Bonnie Mbuli bags meaty role in US series ‘The Driver’

Bonnie Mbuli. Picture: Supplied

Bonnie Mbuli. Picture: Supplied

Published Aug 2, 2022

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South African actress and TV host Bonnie Mbuli has established her name as a global brand.

The Soweto-born star recently bagged a role in the upcoming American drama series “The Driver”, a remake of the British series, set to launch in 2023.

According to Deadline, Mbuli has been cast as a series regular opposite “Better Call Saul” actor Giancarlo Esposito and “The Hunger Games” star Paula Malcomson.

Created by Danny Brocklehurst and Sunu Gonera, the show stars Esposito as Vince, a taxi driver whose life is turned upside down when he agrees to chauffeur a New Orleans-based Zimbabwean gangster The Horse, played by British-Nigerian actor Zackary Momoh.

The Horse is a man notorious for exploiting undocumented immigrants at the US southern ports.

The series will see Mbuli take on the role of Shamiso Tongai, the clever older sister of The Horse.

She is wary of strangers and protective of her family’s surgery, which she is deeply involved in with a voice that grows more powerful as the story progresses.

The show will be executive produced by a few people including Esposito, Gonera an, Brocklehurst.

Taking to her social media pages the “Noughts + Crosses” star shared the exciting news with her followers. She wrote: “So… I got the job”.

Fans, industry friends and colleagues including Thuso Mbedu, Terry Pheto, Siv Ngesi, Langley Kirkwood and Penny Lebyane congratulated the star on her new international gig.

Meanwhile, Mbuli recently launched her jewellery collection, “Bon Ami,” to raise awareness about mental health.

“Mental health has been the cause that makes my heart beat because I know that without a healthy mind, living your life as the best version of yourself can become quite tough or near impossible, now more than ever in the world.

“People are finding it even more difficult to feel mentally whole and well,” Mbuli told IOL Entertainment.

Each piece which includes pendant necklaces, anklets and gold rings, comes with a message.

“I’ve found that one of the most important things to pay attention to is how one regards oneself and speaks of oneself. The messages on the pieces act as a reminder to treat yourself with a healthier mindset and positive self-speak.

“Affirmations for me are the first step in owning the realisation that we have the power to build and break our lives with our words. Speaking the things you believe about yourself is the first step to true transformation.

“What we think and speak is what we become. Words carry energy so it’s literally like wearing your affirmations,” added Mbuli.