Sdumo Mtshali is making sure the spotlight lands where it belongs.
The actor, known for playing the scheming patriarch Jonasi Gomora on Netflix’s runaway hit The Polygamist, has praised the special effects makeup crew behind his character’s on-screen physical collapse. In the series, Jonasi shifts from looking healthy to appearing visibly worn down, and Mtshali credits the transformation process for helping bring that decline to life.
Posting on social media, Mtshali explained how the makeup artistry influenced his acting choices and performance approach.
“As an Actor, the physical transformation of the character I play helps me to embody the character in a deeper, authentic, truthful way. Shout-out to the incredible special effects Makeup team, led by @nicolaroodt1, for creating all the prosthetics and makeup effects that showed ‘Jonasi’s’ gradual health failure and demise,” he wrote.
The Polygamist keeps gathering momentum
Mtshali’s acknowledgment comes as The Polygamist continues to surge in public conversation at home and internationally. The drama premiered on Netflix on 12 June, and the 22-episode supernovela—based on Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi’s book of the same name—has climbed to number two globally on the streaming service.
Internationally, the show also reached the top spot in 16 countries and landed in top 10 lists across 63 territories, including the United States.
The story behind the mansion-level drama
Produced by Stained Glass Productions, the series centers on Jonasi, a self-made CEO whose empire and complicated web of relationships begin to unravel. As the pressure builds, his wife Joyce (played by Gugu Gumede) and the other women connected to him reveal the truth hidden behind his rise.
The ensemble cast also features Kenneth Nkosi, Sthandiwe Kgoroge, Kwanele Mthethwa, Celeste Ntuli, and Luyanda Zwane.
Mtshali’s path to Jonasi
Mtshali is a Durban University of Technology graduate who first gained major attention after winning SABC1’s Class Act in 2010. Since then, he has appeared in Intersexions, Isibaya, and Rhythm City, as well as in the Netflix movie Marked.
His performance as Jonasi has been widely described as a defining career moment. Previously, Mtshali said he approached the role by thinking about how he wanted audiences to see the character—“not to celebrate.”
