Television newcomer Tebogo Sefora is ready to shake things up on House of Zwide fresh off his turn as bad boy Thapelo in Champions.
He is one of the new faces joining the fourth season of the e.tv daily drama as Thato alongside veteran actor Mduduzi Mabaso as ex-convict Msizi.
The 32-year-old fresh-faced hottie has viewers hot and heavy thanks to his dazzling good looks. But Sefora would rather focus on his acting chops.
“I don’t think anyone is ever ready for any attention, to be honest. I don’t do what I do to get noticed for my looks – I am more focused and invested in storytelling and the character at hand,” he said.
“Whether viewers find me charming or not is not a big deal to me. The only pressure I feel is making sure people recognise me for my acting skills more than my looks.
“Everything is all too new. I don’t know how I’m going to handle myself when I fully see what it is that people are talking about. I won’t let that get to my head, however, if the praise is both for my acting and looks, I don’t see any harm there.”
Is he ready for the attention he will get from viewers of one of SA's most top-rated TV shows?
“My DMs are not that full but I have a feeling they’re about to be,” he said.
Born and bred in Tlhabane, Rustenburg, his life became difficult at 12 years old after his father's death. He had to move from one family relative to the next. As a result, he harboured negative emotions that led to him becoming a troublesome teen.
Sefora cleaned up his act later. He then worked as a bank teller, but he always knew he belonged in front of the camera.
“I quit my job during Covid-19 in 2021 and I told myself I was going to pursue an acting career. I got a cameo role on Rhythm City, I thought the roles would come flooding in but I was wrong,” he said.
“After my cameo role, things went quiet. For two years I was unemployed. I would get gigs here and there but I wasn’t securing a solid thing.
“However, I didn’t let that deter me. I remember telling myself that I was going to audition the life out of the role of Thapelo on Champions. I went in there believing that role was mine.”
Sefora is honoured to have shared the screen with acting titans such as Sello Maake KaNcube, Kgomotso Christopher and Tumisho Masha in Champions.
“I’ve always been around them [actors] but I wasn’t working with them. It was quite nerve-racking at the beginning because I was in my head too much. I’d often ask myself whether I was performing to the right standards because they have been acting for years. Eventually, I told myself that I was acting and learning at the same time,” he said.
“The nice thing is that they are really great people and I’d go to them to enquire a few things. One of the most uncomfortable scenes was having to scream at Ntate Sello. I remember the director telling me that even though I respected and looked up to the man we grew up knowing as Archie on Generations, I needed to deliver.
“I can’t wait for people to see me take on a different character. Thato is more of a fashion enthusiast, like me. He is completely opposite from Thapelo who was a rich kid and did cocaine. Thato is more laidback and I want viewers to see the different ranges I have as an actor.”
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