US actor Malik Yoba will shake things up in the new season of Kings of Jo'burg as Connie Ferguson’s love interest.

The 57-year-old, known for his acting credits in New York Undercover, First Wives Club, Why Did I Get Married? and Empire will attend the premiere of the Netflix series in Johannesburg on Friday.

In an exclusive interview, Yoba tells Sowetan of his love for SA, his respect for local actors, what to expect from the new season and more:

I’m always happy to be back in SA. I started watching the show when it came out a few years ago. It was rare to see a South African show hit my screen in New York, thanks to Netflix. My good friend, Samad Davis, who I was with last year at the Joburg Film Festival told me they had a role he thought I could do. He asked if I could come back to SA and spend three weeks in Cape Town – he didn’t even need to twist my arm.

I’ve also never filmed anything in Africa. I’ve filmed in Asia, Europe, Canada, the Caribbean and obviously the States. 

When you get to film on location and you’re there for weeks or months, you get to immerse yourself with the culture – something that I truly love. You get to go to the restaurants or cafes and you are able to build a little bit of a life where you feel like you’re a part of the working population.

It was great working with South African actors. They are really talented people. From Connie to Clint [Brink], the whole cast is a great group of actors who are committed to the craft. It was incredible to see the level of commitment.

I don’t know how much I’m supposed to share, but Connie was great to work with. In this season, her character is trying to escape her reality by moving to America. My character, Isador, is American not South African, and while Connie’s character tries to start a new life and family in the States, some things happen that ultimately bring her back to SA. So, I come basically to fight for my woman. I’ll leave it there.

All I can say is that we’re definitely a couple. You’ll have to watch and see.

It was a pleasure and an honour. She’s been in the business for decades. She’s also really sweet, very kind and strong. Connie is the real deal. There's no difference working with actors here and other great actors I’ve worked with across the world. There's a saying that goes: “Hollywood is a state of mind, it’s not a location”.

I can’t say this role stretched me from a character perspective as I’ve trod familiar ground before. See, had I played a South African, I’d say it would’ve been more of a stretch. Eventually, I’d like to be able to play with the accent, which would be nice. I don’t know which one it would be because my answer is always different every time someone asks me.

You are passionate about real estate. Take us through connecting with SA tech-driven company FracProp.

I’ve always been an entrepreneur, I’ve had numerous business endeavours over the years. I got into real estate development 20 years ago in the States. My very first trip to SA and Ethiopia was in 1996, and when I first came here [to SA], I wished that I was more business-oriented because there were things I saw here that I knew I could build a business around.

Housing wasn’t on my radar at the time, but women in haircare were big at the time. Throughout the years, I’ve always been interested in ownership for people who have been left out of the equation. Equity for Africans throughout the diaspora has been [pivotal for me].