Brian Ogola has been many things. A wandering soul in Kati Kati, the president’s son in The System, a farmer entangled in ivory poaching in Poacher, an ambulance driver racing against time to save an accident victim in 18 Hours, a pathologist in Crime and Justice, a troubled youth in Lusala.
But none of these roles, rich and demanding as they may have been, have pushed him out of his comfort zone like Reagan Mackenzie, his character on Selina, the Swahili telenovela that airs on Showmax and Maisha Magic East. For instance, as Reagan, he’s had to speak fluent Swahili. “Not that I haven’t done shows in Swahili, but I have never featured in any that required me to be fluent to the degree of Selina.”
According to him, the Kenyan film/TV industry is in need of more Swahili content like Selina. “At present, most of our content is in English, or at least those are the ones that are easily accessible to the audience,” he says. “But we can reach newer heights of storytelling with more Swahili and native language content because with these, the content just seems more organic and original.”
With Selina, he’s also had to step into the shoes of other Reagans who have come before him. The character was first played by the late Kone Nouhoum, who Mbeki Mwalimu (Reagan’s wife, Zoe) has described as “the most intense of all the Reagans”. The second actor, Lenana Kariba, carried Reagan with such inconspicuous yet undeniable screen presence. And finally, Ogola, who’s had to come after two fan favourites, but managed to both blend in and yet play Reagan in his own unique way.
“This is such a long-running show, and the character has been played by two other actors, so stepping into the role was nerve-wracking at first,” he says. “But after getting reassurances, not just from the producer but fellow castmates, I eased into it.”
Unlike his predecessors, Kone and Kariba, who preferred their fashion with a bit more colour, Ogola’s Reagan is fond of darker suits, a personal preference for Ogola who’s never had to “look this dapper for a role” as he puts it.
“I’d give credit to our stylist who, it so happens, has worked with me before and knew the types of colours that I liked and what to experiment with when they were doing a new look for Reagan Mackenzie.”
Ogola admits that he generally doesn’t wear suits but Reagan’s fashion is rubbing off on him. “I would never have dressed myself like this in three or four lifetimes, and now, I’m tempted to start doing it.”
It has even made him look forward to his scenes. “There is something about looking good that intrinsically just makes you feel good, and sometimes it takes you dressing up on set to realize that “damn, this guy looks good”, and now you start feeling much better and start looking forward to your scenes.”
Lately, like his fashion sense, Reagan has been sliding further and further into the dark side as he fights for his rightful place in the Mackenzie household. This, according to Ogola, is the perfect inspiration for his portrayal of Reagan as the man he is – “an anti-hero who sometimes really needs a hug.”
“I understand the philosophical implications of the character as far as anti-heroes are concerned,” he says. “Reagan is an anti-hero. There’s something deep in that that I draw inspiration from, the fact that everyone is flawed and Reagan is no different. Sometimes he does things that make you feel that this guy needs a hug but he’s so despicable, and it’s like he doesn’t want to be better.”
Flawed as he is, Reagan would probably not be the scheming man he is without the guiding hand of his wife, the ever ambitious and meddlesome Zoe Mackenzie (Mbeki Mwalimu). Playing a character who’s always in the shadow of his wife is a new dynamic for Ogola, who’s mostly played dominant characters.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always played roles that lead the story but Reagan is different, and I’m really enjoying it because I’m most comfortable in the background even though my demeanour and presence doesn’t make it seem so.”
Ogola describes working with Mbeki as a lot of fun because she always adds some impromptu nuance of drama. “It brings Zoe to life and makes her seem more authentic. Reagan is the Mackenzie but Zoe owns the name.”
Earlier this year, Ogola had to deal with the death of his father, and he’s had to lean on acting and on projects like Selina to help him find some comfort and cope with the loss. “Losing a parent is not something you’d wish on anyone,” he says. “Ever since my father passed, I haven’t really felt like myself unless I’m on set, and that’s a blessing. When it happened, they (the Selina team) treated me like family and made me feel supported. And I’m grateful for it because I feel like I would have spiralled out of control if I didn’t have something like this safe and communal space on set.”
All episodes of Selina S1-6 are available on Showmax.
