'All you'd get are gangster or gardener roles' – actor Brendon Daniels

Brendon Daniels has played local TV’s most notorious inmates, gangsters and criminals in a career spanning two decades. 

The 51-year-old actor has appeared in Interrogation Room, Madam & Eve, Shooting Stars, Die Boland Moorde, Trackers, iNumber Number, Unseen, Spinners, White Lies and most recently Die Nuusmakers.

But doesn’t always playing the bad guy get tiring? Daniels answers. 

How would you describe your career?

My journey as an actor is a result of good timing. This is my 20th year as a freelancer, and dating back, as far as our young democracy is concerned, more opportunities for characters were making the rounds, but not for us [coloured actors]. You’d usually get a role of a gangster or a villain.

As the years went by, slowly but surely, there has been a fine-tuning of characters, which I can see will benefit everyone.

How do you navigate being typecast?

I usually find a personal element to the role I’m playing. I always try to find what makes this person a person, especially in society. So, I try to find an element that speaks to the audience, and I try to show them the other side of who this person is, despite the predicament he’s in.

Oftentimes, my people are found on the wrong side of the law due to many reasons, some of which are absent fathers or unstable homes.

Have you experienced an evolution in storytelling? 

Yes, there’s a younger group of producers who are changing the scene right now. They are coming with fresh and new ideas to tackle storytelling, though it will be a slow turnaround, but the most important thing that we cannot do is underestimate our audience.

At times, producers will tell you it’s what the audience wants, but if we can control how we tell our stories, these people will follow us. So, it’s our responsibility to change the narrative of how we are seen on the big or small screen.

What has been most fulfilling as an actor?

I’ve been afforded the opportunity to interact with a variety of backgrounds and cultures Sometimes, we find ourselves in a position where our profession allows us to discover these worlds to better understand the people who live in them, and I feel very lucky to have an overview of the lives of many South Africans through translating them on TV.

What advice do you have for young aspirant actors?

Sustaining longevity in this industry is a commitment. You need to be passionate about it, and no matter what, keep the hunger alive. This profession isn’t one you can retire from. I know actors who plan to die on stage, and that’s the mentality one needs to have when entering into this world.