Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
WHEN Chrispen Nyathi posted a video on Instagram, as part of Mandla N’s search for exciting new talent for the small screen, he did not envision that a few years later, he would be portraying one of the most fascinating and beloved characters on Mzansi TV.
Fortune favours the brave, the adage goes, and when Nyathi submitted that video, it was nothing more than a hopeful throw of the dice, a punt by an actor that, although supremely talented, had been starved of opportunities to showcase his talent.
“Mandla N has this initiative that is aimed at opening up the industry for young and upcoming actors where he auditions people on his Instagram live videos weekly. I decided to join that and proceeded to audition for him. He liked my look and what I had to offer at the time, so he picked me and I went in for constant auditions and call backs and all that until I got the role of Charleston (in DiepCity) eventually,” Nyathi said in an interview with TrueLove.
While that video was just one of many hopeful attempts by a young actor looking for his big break, it was backed up by the confidence he had in the knowledge that he had been preparing for such a moment since he started taking acting seriously when he was in Grade 5 back in Zimbabwe.
“My love for acting began back in 2004 when I was in grade 5. Each grade 5 class had to present a play for a couple of minutes on stage at the Hillside Primary School in Bulawayo. I only had a small role with 10 seconds on stage but from there I knew it was something I wanted to do for life. I didn’t know it was going to be something that I was going to make a living out of. I knew it was something I wanted to do because of the way the other kids moved and how they spoke and lifted their hands during that play. I was really fascinated by that.”
Over the course of one season on DiepCity, Nyathi solidified a reputation as one of the brightest upcoming stars on the small screen. The road had not been easy, particularly for a young Zimbabwean that had left his native land for South Africa when he was barely out of his teens. Although he attended Hillside Primary School while living in the posh suburb with his grandmother, a domestic worker, Nyathi found himself in Madlambuzi when she left her job and relocated to the village in Bulilima District, Matebeleland South.
The road from Madlambuzi to DiepCity was paved with hardships but somehow Nyathi, who later attended Denver Secondary School when he moved to South Africa in 2019, finally got a chance to put his name among the stars in Mzansi.
“My journey has been a tough one because I’ve been in the game for six years, but I only got my breakthrough in my sixth year with this role on DiepCity. Doors only started to open up for me in 2021 but before then it was a struggle. When I got my first feature through a movie, I shot in 2019, I thought that would be my breakthrough but you never really know until you know. It’s a very tough industry and one needs a lot of patience and a lot of endurance to hold on and keep going because many times you’ll try to walk away and quit, but because it’s a calling, you’ll find yourself coming back to the craft,” he said.
Among actors that grace the small screen in Mzansi, Nyathi is unique, as he is entirely self-taught. It is this that perhaps makes his People’s Choice Award from the Royalty Soapie Awards in 2021 even more remarkable. From a relative nobody that cut his teeth in the dust of Madlambuzi, Nyathi managed to transcend a tough upbringing and win the hearts of Mzansi viewers. That award also allowed him to claim a seat at the table amongst the most South Africa’s most talented actors.
“To me, this award is a stamp of confidence in myself because that’s something I’ve struggled with, especially when it comes to working with the big names I’m working with. I’ve always wondered if I’m doing enough. This award has given me the validation that I’m doing well, even though I can do better. It shows that I’m still on the right track. It also gives a sense of hope for young kids who are hoping to break into the industry, whether it’s South African kids or Zimbabwean kids.”
It is perhaps not surprising that Nyathi, who played the unscrupulous Pastor Nyathi on the soapie, describes himself as a true believer. Few young people raised by their grandparents in Zimbabwe can claim to not have some form of a relationship with the good book.
“Charleston is a young pastor from Zimbabwe who has a vision of one day owning a big church with a lot of congregants,” he said of his popular character on the soapie.
“He just wants to see himself being a man who runs a big church while working for God and serving Him. He is genuine, but the pressure of life does get to him and because he succumbs to pressure easily and because people don’t really listen to him, he finds alternative ways which aren’t always ideal, to get into people’s hearts. What makes me different from Charleston is that I’m a genuine believer and he’s a bit of a crook. He’s a different character and not an on-screen character that people are used to and that’s what I enjoy about him.”
As his star continues to rise, Nyathi has said he has higher ambitions than climbing the ladder in Mzansi.
“In the next 5 to six years, I’d love to see myself playing on main stages. When Hollywood comes to Africa and needs some of its best actors, I need to be one of those,” he was quoted as saying by the South Africa media. He recently poured out his love for Bulawayo on social media.
“Ngiyabonga Bulawayo, ngiyabonga South Africa, thank you @Mzansimagic and @BlackBrainSA my life changed for good from that role. BULAWAYO, please give this man Chrispen Nyathi his flowers, what an actor?one of the best in our time, I am huge fan myself especially the character of Mfundisi on DIEPCITY on @Mzansimagic, Thank you for sharing your talent with us ,Bayethe wena kaNyathi”