Sunday mail
Andre Moyo
The year 2020 is a year that many would like to quickly forget as it produced the worst global pandemic perhaps since the Spanish flu of 1918.
It’s a year that has seen countries introduce lockdowns and travel restrictions to tackle the growing health crisis.
But, for American actor Tongayi Arnold Chirisa, it was a year that would see his career explode with many roles in major productions to come.
“To be honest, 2020 has been one of the busiest years of my career. I had two movies that came out back to back during the pandemic and I was also filming ‘Another Life’ which is on Netflix right now, so if you haven’t seen it please check it out, ”Chirisa said. in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mail Society from its US base.
“Another Life” is a streaming American sci-fi television drama series created by Aaron Martin, which premiered on Netflix on July 25, 2019, with the second season due out on the 15th of this month.
The series stars Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Ludlow, Blu Hunt, and AJ Rivera, to name a few, with Chirisa joining the cast for the second season.
While the current season only came out a few days ago, filming began last year.
Chirisa, who plays Richard Ncube, a military strategist, says he auditioned for the role before the pandemic hit and had already started filming.
“I auditioned for the role before the pandemic hit and we had started filming, but we had to stop production because of Covid-19, and only resumed in the second half of 2020.”
While they were filming the series, other productions he watched were also aired, with titles like “Palm Springs” and “Antebellum”.
“Palm Springs” has won several awards, including the ACE Eddie Awards, the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, the Hollywood Critics Association and the Independent Spirit Awards.
The film also won the Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in Film.
“’Palm Springs’ was one of those rare gems during the pandemic and I think it gave people a sense of escape, a good laugh in a dire situation where the world was faced with the uncertainty of what to expect. was this coronavirus.
“It was great to have a lot of eyes in the photo because it introduced me to a lot more people in terms of Andy Samberg’s fandom.
“It’s a great opportunity to be part of a film that transcends time. It was really good for me to be introduced to another group of people who might never have seen my work and ‘The Golden Globe’ was just a great nod to an otherwise fantastic photo that we have done, ”said Chirisa.
While enjoying the exploits of the most recent release, his fans will also see him in another big production, “Women of the Movement,” an upcoming six-episode limited US television series, which premieres on ABC on January 6. Next year.
Some of the names on production credits include Jay-Z, Will Smith, Gina Maria Prince-Bythewood, and James Lassiter.
“I have a few projects that will be released in the near future.
“There is a mini-series coming out in January on the ABC network and the name of this project is called ‘Women of the Movement’, which focuses on Emmet Till, a young boy from Chicago who was murdered in Mississippi. in 1955, with his death becoming a national title highlighting racism in the South during this time.
“There’s also a nice romantic comedy called ‘Courting Anati’ and although I don’t have any release dates yet, I’m looking forward to that,” he said.
While it would appear that some of his roles are less important than others, the actor stressed that every role he gets is just as important.
“Each project I do is a highlight, it’s a springboard and an opportunity to show myself.
“Each character you play is a challenge, but that’s the rewarding part, discovering who they are and the complexities that come with them. All the productions that I have done are all important and for that I am grateful.
Chirisa does not intend to be right in front of the camera as he is also developing his own scripts.
“I’ve written a few projects and I’m very excited to see what we can do with them.”
One of the projects he’s working on is a period piece set in Zimbabwe in the 1970s.
“There’s one called ‘The Journey of the Unbeliever,’ which is based on a book by Stanley Nyamupfukudza that was written in the 1970s. I’m currently developing this book into a screenplay, so hopefully. Soon enough, we can come and film it in Zimbabwe. “
