The Sunday News
Rebecca Nyathi Sunday Leisure Reporter
BREAKING into the acting industry was not a stroll in the park for one of Hollywood’s hottest acts at the moment, Zimbabwe- born 34-year-old actor Tongayi Arnold Chirisa.
It can aptly be described Biblically as when Philip called Nathanael to follow Jesus saying, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
Yes, the Biblical Nazareth was a small city and no one hoped it could be counted and exalted as to produce the prophesied Messiah.
And just like Chirisa, very few would agree that some Hollywood acting gem, who has become the favourite hero of many local and international fans, did cut his acting teeth in Zimbabwe, let alone believe that he is Zimbabwean and proud of his roots.
Best known for his role as a love-struck Detective Trevor Davis in the local production Studio 263 as well as Tia (Portia Njazi)’s hit Boy You Got to Know musical video, Chirisa has since grown to become one of the household names in Hollywood, appearing in a number of hit movies, series and even commercials.
In an interview with Sunday Leisure from his American base, the big screen hunk stated that he started acting while he was in primary school where his drama teacher noted his talent and urged him to take it seriously.
According to Chirisa, Zimbabwe was where his passion for acting grew.
“I became an actor at a very tender age — in Grade Four. I did not know that I had that gift until my teachers told me I was really good at it and they continued giving me more roles which were difficult sometimes but I was always willing to take up the challenge,” he said.
Who will forget his first cameo role in Leon’s Schuster’s Mr Bones 2 as Hekule the King. He really made the country proud through his acting abilities and just as many were thinking he had reached his pinnacle — he is just but getting started as the man is hot property in the world’s movie capital in the United States.
“Zimbabwe was where my passion grew as I learnt my trade and South Africa was where my acting career grew because there are more opportunities there than there are back in Zim. South Africa is an amazing place as we all know from the quality and abundance of stories they tell. It’s a growing industry and it’s only getting better by the day. There is cut-throat competition for quality productions,” said Chirisa.
In 2009, he braved his way into Hollywood; a move he admitted was far from being a stroll in the park.
The talented actor was among the cast in the crime investigating series CSI New York and an international television series Crusoe as Man Friday based on the classic story of Robison Crusoe.
He also appeared in Sleepy Hollow as author Bernard a series based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow written by Washington Irving and American Horror Story as Asylum.
“In 2009 I left everything I had in South Africa and went to pursue my acting in America, where I featured in a few television productions and got the chance to work with some actors that I admired while growing up such as Djimon Hounsou the Blood Diamond star,” said Chirisa.
He added that he, like everyone who goes to foreign lands, faced challenges but how he overcame them was what was worth telling.
“All of us face challenges every day, but the way I overcome mine rest in the promise that God has already made for me. All I have to do is to wait for him to make the way, so the hardest part at times is focusing on his promise and not look at my situation or circumstances. At times I have to make lifetime decisions but remain mindful that I am in a temporal atmosphere,” he said.
Unlike most successful celebrities who are on the spotlight and love showing off what they have achieved, Chirisa is a humble man who stated that he hadn’t forgotten where he came from and still does a lot of chores for himself.
“Unbelievable as it may sound, I do my own chores, I do my own cooking and cleaning,” he said.
Weird as it will sound, the talented actor stated that he hadn’t achieved anything yet implying that what he had achieved so far in his acting career is just a drop in the ocean and that he hoped to achieve more as opportunities continue to knock on his door.
“I don’t think I have achieved my dreams yet. In two years to come, I see myself doing the will of God in my life,” he said.
He, however, wouldn’t entertain questions about his love life.
