I wanted to profile Lemogang Tsipa because he has an unusual name, which I keep confusing with Lemongrab from Adventure Time (it actually means "Recognition" in Tswana).
Basic bio: Lemogang was born in 1991 in Empangani, South Africa (about two hours from Durban). His father is Pedi and his mother Tswana, so he grew up multilingual, fluent in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, and Tswana.
At age nine, he was diagnosed with ADHD, but he was able to channel his energy into chess, swimming, soccer, hockey -- and dramatics. He graduated from Grantleigh College, a boarding school in Richards Bay, and the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance (BFA, 2012).
Lemogang's film debut came in the South African Felix (2013), and his first international film was Alien Outpost (2014), about the aftermath of an alien invasion.
More international film roles followed:
He played Addo in the contemporary adaption of Roots (2016), with Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte and Rege-Jean Page (left) as Chicken George
Phedon in the Stephen King fantasy The Dark Tower (2017), starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey (left)
Patroklus, lover of Achilles, in Troy: Fall of a City (2017).
But most of Lemogang's work has been in South Africa:
Amandla (2022), featuring two brothers (Lemogang, Thabo Rametsi) on opposite sides of the law.
Blood Psalms (2022) is set 11,000 years ago, shortly after the House of Kemet fled the destruction of Atlantis and settled in Africa. While the Five Tribes gather to celebrate the politically-motivated wedding of King Letsha (Mothusi Magano), his daughter, Princess Zazi, becomes pregnant with a baby whose birth will fortell the End of Days.
There are also various scheming pretenders to the throne, sorcerers, orphans with disputed parentage, and hangers-on hiding terrible secrets.
More after the break. Caution: Explicit.