Arnold Vosloo made his mark in films and series not only in his native South Africa but also in Hollywood, and often, as a villain. Unsurprisingly, when asked which character was his favorite to play on screen, he says: “The role I enjoyed playing the most in my career was two and a half years ago… I came back to South Af- rica for a Netflix production called Ludik. I just loved the part of Daan Ludik because it was so uncompromising,” he tells FORBES AFRICA.
“Here was this family guy trying to hold things together, running a business empire but smuggling diamonds on the side; he has family issues and a religious father. It was just the to- tal package. I thought it was very well-written, the part was especially great, and I just had the best time. It was on Netflix, which meant it was seen all over the world.”
Vosloo, who says there really wasn’t a Plan B and that acting was always what he was go- ing to do, has well over 80 filmography credits to his name between 1982 and 2024.
Throughout his career, there have been highlights he can recount.
“They were moments I was acutely aware of… number one, when I worked on Broadway in New York City in a production called Salome, Oscar Wilde’s Salome. I was cast as John the Baptist, and the star of the show was Al Pacino. It just doesn’t get any better than that – to be on Broadway in a big production, and Al Pacino is the star… I’ll never forget it. It was an amazing few months, not just because of the work and watching him on stage, but especially for the rehearsal period; he really taught me a lot because he was so ‘all-in’ on the rehearsals,” Vosloo recalls.
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“In terms of film, it’s got to be The Mummy movies. They’re be- loved… in fact, it’s the 25th anniversary; I know it’s screening again all over the world. That was an amazing experience. It was just so cool – at the time I was in Los Angeles, I was driving down Sunset Boulevard and see these big billboards and it would say The Mummy and my name was on the post. It was a cool moment.”
“The third sort of ‘aha’ moment was when I was doing 24 – a television series. I was asked to come on just for an episode or two and then the producers liked what I did. They asked me to stay on for the whole season. I knew of the show, but I just didn’t know it was as big as it was. It was all over the world and with its kind of innate fan base,” he adds.
Having worked hard on many memorable and beautiful locations and film sets, including in Costa Rica and Morocco, which is actually where a lot of the outdoor scenes for The Mummy were shot, Vosloo admits that walking is his favorite way to de-stress.
“I’m not a big gym guy – I went to the gym especially when I was younger because I had to. But that’s the cool thing about being on these locations – Paris, London or New York… I’ll just go walk in these great cities, you know. And it’s just such a luxury. Walking has been my church, as an artist and as a person.”
Since getting back in South Africa, Vosloo has done several projects, including two productions, back-to-back, in Cape Town.
Despite being 62, he says his current plans are to continue working for authentic South African stories here, as well as American films, if the opportunities present themselves.
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