Vuyo Dabula was enjoying life. At 86kg, he was a tank in a T-shirt and screen ready for his role on local megasoapy Generations. But when Netflix gave him a call to play the agile, quick-footed spy Shandu in Queen Sono, Vuyo realised he needed to up his game – and fast.
Joining the cast of Queen Sono was a big deal. Vuyo’s work would be watched in 190 countries and the 43-year-old was determined to do the African continent proud. A month later, a shredded Vuyo stepped on set, ready to get to work. This is how he transformed in record time – and how you can, too.
Training Day
“Vuyo’s character needs to show that he’s military trained,” explains the series’ stunt coordinator Grant Powell, who’s worked on the likes of Tomb Raider (2018) and The Brothers Grimsby (2016). “He has to know close-quarter combat, gun handling, marksman shooting; he is the leader, he’s got to have all of these attributes and he’s got to look like he’s been doing it forever.”
In the six-part series, Shandu is the leader of spy organisation Watu Wema. “When I read about Shandu and the more I talked about the character, I realised he’s highly skilled – it’s not so much about the science but rather the skill and technique,” says Vuyo. With a background in martial arts, doing his own stunts was familiar territory. “As a kid, I did a lot of ninjutsu – I was in my early teens – and I knew some of the concepts from there. And if I saw something as a kid on TV, I’d go and practise that with my friends.”
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