Magabane takes a swipe at ‘yellow bone’ actors
ALEXANDRA - Popular actor, Mavuso Magabane, formerly known as Meshack Mavuso of Isidingo fame, has taken a swipe at the notion of 'yellow bone' actors who are cast solely because of their looks and light skin.
There is a fashionable phenomenon that is doing rounds within the black community and that is the desire for a light skin. If you’re light-skinned these days you’re commonly referred to as a yellow bone, and many female actors are now being cast in various roles solely because of their lighter skin tones.
“Most of these actors fail in their roles because they were not cast for what they have to offer, but simply because of the lighter colour of their skin, and producers seem to think they will draw audiences based on that,” Magabane said.
“This has tended to produce, what I call, celebrity actors who know nothing; and their acting skills and abilities have made a mockery of the industry and have disgraced all of us because of their poor showing.”
He was speaking in an exclusive interview with Alex News during the launch of the new e.tv drama series, Heist, which was shot in Alexandra and in which he plays the role of a cop in this action-packed series.
“We’re tired of actors who break into the stage solely because of their lighter skins and eventually allow fame to get the better of them, and then become big-headed and think they know it all and that it’s them or nothing in the theatre world.
“As established actors, we want to start our own company that will churn out real actors and people with talent… and not simply because of their light skin colour,” Magabane said without wanting to single out any such yellow bone actors.
Alex-born Magabane who jokingly said he lives in Alex and sleeps in Midrand, described Alexandra as a library full of a wealth of stories and said it was up to actors and writers in the theatre fraternity to choose a book from the Alex library and coin their stories.
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