In his last role before his untimely death in May, Mpho Sebeng will play DJ Whisky in the new Showmax series 016FM.
In his last interview before he passed away, Sebeng talked about how 016FM helped him to value the people and community of the Vaal, sharing that he wanted to be part of the series because of its storyline.
“What piqued my interest about 016FM is that it is a story about the Vaal. I feel like there have not been many stories that have shed light on this particular part of the country,” said Sebeng at the time.
“For me, the Vaal is such a melting pot of culture, fashion, and language, which was something I was very drawn to while doing my research about the area.”
Italian high fashion has a significant influence on a large pop cultural movement in Vaal, Sebeng said while preparing for the role.
He immersed himself in understanding this movement in order to have a better understanding of his character on 016FM.
Ama-Italiana and izikhothane culture
“I had to take the time to hang around with the locals, especially the people who started the culture of ama-Italiana [Italian culture] and izikhothane [a phenomenon in which individuals brag about an expensive lifestyle].
“I also watched a lot of videos and skits online. I would purposefully look for skits made by people from the Vaal going about their day.
“I would also link up with friends from Sebokeng and Sharpeville, and that helped with fleshing out this character.”
It was this research that gave him a deep appreciation and respect for the area.
According to him, his character aspires to be the best and enjoys being in the spotlight.
“My stance as an actor is that the majority of the time it is not necessarily characters that I am drawn to but mostly the story,” he explained.
“I want to always be on a set where the story that we tell has a strong, resonating message that everyone can connect with and a story that people can somehow find healing from.”
