Sundaymail Editor
Tinashe Kusema
“THERE are no small roles, only small actors.”
This famous quote is from the esteemed Konstantin Stanislavski, the man who is regarded as the father of modern acting.
It is one of the first lessons some of the revered institutions like The Juilliard School and the California Institute of the Arts teach.
It also forms the basis of Tafara Nyatsanza’s origin story in the performing arts.
While most people might not be familiar with the Zimbabwean actor’s name, at least some will recognise him for his blink-and-you-miss-it appearance in the 2022 survival action film “Beast”.
The movie – which starred the likes of Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries and Sharlto Copley – was one of the 2022 worthwhile hits.
“Beast” tells the story of British heartthrob Elba playing the role of a widowed father, Nate Samuels, who takes his two teenage daughters on a safari in a South African game reserve.
But he suddenly has to fight to survive when they are stalked and attacked by a ferocious man-killing lion.
The movie was released in the United States in August by Universal Pictures and grossed US$59 million worldwide on a US$36 million budget.
It received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Nyatsanza played a game reserve warden by the name of “Banji” and makes two short but memorable appearances in the movie.
However, for the 26-year-old, who hails from Manicaland province, it was all about the experience and opportunity to meet and share the screen with one of Hollywood’s biggest names – Elba.
“The thing is, I did not have to get star-struck at first,” said Nyatsanza, commenting about meeting Elba.
“That emotion came a few months earlier when the opportunity first came up . . . when I received a call from my agent and he told me about the audition, and that I would be acting with Idris Elba if I get the part. That is when I really got star-struck. This all happened on the phone.”
Nyatsanza reckons Elba is a sweetheart, who is kind and polite to everyone.
The 50-year-old Brit, he said, is the type of person who takes time to greet every person on set.
The two bonded over their mutual love for hip-hop.
Since the movie’s release, Nyatsanza has secured two more high-profile roles in yet-to-be-released productions – the sci-fi feature movie “The Fix” and a nine-episode Bollywood series “Lootere”.
Both productions, which were shot concurrently, are due for release later this year or early 2024.
“After filming ‘Beast’, I landed two more roles in a Canadian horror film by the title ‘The Fix’ and a Bollywood series ‘Lootere’, which loosely translates to ‘Pirates’,” narrated the Zimbabwean actor.
“I took part in both projects simultaneously and this was my first time doing this, a first time playing two different roles in two different settings and in two different projects.
“It was like shooting day scenes here and going to shoot night scenes there, and doing this for weeks on end. At first, I was happy that I had been booked for two different things at once, but then I got exhausted,” said Nyatsanza.
He was barely getting time to rest.
“I was literally having two to three hours of sleep every day, or I would sleep on my way to the set and then once I get there, survive on coffee.
“Do not get me wrong, it was fun switching between these two characters.”
His role in the “Beast” and the two other projects has shone a little light on the 26-year-old Zimbabwean.
He hopes this attention will spread to his other two passions – theatre and music.
Nyatsanza actually got his start in theatre.
Born on June 14, 1996, his parents divorced soon after his birth and he was raised by his mother, who was a teacher. She moved around quite a lot.
Some of the schools he attended are Mt Selinda Primary School, Emerald Primary School, St George’s Muchena and Chikanga High School. Stability came when he moved to South Africa for his Grade 10 at Shiloh Christian School in Cape Town.
“I did a lot of extra-curricular activities, even from my early days in Zimbabwe. We had little dramas and other things we would do at the primary school level. I was into those things.”
It was in South Africa, while attending the University of Cape Town, that his love for theatre was nurtured and grew.
He has written two critically acclaimed plays – “Ropafadzo” and “Kuromba”. Both are Shona tales that tackle family mental health issues. Besides film, Nyatsanza is a music producer and musician, whose main genres are hip hop, R&B, funk, jazz, soul and dubstep.
◆ Twitter: @nashaar
Online Reporter