Law, Love and Betrayal will be landing on Showmax on Thursday 5 September, with new episodes releasing every Thursday. The series stars familiar faces like Dineo Rasedile and Pearl Modiadie. The trailer gives viewers the first glimpse of Nimrod Nkosi as Gatsha Gumede, the founder of Gumede & Associates, where a succession battle is brewing.
Take a look at the trailer here…
For over three decades, Nimrod has captivated audiences as the host of iconic TV shows, like Jam Alley, Live Lotto Draw, and more recently uTatakho. In addition to presenting, he’s also had standout acting roles in series like Isibaya, The Queen, and The Estate.
“Gatsha Gumede is a man who has achieved a lot in life. He came from a difficult background but pursued his education and studied law. He rose in that environment and eventually opened his own law firm. Starting small, he built it up until Gumede and Associates was formed,” he said speaking of his character.
“Gatsha is an expert in constitutional law. He goes to court primarily to clear up messes and facilitate takeovers. If there’s a case he wants and he knows the judge, his presence alone indicates the likely outcome.,” he continued.
Q&A WITH NIMROD NKOSI
Why a legal series?
I grew up watching law-inspired movies like To Kill A Mockingbird and shows like LA Law, Matlock, Chicago Law, and Boston Legal. When I was 11 years old, these were the shows I watched. They still are: recently, I watched an HBO series called The Night Of, starring John Turturro, who plays a brilliant lawyer.
Are there certain characters who inspired this role?
Drawing inspiration from actors like Blair Underwood in LA Law, who was the only black actor on the show, was helpful.
I also have friends who are lawyers, who explained that the courtroom dynamics differ in South Africa. Here, actors must rely on facial expressions and gestures more than movement. Ultimately, 80% of the performance must come from within the actor.
There’s a company called Dramatec, an acting consultancy founded by my co-star Anelisa Phewa. This coaching helped to give my character an extra layer.
Gatsha has a complex relationship with his children, who in some cases are also his employees. As a father yourself, what parenting advice would you give your character?
I would tell him, ‘My brother, just chill a little bit. The lottery of birth is amazing; you’ll never give birth to someone exactly like you.’
Even though they say an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, which is true, he hates that saying. He is driven and wants to see his children thrive in a powerful environment, but he forgets that they are not necessarily driven by the same forces that motivated him.
I’d say, ‘Let the children express themselves and their talents.’ You can spend years trying to impress or please your parents, but those are years you’ll never get back if you don’t try to be yourself. Yes, discipline is important, and life isn’t always rosy, but it’s not all about thorns either. You have to find a balance.
Also, comparing kids and pitting them against each other is something I would advise him against.
What was the most challenging part of playing Gatsha?
I needed guidance on why he is such an angry man. He has achieved a lot, and men like him have seen and done things that weigh heavy on their minds. You can imagine the cases he has handled and things that burden him.
But the process was to find out what exactly bothers him this much.
Naturally, I’m not an angry person. I love people. I hug a lot. This was part of the discussion that I must depart from Nimrod because I’m too sweet. My process was always, when I’m with Pearl, I’d say, ‘Dude, I’m gonna go in on you today.’ But we are also taught to let go of that character and not take it home.
The difficult part was being rude and cutting people short. Saying things like, ‘Get out of my way’; ‘Where’s my tea?’; ‘ There’s no blue cheese’. He’s that fussy. He’s quite different from me. Yes, I have high standards, but I’m not a cutthroat type of guy, even on set.