Melusi Mbele believes that he manifested his leading role in the new action-packed thriller, “The Butcher’s Soul”.
The Saftas-winning actor, who returns to the screen after leaving “Scandal!” in June, explained that he had always dreamt of playing an action hero.
“I am excited about this movie and for it to be released and playing this role has been a dream come true,” he told “Independent Media Lifestyle.”
“This is one thing that I have always been looking forward to because as a youngster, I would always watch a lot of action movies and I see myself being one of those heroes, having to save the world and all of that.”
“I would see myself doing all of that and I mean, you know, years later, look at me now.”
The local flick, which is set to be released on Showmax on Friday, August 2, sees Mbele playing Mthusi, a military man-turned butcher, whose family suffers a deadly attack.
He is then granted seven days by the Angel of Death to bring her the guilty souls in exchange for his nine-year-old daughter’s life.
He joins a star-studded cast, which includes African Movie Academy Award nominee Vuyo Dabula, who returns to acting after surviving a near-death shooting in December 2022.
Directed by Kagiso Samuel Leburu, who won the Made for TV Film Golden Horn for his debut feature, “Okae Molao”, the rest of the cast includes “Gomora” star Katlego Danke, Zinhle Mabena, who featured on “Shaka iLembe” and Bokang Phelane from “Blood Psalms”.
Mbele said that the script convinced him to be part of this project.
“When I read the script, I thought credit to the writer because it is so well-written and there is action all the way through and for me, this was exactly what I was looking for and I am grateful to be part of this movie”.
The 42-year-old admitted that he was forced to step out of his comfort zone for this role.
“It was challenging to be honest,” he said.
“Most of the roles that I have done before were drama or comedy, which is different to an action thriller and with that, there is a lot of dialogue but with this role, it was so different because this guy doesn't talk much, he is an action man.”
Mbele’s physicality helped him with this role, which required him to perform several fighting scenes.
“I was fortunate enough to be about 50% prepared because I go to the gym around three to four times a week, I do sports and I am overall very active so it was a fit in terms of that.”
He added that his karate experience as a teenager also prepared him for this role.
“I am grateful that I have that package that I could utilise to embody that role and it worked so well. Also having the team behind me, which includes the crew, the stunt man and the choreographer, really helped me become Mthunsi.”
“If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to play this role which required a lot of hard work but it came out beautifully and we made magic so I am very happy.”
Mbele described his character as a reserved introvert who comes alive in the company of his wife and daughter.
“But as quiet and as nice as he is, don’t mess with him or his family because he was in the military and acquired a lot of skills in terms of fighting and all of that, so don’t mess with him or his loved ones because he is going to show you a different side to him.”
Mbele said that while he would not go to the same illegal lengths as his character when it came to protecting his family, the love that Mthunsi has for his loved ones is something that they have in common.
“We are different but there are some similarities that we share, especially when it comes to protecting our families.”
“But obviously something that's different is that I wouldn't go to the extent that he does. If I were in his shoes, I would follow the proper protocols and report the matter to the police.”
Mbele also hopes that the movie sends a strong message to fathers to support their families.
“I have a five-year-old and I could relate to my character as a family man and this helped with my performance because I imagined what I would do if I were in this position. As fathers, we need to ask ourselves what steps we would take to protect our family.
“The movie is not trying to promote violence because at the end of the day, it is about entertainment but there are things that we can learn from it as fathers.”
∎ “The Butcher’s Soul” will premiere on Showmax on August 2.