'Pepeta' star Brahim Ouma speaks on bringing characters alive

Brahim Ouma is a 21-year-old expressive actor. His work has primarily been in TV commercials and independent films. He is adept in bringing characters to life through voice acting, and is passionate about consistently improving his craft. He has featured on Showmax’s Famous as DJ XXTRA, and has had cameo appearances on shows such as My Two Wives on KTN and Maria on Citizen TV. He is currently the lead actor on Pepeta, a show about the dalliance between football and crime.

1 You are currently starring in your first lead role. How was that for you? What was the audition process like? Were you shocked when you got the part? How did you prepare for it?
Learning about the character was exciting. The challenges he faced while pursuing his dreams were somewhat similar to what I was going through during my audition. There were so many great actors auditioning for the part, and I was honestly afraid of not getting it. Only a few friends reminded me not to doubt my potential. Still, I was shocked when I got the role. I read the script and consulted great directors on their perspective of the character. I also used my personal life experiences and struggles to bring the character to life.

2. You work on Pepeta with so many brilliant actors. How did you feel, being on set with your fellow actors? Did your friendship make the job easier? Who did you personally admire the most on set?
Those actors were helpful, which was humbling, especially because most of them have already done so much for the industry. First and foremost, I am proud to have been on the same set with them. It was like a family, and I think it shows on the screen. The chemistry wasn’t forced. I mostly admired my director, Vincent Mbaya. He always has a way to make complicated scenes much easier to shoot, for both the cast and crew, which is very admirable.