SA actors talk about nudity as TV shows ramp up sex scenes

There is an overwhelming uptick in nudes on local TV, with shows Shaka iLembe, The Black Door, The Wife, Fatal Seduction and Adulting ushering this unstoppable taboo shift on the small screen.

Actors including Nomzamo Mbatha, Thembinkosi Mthembu, Khanyi Mbau, Zamani Mbatha, Dippy Padi, Kwenzo Ngcobo and Mondli Makhoba have flashed flesh on the small screen in the past year.

Local TV is naked more than ever. We are in the “golden era” of butts in your face and boobs in the open.

Some television viewers have expressed outrage but what’s going to happen when Hollywood’s new obsession with full frontal nudity trickles down to Mzansi? Penile nudity is on the rise on American television, as seen in shows such as  Euphoria, Swarm, Game of Thrones and The White Lotus.

“One of my first jobs was when I was 19 and played a prostitute. In the scene I was partially naked, wearing a boob tube and little shorts. In the scene I was getting out of bed and started to get dressed,” Matidze said.

“The director said to me they prefer that I take off my boob tube, which means my breasts will be exposed. I felt alone on set. This was never discussed with me beforehand and it was not part of the agreement. 

“I didn’t know what to do, so I asked to speak to my agent first and my request didn’t go down well with the director. I came back and said to the director I couldn’t do it and they said good luck to me getting other roles. Nobody was there talking on my behalf or making me feel comfortable and I felt my job was compromised.”

Consent from the actor throughout is paramount. Matidze said it starts in the casting process. She said when the casting brief was sent out for Adulting it disclosed the amount of sexual content. Matidze said when shooting, nothing is real and everything is simulated.

“I would have a conversation with the director to find out what their vision is, and then with the actors. We would go through a nudity and intimacy checklist where we ask specific questions, like are they comfortable being touched on the shoulder, are they comfortable revealing a side breast 

“We can shoot it in a way where if they [actors] are not comfortable with revealing the nipple, we can shoot the side breast and cover the nipple because that implies nudity.

“But if there is no other way we can make it comfortable and still get the director’s vision, then we may have to shoot another day or get a body double. We can only use a body double in respect of the actor's consent.”

Luthando “BU” Mthembu, who also had some steamy scenes in Adulting, spoke of his experience, as a man. He said he is also excited that local filmmaking is exploring nudity  in the name of art.

“It’s quite sad that our progression is only coming at a later stage, whereas the rest of the world has made peace with nudity,” he said.

However, he said it has to make sense in the storyline.

“I plan to explore as an actor but in a more tasteful manner. I won’t always be doing nude or sex scenes. I don’t want to fall into the notion of being typecast as a nudity type of actor.”

Mthembu said while it is used as an art form, it is also used to bait viewers into tuning in. He said some sets he has been on haven’t always prioritised the wellbeing of actors in these scenes. 

“The rise in nudity on our screen comes from people’s curiosity and the element that ‘sex sells’. At the end of the day, it’s a numbers game that can benefit the producers.

“I’ve been in quite a few productions where I felt very safe, and in some I didn’t. In spite of this, I’ve always made sure to make myself as comfortable as possible to do what I have to do with my partner regardless of the setting.”