By the time the director broached the subject of his impending nudity in Showmax’s The Wife, Kwenzo Ngcobo hadn’t had a chance to invest in a tight fitness regimen.
He didn’t have to worry. The butt-naked scene following a night of passion between Qhawe Zulu (Ngcobo) and Hlomu Dladla (Mbalenhle Mavimbela) that kicked off the second season of The Wife left many screens steaming. Fans gasped and clutched their pearls at the sight of Qhawe’s toned behind.
We meet on a balmy Saturday afternoon in the northern Joburg suburb of Riviera. Ngcobo is firmly in the spotlight, with cameras clicking, stylists doing their thing, art directors orchestrating, and editors hovering around him.
He looks like a trendy hip-hop star in a black-and-white David Tlale ensemble accessorised with a Dior visor.
Once the hard work of being a cover star is done, Ngcobo takes a bite of a healthy Kauai wrap as he settles into our chat. There’s something refreshing about him. Even the gold-tinted shades he wears can’t hide the proverbial twinkle in his eyes.
The man of the moment is not fazed by the sudden focus on his athletic derrière. Interestingly, he hasn’t even watched the scene in full. He cracks up as he tells me that compliments have been flooding in. “The most flattering are ‘Kwenzo doesn’t miss leg day’ and ‘you have a beautiful butt’,” he giggles.
“The director told me two days before we shot. I had no time to go to the gym,” he says.
For Ngcobo, this was work, and it sent a deeper message than just being a cheeky scene in a popular telenovela. “I sat down with the director and we had an open conversation on how we could play the scene and make it natural, because no-one wakes up in the morning after a night of intimacy with someone else and is fully dressed. We discussed how we could make it real.
“It was also important for us to make men comfortable with these kinds of scenes. It doesn’t always have to be women showing nudity, men can and should do it too.”
He admits that he didn’t expect the scene to be so explicit. “I wasn’t aware that my ass would show,” he laughs. “I thought the camera was going to cover me from the side.”
Even though the episode has aired, Ngcobo says he hasn’t taken the time to watch it in full. “I haven’t seen it clearly. We had a launch, [and] when it was about to get to that scene I just walked out,” he says.
Not that he’s complaining. “For me, if we do a sex scene it needs to be meaningful and show all the elements of the story. That scene, in particular, was about showing Hlomu’s anger and revenge for the betrayal she suffered from marrying Mqhele [Bonko Khoza],” he says.
Ngcobo’s acting prowess is unquestionable. He earned his drama degree from the Durban University of Technology and cut his teeth on the local Durban theatre scene.
“It’s been about telling good stories ever since I started doing theatre. After our graduation, my friends Thobani Nzuza and Thembinkosi Mthembu moved to Joburg. I wanted to stay in Durban for a while and figure myself out,” he recalls.
“I did theatre and it felt like I was preparing myself for a bigger platform and stages. I prayed a lot and it got me to this place where I’m telling a beautiful story with this amazing crew and cast. It has been a great journey discovering myself as an artist. I really appreciate the response from people because it means I’m doing a good job telling these stories.”
Before he was cast as Qhawe in The Wife, Ngcobo was in the e.tv drama Imbewu: The Seed, his first foray into television.
He enjoys portraying Qhawe and says they have a few things in common. “I found some parts of me in Qhawe. It’s been an interesting journey to discover this guy.
“Just like me, he’s caring and protective of his family. I also love my brothers and sisters and aunts, everyone. Qhawe is a good guy at heart. Even though he has some dark elements, he cares deeply about the people he loves.”
I ask him who on set is the most different to his character. “Abdul [Khoza],” he laughs. “He changes. He is so different. He is an amazing guy with a positive energy that he spreads on set… and he flashes his six-pack every chance he gets.”
The rapport between the men of The Wife is undeniable. It seeps into what they do and translates into exceptional acting that keeps the fanbase of the show growing.
“It’s funny that, when we created this bond, we hadn’t read the books [the Hlomu series by Dudu Busani-Dube, which inspired the show]. Bonko had read one and Abdul was just starting out, while I hadn’t at all. We spoke about our brotherhood and charted a way forward on how we were going to play the roles and do justice to the script,” he says.
It helps that they are all Zulu and feed off each other’s energy, understanding the nuances and Zuluisms that only Zulu men would get in an instant. But the bond extends even after the director has shouted “It’s a wrap.”
“We chill out together on weekends and that helps us to understand each other better. You get to see who Abdul is in real life and it’s important to separate Nqoba from Abdul and Sipho [Ndlovu] from Sambulo. It also gives us a chance to learn from each other. And there is a lot we learn from each other,” he says.
Rarely do talent and humility go together, but Ngcobo is an exception. He plans to stay in the game much longer and tell more great stories. Fans of his work are in for more treats from this consummate professional.
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