Lead actors Bonko Khoza and Nqobile Khumalo have thanked fans and the creative team as the first season of Showmax’s original series, “Red Ink”, comes to an end.
Taking to Instagram, Khoza wrote: “Just wanted to take this moment to say thank you to all the viewers who came with us on this journey called ‘Red Ink’.
“It was an incredible task that was put before all of us. Thank you Mzansi, thank you so much for accepting the work we did and enjoying and sharing and engaging. It means a lot.”
Known as Napoleon Dingiswayo in the series, he also thanked the production team for trusting him with playing the complex Dingiswayo brothers.
“It was never going to be easy but your support every step of the way was truly so valuable and appreciated.
“@angus__gibson, for ages we wanted to do something together and you always reassured us that it’ll come, and when it does it’ll be just perfect. I’m proud of the work we did and hope it’s only the first of many,” he said.
Khoza also thanked Khumalo for her amazing talent.
“@nunukhumalo thank you for bringing Lucy to life in the most beautiful and captivating way. It was not by any means an easy task but you handled it with so much grace. I will forever be a fan of your work.”
Also grateful, Khumalo said it was a privilege to have worked with such an incredible group of creative powerhouses, cast, and crew, who put in 100% from day one until they were wrapped and beyond.
“Thank you to you all for showing Red Ink so much love. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. To everyone at @bomb_productions, I will forever be grateful for being a part of this. It was unforgettable.
“@makholwamoabelo, thank you for your guidance and generosity throughout the entire process. To my directors, @adzeugah & @zenopetersen thank you for your vision and for keeping the story KING from beginning to end.
“@lj_rice You spun gold out of this and I will never stop thanking you for everything you did.
“@bonkokhoza I am so grateful to have done this with you. You are a phenomenal artist and I pray your future is filled with opportunities to continue sharing your gift with the world,” she wrote.
Based on Angela Makholwa-Moabelo’s best-selling debut novel, “Red Ink” tells the story of a journalist turned publicist, Lucy Khambule, played by Khumalo, who is approached by an imprisoned serial killer to tell his story.
Commenting on what was the most challenging thing about playing the Napoleon character, Khoza said: “It’s the idea of how people will wonder how I’m so comfortable playing this. For some people, even crew members, it got too real and I just wonder what they think of me. ‘Is he also crazy?’”
Khumalo added: “Lucy Khambule has many important relationships in her life. Engaging fully with each of them while maintaining emotional continuity required a lot of focus and required me to always be 100% in the moment with each character.”
Besides the two, the spine-chilling eight-part thriller also stars amazing talents like Bongile Mantsai, Lorcia Cooper, Yonda Thomas, Jo-Anne Reyneke, Kwenzo Ngcobo, Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku and Abdul Khoza.
When the show launched, Makholwa-Moabelo, who is also an executive producer and co-writer on the show, said: “The fear from an author normally stems from having to let go of something that you have birthed and nurtured.
“Any book is a labour of love for a writer, so handing it over to somebody else to translate into a different medium will always be nerve-racking.
“But I’m excited. There’s less trepidation on my side than you’d expect. It’s been a great pleasure because I’ve been in the writers’ room.”