‘Savage Beauty’ star Jesse Suntele on the hit show’s evolution
|Published
Vengeance and family drama are turned up a notch in season two of the Netflix series, “Savage Beauty”.
The latest instalment of the hit local show premiered on the global streaming service at the end of June and it has been amongst the Top 10 trending TV programmes list on Netflix South Africa ever since.
From the very first episode, viewers are reeled back into the high-stakes drama and unexpected twists.
The new six-part series features a star-studded cast of Rosemary Zimu, Dumisani Mbebe, Nthati Moshesh, Angela Sithole, Jesse Suntele, Nambitha Ben-Mazwi, Oros Mampofu, Desmond Dube and the late Mpho Sebeng, who featured prominently in the first instalment.
It also sees the introduction of the new “villians” Lebogang Fisher, who plays Charlotte “Charlie” Moloto, alongside her on-screen father, Richard, who is portrayed by Tony Kgoroge.
The suspense drama centres on the prominent Bhengu family and their global beauty empire, Bhengu Beauty.
But a mystery woman, Zinhle Manzini (Zimu), infiltrates the family to avenge the tragic effects of a skin-lightening practice which the Bhengus were responsible for, that disfigured her and killed many of her loved ones.
She becomes the face of the brand while plotting her revenge against the family.
Season two starts with a bang, as guns are pointed and a family tragedy unfolds.
But this doesn’t stop the Bhengus from family in-fighting as the patriarch (Don) and his wife (Grace) battle it out to helm the business.
The rest of the family suffers the consequences of the couple’s internal power struggles, including one of their sons, Phila, played by Suntele.
He transforms in the new season.
“Phila is an eccentric, life-of-the-party kind of guy who never seems to take life too seriously,” the actor told Independent Media Lifestyle.
“That changes a lot in season two because he’s forced to ask himself tough questions.”
And while he is different from his character in the sense that he is more of a “borderline introvert”, Suntele is similar to Phila in how his character develops in the new season.
“In this sense we are similar, I’m also at a time in my life when I sit and wonder about the mark I’m going to leave on this world. What is my definition of a legacy? Most importantly, will I be a net force for good when it's all said and done?”
Suntele, who is also a model, broke into the industry when he won the second season of the BET reality competition series, “Top Actor Africa” in 2016.
He has also had roles in local productions such as “Generations: The Legacy”, “Ashes to Ashes”, “The Queen” and “Rhythm City”.
As he takes centre stage in “Savage Beauty’s” season two, he believes that much like his character has evolved, the show has also raised its game.
“I think season one was largely centred on a strong discussion on skin lightening and the shadowy side of the beauty industry in general, and then I think season two really exposes what we think about words like loyalty, love and success, what they mean to us and what we are willing to sacrifice to keep them.”
Suntele believes the show has been a resounding success because “some things grab people's attention because of the shock value, or because they follow a formula or a trend,” he explained. “But there are some things that you can’t help but love just because they’ve been done so well.
“This show was written and conceptualised with attention to detail, it was shot and edited meticulously, the entire vision was executed with careful precision and it shows.
“Even if this isn’t your kind of genre or show, you can't help but notice the quality.”
As the show continues to garner acclaim, Suntele describes himself as “very happy right now”.
“I just want to see the work we’ve done go out into the world and become what it was meant to be. The show affects people in different ways, it gets someone’s mind running, it gets people talking, it gets someone to feel something, to form opinions, to fall in love with it.”
Suntele also feels blessed to work with such an illustrious cast and crew.
“The professionalism was top tier, the work ethic was incredible to watch, and the sense of friendship also made things run so smoothly,” he said.
“It’s so easy getting a job done when you love what you do, but it’s even easier when the people you’re doing it with are just an amazing group of fun, talented and hard-working individuals.
“Although I think it was a bad idea putting me, Oros (Mampofu) and Angela (Sithole) in a show together ... We couldn’t stop laughing, it was such fun times,” he added.