LBHW Interview with Bohang Moeko!

Recently, I caught up with the amazingly talented South African actor Bohang Moeko! He can currently be seen gracing our screens, portraying “Thokozani Dlamini” so smoothly in “A Wesley South African Christmas” on BETPlus. Additionally, he can be seen in the film “Seriously Single” and the hit show “How to Ruin Love,” both streaming on Netflix. He’s known for his range and executing a variety of different roles so brilliantly! Bohang is the epitome of resilience, greatness, and determination. He is a true example of what it looks like when you continue following your dreams and when you never give up. His story is a true testament that we all have a gift, and it will call for us to exercise it. Check out this interview and learn more about his journey into acting.

Where are you from?

I’m from Johannesburg, South Africa, but I spent a lot of time growing up in a small city called Bloemfontein.

Take us back a bit. Tell us what led you onto a journey of wanting to pursue acting professionally. 

I’d describe my journey into acting as a full-circle moment. I vividly remember my second-grade teacher asking us to stand up on our chairs and tell the class what we wanted to be when we grew up. I stood up and said I wanted to be an actor like Will Smith. Years went by, and in high school I recall expressing to another teacher that I wanted to be an actor. For some reason, during all those years I didn’t actively pursue acting. I was looking to be a professional soccer player, but that didn’t work out. Acting then came to me again a couple of years after graduating from University, and that’s when I started taking acting classes. 

I think you are truly resilient and super talented, which is amazing!! So many people view the field of acting as being easy, and all peaches and cream. I understand that once you decided to pursue your dreams with acting, you began trying to obtain representation for yourself, which was not an easy task. Can you share a little bit of that story and how you overcame those challenging moments when in pursuit of your career in acting? 

Firstly, thank you so much! Yeah, I think getting representation is never easy; my journey to getting an agent was a little crazy. After about 8 months of acting classes, I reached out to several agents and didn’t hear anything back. So without an appointment, I rocked up to an agent’s office a week later, told them I was looking for representation, and didn’t really get a positive initial response, but a few hours later, I got a call from them asking to see me the next day for a meeting. I showed up the next day; the meeting went well, and they’ve been my agent for 10 years now. The more difficult part of the journey came after that. I attended way over 100 auditions in the space of about 8 or 9 months before I booked my first job. It took a lot of faith, determination, and resilience to get through that difficult period. 

Let’s talk about “A Wesley South African Christmas,” which I LOVED!! How did this role come about for you, and how did you prepare for it? 

Thank you! I got the brief from my agent, and I sent a self-tape for it. I think it was two weeks later when one of the producers called me and asked for another urgent self-tape for the project. He called me at 8 am, and the tape had to be submitted by 12 pm that day, so I only had a few hours, but it went well. Preparing for it wasn’t difficult; the character is a musician who’s into Amapiano music, and that’s something that I know really well as a South African. I have friends who are musicians, and so it was just about channeling that creative and artistic energy and vibe they have, how they talk about their music, and how they behave in the studio when making music.  

What was your experience like on set? 

Amazing! Worked with such a great group of people. The cast and crew were absolutely fantastic to work with, and working with a director like Patricia Cuffie-Jones was such a treat! Octet Productions really put a great team together. 

What was your most memorable scene and why? 

It was a scene between myself and Novi Brown in my character’s studio/apartment where we’re listening back to her vocals and talking on the couch. I loved everything about that scene. It was simple and so grounded and endearing. The way we shot it, the way it felt, the time we were given to play with it and rehearse it and get to the truth of the scene. Novi was a joy to work with, and again, under the direction of Patricia, it came together so well.

You received the opportunity to be a part of Celebrity MasterChef!! Wow! That is exciting!! What was that experience like for you? Are you a good cook? 

Yeah, super exciting! It’s something I’ve been wanting to do in some capacity for a while, so to be on the show was incredible. A lot of pressure, but it was all fun. I love food; I love trying different kinds of dishes. I would consider myself a pretty decent cook, but I know where my real talent lies: I can ACT like a chef for sure! 

As you continue to evolve in the world of acting, is there a dream role you wish to portray in the future? We are claiming it for you right now! 

There’s so many! I have an actual list. I’m really looking to do some action right now, like a James Bond/Jason Bourne type of film. I’d also love to do a big Biopic.  

When you’re not busy, how are you practicing self-care to maintain your well-being? 

I’m at the gym quite a lot. It helps not only physically but mentally. I also enjoy moments of not doing anything. I think we’re always so busy being busy it’s good to sometimes just not do anything, just be. And I do that by spending time either outside or watching a movie and not doing anything “productive” or work-related. Traveling works as well. I love going to Cape Town as a breath of fresh air. 

Before you go, drop a gem or some great advice for our readers out there. Feel free to state whatever compels you. I like to call this section Unpacking Your Thoughts. Let them know, King! 

I heard a quote recently that said, “Do what you love and the money will follow.” And that resonated with me because these days we’re so conditioned to chase money, almost at any cost, and the result of that is most people in the world spend a huge part of their lives doing something they don’t like that brings them no joy or fulfillment. So I’d say use the gifts you’ve been given, and if you do that with excellence, everything else will come to you. 

Keep up with Bohang:⁣
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Instagram: @bohangmoeko⁣
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9562849/bio/

Thank you so much, Bohang!