5 days ago
Generations star Athi Cwele: ‘Being a celebrity is not my thing'
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He trends every other week on TikTok because of his portrayal of Kamogelo Moroka on Generations: The Legacy.
He brings incredible energy and passion to the role.
Since joining the SABC1 show, Athi Cwele has become an overnight sensation, and he's not planning on slowing down either.
His personality grabs our attention when we catch up with the actor, who animatedly reveals to Drum that playing a character who speaks Tshwane, which is not his mother tongue, is challenging.'
'Playing Kamo has been quite challenging because I get to speak a language that's not mine. I'm Zulu, but I can speak three other languages, Xhosa, Tshwana, Isiswati and I'm currently learning Venda, which is quite difficult,' he concedes as he chuckles, adding that growing up in Carltonville gave him the advantage of learning languages from those around him.
He was an A-student in high school and was one of the top five students in matric, so his parents thought he would pursue academics, but unbeknownst to them, Athi had a burning desire to act, something that completely through them off.
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'I realised when I was in high school that I was more interested in becoming an actor than pursuing academia, it wasn't something I was into. My parents, on the other hand, expected that for me, especially since I was a good student, but it never happened,' he recalls.
'My parents didn't like it, but they've come around after seeing the strides I've made.'
Being on such a huge show comes with attention, and that's something that Athi doesn't quite enjoy.
'This whole celebrity vibe is not my thing; I don't consider myself a celebrity; I work and then go home. If theatre paid, I would have remained there, but because I want stability, I had no choice but to pursue the TV side of things,' he asserts.
There are challenges in the cutthroat industry he's in, but he's not fazed by them, as his main priority is doing what he loves, which is acting.
'I'm aware of the challenges that we have in the industry, such as finding work. It's not easy to find work in this industry, and that's one of the challenges I've seen, but I'm happy that I'm able to take care of myself, because I'm working. It's difficult to get cast in certain roles, because they usually have a specific look that they want,' he explains.
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Before hitting the big time on Generations: The Legacy, he was into editing, which gave birth to his desire to one day step into the director's chair, something he longs to do soon.
'I want to dabble in directing. I have a passion for it. I sustained myself by doing theatre and editing, which increased my desire to become a director one day, and I'm going to pursue that, as it is something I'm keen on doing,' he concludes.
