A staple of the local entertainment scene, Thapelo Mokoena is back on the successful Netflix series, Fatal Seduction, the third season of which launched last Friday.
Mokoena took a moment to visit 947 FM studios to chat with Thando Thabethe and Msizi James, and the trio wrapped up the interview talking about shooting intimate scenes as actors.
The name of the show says it all, but if you need a hint, it has a steamy touch to it, meaning that actors have to be comfortable with shooting intimate scenes.
‘Fatal Seduction’ is a sexy series
“This is my question, I was talking to Thando about it … is the intimate scenes. Obviously, Fatal Seduction, it’s in the name already, there’s going to be a lot of intimate scenes in that show,” James asked.
“And they will be fatal,” Mokoena added.
“My question was to her, when you are actors, ‘How does it all work… for your partners. Do you sit and watch this with your wife or your partner? How do they feel when you come home after shooting this? I don’t know how I would feel if my partner was Thando, for example, told me ‘I’m going to shoot a season of Fatal Seduction with Thapelo Mokoena’,” James asked, much to Thabethe’s and Mokoena’s amusement.
“Earlier, I spoke about understanding the 360 value chain of whatever you’re about in life. I think it’s key. If you’re a chef, understand the 360 value chain and see it from all angles. The same in this trade of ours… It is seriously a profession. My wife met me as an actor; I was coming out of film school. She met me doing what I do, she bought into what I do, and who I am and what I’m about. Luckily, I’ve never given her grey hairs or reasons to not trust in what I do and how I do what I do…” Mokoena said.
“Thapelo, I think what he’s asking is, do you tell your wife… we know when we have a sex scene coming up. And we’ve rehearsed it… It’s like a dance. You literally say, ‘Okay, first Thapelo is gonna pick you up…” Thabethe interjected.
The role of the intimacy co-ordinator on set
“There’s an intimacy co-ordinator who’s there to choreograph,” Mokoena said.
“So it’s not like a free-for-all [where] they say ‘Okay, make out, go,” asked James.
“No,” Thabethe responded.
“It used to be that way in the industry. You’d walk on set, and they say, ‘Okay, you guys love each other, and you haven’t seen her in three months, and you’re back from the mines. Action,” Mokoena added.
“We knew before getting onto set what we have to communicate for what the scene needs. But we also understand as artists and as actors, with understanding intimacy co-ordinating and intimacy itself, that every day is not the same. So I could walk on set today feeling like I don’t really feel like being touched, and that’s reason enough to not shoot that scene that day,” Mokoena said.
The interview was packed with a lot more gems, so watch the rest in the video above.