing the character of a murderer or rapist, there is a likelihood that people would begin to have a certain disdain for you, it can negatively affect one’s social life,” said Sello.
He added: “In order to match your character, you have to lose certain attributes physically and psychologically. If you ought to appear thin and untidy as required then the word goes.
” Being an actor has somehow shaped Sello’s lifestyle in a positive manner though. The fame he has garnered around the country has made him conduct himself differently.
He has even gone to the extent of trimming his social life for professional purposes. He has since started staying away from commonplace practices associated with other young men such as hanging out until late hours.
His dream and vision is to ply his trade beyond Lesotho’s borders, while at the same time remaining available for ’Mateboho Productions, the production company that groomed him.
“There are a lot of gifted actors out there who don’t have the platform to showcase their talent. I feel fortunate to have been given the opportunity to practice my art and for that matter to perform to the best of my ability.
It’s important to make local productions enthralling as it is the only way it can grow,” said Sello, who prides himself as an avid user of his mother language, Sesotho.
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