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R/£ He certainly ain't short on talent
March 20, 2007 Edition 1
Emma Nicholson
Whoever said that dynamite comes in small packages must have just met Michael Mbhele.
He looks like a small child, but talks with the maturity of an experienced adult. Mbhele does not know the reason for his diminutive stature; he only knows he's been that way his whole life.
"I've been small since I was born, but it won't hold me back," he announces.
And it hasn't.
This 19-year-old has achieved far more than most people his age, having already appeared in a Warner Brothers movie alongside the likes of Kevin Spacey ("a quiet guy, doesn't say much"), Vince Vaughn ("quite cool") and Ludacris ("it felt like we'd already met").
"I always wanted to be an actor," says Michael, explaining how his mother wanted him to be a doctor, because she said no one would be able to see him on stage. Sadly, she and his father were killed in a car accident years later and Michael says he hopes his mother is happy with his choices.
After studying speech and drama at a creative arts college, Michael's agent landed him an audition for Fred Claus, a Warner Bros movie about Santa's sibling.
Michael's first audition and his first trip overseas coincided as he flew to London where he soon landed a role in the film as a DJ and a pixie.
"It was quite scary," admits Michael, explaining how he lived and filmed in London for two months.
"It was my first film and I was worried what they would think."
But true to his personality, Michael gave it his best and says he did a good job.
Fred Claus is due for release at the end of this year, but in the meantime, audiences can catch Michael in his first play called Ta Ta Ma Chance.
It is a production by the South African Film Institute and Dravidian Productions, which is celebrating 25 years in the entertainment industry. It is scripted and directed by Kevin Palium and Michael plays a gangster named Bullet.
"I wanted to try everything and it's a great show," says Michael.
"I think audiences will love it."
Ta Ta Ma Chance is a comedy that takes on everyday issues in South Africa through the discussions of friends in a local pub. It is playing at Sibaya Casino until April 22 and tickets cost R75. To book call 031-580-5555.
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