He's the star of youth-drama-turned-soapie Skeem Saam on SABC1, he's ranked in
the TVSA Top 10 and he was the
Most Popular Actor on TVSA in May.
It time to get to know Cornet Mamabolo.
I caught up with him to get the close-up scoop on the things we don't know about him...
Cornet as Tbose.
Cornet as himself.
Tashi: What’s been the most surprising thing about playing Tbose?
Cornet: For me, the kind of response that I get on the street. I strongly believe that acting is a make-believe game so it was a shock to me to know that a lot of young people believe I'm of that age and that some of Tbose's storylines actually effect me as Cornet.
To know that my acting style is actually touching a lot of people because I was very specific with the choices that I've made for Tbose - together with the director's vision.
To know that people appreciate that and that they can relate - that was something that came out as a shock because Tbose is the first guy that I've played on TV. It's a first time and people have appreciated it immediately.
Tashi: How do people respond when they meet you?
Cornet: They ask for autographs, photographs, I get invited to seminars to talk to young people so people want to see Tbose because they look up to him. I'm not sure if they look up to Cornet or Tbose. *laughs* I'm battling to understand if they really love the guy playing Tbose or if they love Tbose.
Tashi: What do they call you?
Cornet: They call me Tbose and some call me Cornet but those are the people that are very conscious of the credits.
Cornet when he was at university.
Cornet = 25. Tbose = 20.
Tashi: What are the similarities between yourself and him?
Cornet: They're both driven you know. They're both driven and they're both in relationships and they're loving people. The only difference is that I'm way past university so age-wise we're very different. Tbose is a loving person - he looks for qualities in a person that will love and appreciate him and that's what I want as Cornet.
Tbose at his matric dance on Skeem Saam.
Tashi: So do you have that in your life?
Cornet: I do. *laughs*
Tashi: Do you have a long-time girlfriend?
Cornet: I do - we've been dating for a long time - for seven years. It's the person I've been with since secondary level.
Cornet at high school.
Tashi: A teen sweetheart. Her name?
Cornet: Lebo.
Tashi: Do you think you'll get married? What's the status?
Cornet: We will one day, we will.
Tashi: Is she the only girlfriend you've ever had?
Cornet: I've had girlfriends before - she just happens to be
the one.
Tashi: What makes her the one?
Cornet: She appreciates me, she understands me. I appreciate company more than anything. I look into the future and I believe looks can go or it comes to a point where looks don't matter and you're just stuck with that person so if that's the case then you will have to have somebody you can relate to.
Somebody you can love, somebody you can have nice and bad moments with. She's the one - she's the woman of my life.
Tashi: What does she do?
Cornet: She's a banker.
On stage.
Tashi: How would you say your life has impacted on your acting?
Cornet: It's the choices that I made at university level more than anything. The choices in terms of career choice because that's what I studied - I studied acting, I studied drama, I studied language so language has contributed a lot because it makes my work easier.
Having chased passion more than money or fame... I think that's how people get to access the love I have for the craft and can relate to what I'm trying to portray. That choice of chasing the craft over fame or money has moulded my career so nicely that people tend to appreciate it.
Cornet moved from Limpopo to Joburg in Grade 7.
Tashi: You grew up with your grand-parents, aunts and uncles and then you moved back to living with your parents - why didn't you grow up with them?
Cornet: I don't really know but I'm just assuming it's because my mom was very young then. She came to Joburg to work for me because she was very young and Joburg... I'm from a family that sees Joburg as - I hope this doesn't offend people - but it's not a home to us.
It's a place where we come to work and home is Limpopo, you know what I'm saying? So Joburg is not a place where a child can grow - Limpopo was the right place for me to grow before I could go anywhere.
Tashi: What can you tell us about yourself that nobody else knows?
Cornet: I have a foundation, Cornet M. Foundation, that strictly focuses on empowering and giving back to society in every way possible from giving back stationary, giving back knowledge, skills, training programmes - that's what I do with my foundation - I'm working with a couple of people in that.
I also operate as a rep in insurance sales because I have an administration company that I operate with a brokerage company. That's what I do beyond acting, whether or not I'm on set, I operate in the insurance world and sell policies.
T
ashi: What do you do to relax??
Cornet: I relax in my sleep. *laughs*
Tashi: You mentioned you watch theatre and shows? What else do you do?
Cornet: These days I get a lot of bookings to do social development stuff and to do general entertainment gigs so I hardly get time but otherwise I spend time with family, friends, my person.
Tashi: What's your favourite show on TV right now? - besides Skeem Saam obviously.
Cornet: It's... eish, I hope SABC don't kill me for this one... it's Matatiele. That show is so amazing you have no idea. It's the storyline, the drama, the choice of cast - it's an amazing cast. It's the direction - it's just so African - it's so indigenous and so close and the kind of choices that they made from their set to the cast to the costume to everything.
The way they take their relationships between couples, families, tribes because there's a tribal issue as well. Everything is just moulded so nicely that when they tell it, it just comes across the way I think and believe they intended it to.
(
Tashi: It was so cool that Cornet answered this question from the heart - the SABC needs to give him a raise!)
At university.
At high school.
