Born Entertainer

He plays a hardcore gangster and an emotional bridegroom with equal ease. We chat to actor Warren Masemola about his latest role in hit SABC1 drama Tjovitjo.

- Khatija Nxedlana

GIVE him high heels, silk stockings and a feather boa and he’ll rock them effortlessly.

Cover him in prison overalls and terrifying tattoos and he’ll become one of the most hardcore gangsters you’ve ever seen.

Need someone to play a sappy bridegroom who tears up on command in a music video and he’s your guy. And if you’re looking for someone with a compelling voice to say “Give that man a Bells” in your whisky ad, he’ll rise to the occasion.

Nothing is impossible for this actor who treats life like a stage and adapts to every situation as effortlessly as a chameleon.

And right now Warren Masemola (34) is wowing South Africa in the biggest show on TV: SABC1’s Tjovitjo, the hard hitting drama series that drew a staggering 5,7 million viewers for its premiere episode in August, breaking records previously held by classics such as Yizo Yizo, Zone 14 and Tshisa.

The Soshanguve-raised star is no newcomer to the entertainment scene, having made his mark as an actor in hit TV shows including Intersexions, Ses’Top La, Scandal! and Ring of Lies, for which he’s nominated for Best Actor in this year’s YOU Spectacular awards.

In Tjovitjo – which revolves around the lives of a group of dancers – Warren plays Ma’Fred, the leader of a pantsula dance crew. And he’s one of the reasons so many viewers are glued to their screens every week.

It’s hard to tear your eyes off him when he’s on stage or on-screen – or when he’s right in front of you, as we discover when he meets us at Southern Sun Lounge in Hyde Park wearing cropped jeans that show off his bright-red geometric-print socks.

We get to know this natural entertainer a little better.

THE NAME OF THE GAME