EXCLUSIVE | ‘Trackers’ actor Sisanda Henna says ‘America must not miss any moment’ of South African thriller
Intertwining three story strands into a sophisticated action-packed thriller, ‘Trackers’, a new Cinemax show, is all set to give an adrenaline boost to its viewers. Opening the doors to the TV show adapted from Deon Meyer's crime novel, actor Sisanda Henna caught up with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) in an exclusive chat and spilled details about his role, the most challenging aspect of shooting the series and revealed who would be the closest to his character as the adventure picks up in the six episodes.
The actor plays Inkunzi Shabangu, a ruthless mercenary smuggler who is in cahoots with a terrorist organization to support his extravagant lifestyle. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
You play a smuggler in the series. Did you connect with the character in real life and how did you prepare for the role?
To prepare for the role, a gift was a friend I made probably about a year before I got the role. This friend of mine, who's an ex-con, led a gang. He's now a motivational speaker. So his previous life is very public. He's somebody who lived in prison for many years and rose up in the gang. He became my go-to person and was so generous in sharing stories about how he became a gang leader. That was a big part of the preparation. He helped me see beyond the surface of this bad guy and goes much deeper than that with the fundamentals of humanity and of protecting the ones you love.
Who is your character closest to in the series and will we see personal relationships brewing on the side of the crime scenes?
My character, Inkunzi Shabangu, will be closest to two people — Osman, played by Brendon Daniels and Lemmer, who is played by James Alexander Gracie. With Osman, it's a client business relationship and with Lemmer, their paths cross in an unexpected way. They weren't really meant to be. I cannot reveal more than that but those are the two close relationships and I enjoyed working with Brendon and James quite a lot. We shared a lot of fun moments on the sets.
With black rhinos, the CIA, organized crime, diamond smuggling, state security and an international terrorist plot to attack Cape Town, there's a lot to look forward to. Was any of it inspired by a real-life incident?
The thing that's really cool about the show is that the author Deon Meyer is also one of the producers and was also one of the writers that adapted the book into a screenplay... So he remained close to the story and like in his other books, you can tell that there is definitely a lot of research about these topics, particularly like the state security and what kind of state security organs exist in South Africa and the kind of intelligence they've had to gather. Interestingly, he also picks that up from historical intelligence units and his writing is in-depth and well-researched.
Tell us about the challenging and difficult aspects while filming the series.
There were two things that were challenging while shooting the series. We started filming a bit of action sequence in the mountains in Limpopo. It was not difficult but it was quite challenging as our director, Jyri Kähönen, wanted to make it look real so we prepped quite a bit before filming in the shooting range. We used to start after sunset and shoot at night, for probably three or four nights. I can't complain because we all enjoyed it and it helped bring the real element to the series.
When you now see it now on screen, it's believable because you can tell that they were actually there. Moreover, the set represents the border with Zimbabwe, so that was really cool. The second thing was the wirework as it was my first time doing that. Putting on a lot of padding and some of the wires can be fun but some of it can take a toll on you. But I've learned to prepare well for it.
How was it shooting with the cast and crew on the sets? Who did you get along with the most?
On the set, we had a nice mix of nationalities and cultures. Director Jyri Kähönen, who is from Finland, had quite a bit of an accent that South Africans weren't used to. But we soon got used to each other, started cracking jokes on set, and definitely had a lot of fun.
As the show comes to Cinemax on June 5, what is the one thing fans should look forward to?
America must not miss any moment of this show. You get to see so many different parts of South Africa. It's just the beauty of the landscape... the culture is so diverse. There are so many cultures mixed together and fans will be glued to the screens, putting the pieces of the puzzle together and experiencing the colorful country. Don't miss a moment of it and pay attention to everything in the beginning because clues are being laid along the way.
Tell us a little more about your projects lined up for the future
I am all set for an action film called 'Rogue' directed by MJ Bassett, who also made 'Inside Man: Most Wanted', directed a few episodes of 'Altered Carbon' and 'Strike Back'. Starring an ensemble cast led by Megan Fox, the movie revolves around retired soldiers who go on a mission. It's a proper action film and I love that it has an African backdrop.
‘Trackers’ will premiere on Friday, June 5, at 10 pm ET/PT on Cinemax.