Bonko Khoza discusses leaving The Wife, drugs and depression
Award-winning actor Bonko Khoza, who portrayed the character of Mqhele in The Wife seasons one and two, opens up about how he uses acting as therapy. The Wife actor and voice-over artist Bonko Khoza lived with depression and dealt with drugs before his acting break. Khoza was in 2014 a small-time actor living with depression and dealing drugs from the back of his beetle car, reports the publication.
Khoza tells the publication that acting became therapy for him when he landed the role of Jabz in the film, Necktie Youth. The nightlife, the drugs went with the character Jabz, being in New York, being nominated alongside his idols and the success of the film showed him a light.
“Maybe acting is something that can help me. Navigating characters and using these characters as a release, and using the characters as a therapy, in a weird way is a healing process for me. It keeps me sane,” says Khoza.
The talented actor Bonko admits that playing Mqhele Zulu on The Wife was one of the hardest characters he’s done.
“Committing to a guy like Mqhele from a psychological point of view and from an appearance point of view, there was work we had to do. Mqhele was hard-core. We built Mqhele so far from Bonko that I could spare myself, especially [because] he’s quite a traumatic character.”
Khoza exited the Showmax telenovela in August 2022 and got replaced by Uzalo and Shaka Ilembe star Wiseman Mncube. Mental health comes first for everybody. I wasn’t in a good space … was it the fame, workload or fatigue? I think it was a combination of things. I think the point is I didn’t see myself fit to deliver to the people who look up to me.
Source: thesouthafrican
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