By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
In his last role before his untimely death in May, Mpho Sebeng (Saints & Sinners, Ring of Lies, Savage Beauty) will play DJ Whiskey in the new Showmax series 016FM.
Speaking about his character in his last interview, Sebeng says DJ Whiskey is “someone who likes the limelight and wants to be number one”. He talked about how 016FM helped him to value the people and community of the Vaal.
“What piqued my interest about 016FM is that it is a story that is about the Vaal. I feel like there haven’t been many stories that have shed a light on this particular part of the country. The Vaal is such a melting pot of culture, fashion and language, which was something I was drawn to while doing my research about the area,” said the actor.
He adds that he immersed himself in the pop cultural movement in the Vaal to prepare for the role.
“I immersed myself in understanding the movement to have a better understanding of the character. I had to take time to hang around with the locals, specially the people who started the culture of ama-Italiana and izikhothane.”
The late star also revealed that he also watched a lot of videos and skits online. He would purposefully look for skits made by people from the Vaal going about their day.
According to him, his character aspires to be the best and enjoys being in the spotlight.
“My stance as an actor is that the majority of the time it is not necessarily characters that I am drawn to but mostly the story,” he explained.
“I want to always be on a set where the story that we tell has a strong, resonating message that everyone can connect with and a story that people can somehow find healing from.”
016FM’s star-studded cast also includes legendary actors Nthati Moshesh, Sophie Ndaba and Sello Motloung. The show will also star actors Katlego Mabote, Mapula Molefe, Noni Mafani, Mapaseka Koetle and Caddy Tsotetsi.
The Showmax drama series premieres on 26 June 2024.