‘Nat ‘Junior’ Singo has a longer CV than most 21-year-olds.  Nat started acting at the tender age of 12 and went on to win Best Newcomer at the Monaco International Film Festival and Best Actor at The Newport Beach Film Festival in California for his lead performance as Musa in David Hickson’s award-winning 2003 feature film Beat the Drum. He also starred in Ntshaveni Wa Luruli’s The Wooden Camera, which won The Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2004.

Nat also acted in John Boorman’s Country of my skull opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche, but his scenes were deleted from the final cut.

He recently appeared on the big screen in the lead role of Themba: A Boy Called Hope, directed by Pretoria-born Stefanie Sycholt. The film won The Unicef Child Rights Award at the 2010 Zanzibar International Film Festival recently.

Themba is the zero-to-hero story of a young man growing up in the rural Eastern Cape who has a talent for soccer, but has numerous challenges to overcome before he can pursue his dream.

Nat describes working with Stefanie as a dream come true. “I’ve never been so into a role before and it’s all thanks to her,” he says. “She really makes an effort to interact with her cast, which was a first for me, and I’ve been doing this for 12 years now.”

Nat also plays the role of Themba Manyani in Hopeville, the feature film version of the Rose d’Or nominated SABC television series. Hopeville, which was released on 3 September 2010. It also stars Terry Pheto (Tsotsi), Desmond Dube (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency), Fana Mokoena (The Lab) and Themba Ndaba (Soul City). 

Nat never intended to pursue acting, but insists the career chose him. “I’m good at it, but I also do it because I love it,” he says. “I love telling other people’s stories, especially real stories, which I have a deep respect for.”

Other film roles include Red Dust, directed by Tom Hooper (2004) and starring Hilary Swank, and The Trail, directed by Eric Valli (2006), while he’s also starred in the television series Heartlines, Zone 14 and 4Play: Sex Tips for Girls.

Nat says his plate is full of projects at the moment, although he wouldn’t say no to another feature film.

What you might not know about the actor is that he has a love of music production, so he can often be found in the recording studio, hard at work.

Watch the trailers for Themba - A Boy Called Hope and Hopeville.
Sally Fink