Actor Thapelo Sebogodi on making his own mark despite famous dad

It took actor Thapelo Sebogodi a while to accept that acting was his calling because he watched his father go through the ups and the downs of being in the spotlight for years, and once he entered the industry he had to find a way to stand on his own strength. 

Thapelo told TshisaLIVE that it wasn’t an easy task and described what part of his life scared him the most. 

“Firstly I was hesitant because despite everything around me acting was largely considered a hobby. But also, I got to see the challenges my father went through as an artist first hand. I saw the difficulties he was often faced and I would think to myself, ‘is this thing really viable as a career?’ Because at the time, he was mostly doing theatre.”

Thapelo explained that at the time, he saw how much effort his father poured into stage plays and how little the monetary value was and he was put off.

“When you are doing theatre, it’s not like when you are on screen. The time put in and the money that comes out doesn’t really correlate.”

So Thapelo initially ignored the call to pursue acting but fate had different plans for him.

Thapelo got into the retail industry then tried to pursue his passion for politics and that is when fate took the wheel and he went on to make his stage debut in 2007.  

Also when your father is Seputla Sebogodi – a man known and loved by all age groups in Mzansi… you have your work pretty cut out for you.

But when Thapelo realised there was no escape from the acting bug he knew that he had to make his own mark so poured himself into perfecting the craft.

“I just decided that I will concentrate on doing the work and making myself better in my craft. To try and be the best version of myself in the work and just to tell stories as best as I can in this country.

“I am just grateful firstly that I found something that I love. Something that doesn’t feel like a job because my passion pulls me through all the time,” he said.

Thapelo has since stolen the hearts of Mzansi as The River’s Khabzela but he hasn’t forgotten theatre and is currently in rehearsals with his father for a play titled Flak My Son.

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