Loyiso McDonald speaks on life after leaving The Queen

He recently left Mzansi Magic telenovela The Queen after five years of playing the son of a drug-dealing mogul.

Loyiso McDonald (35) believed it was time to pursue new ventures and explore different avenues in his acting career.

“I felt it was the right time to leave. I had been there for five years, which is the longest I had spent at any production,” he said.

“I left without a job or a plan. I just needed a change. I’m a freelancer and was just waiting for the next best role and take it from there,” Loyiso says.

Lucky for him, straight after The Queen, he was cast for theatre production Dusk, showing at The Market Theatre written by Mark Scheepers and directed by Palesa Mazamisa.

“I was fortunate enough to not wait too long before getting work,” he says.

On Dusk, Loyiso plays Kgotso (KG) who left his farm life in Limpopo to study medicine in Johannesburg but returns to the farm after a tragedy strikes.

“Kgotso grew up on a farm, his parents were farmworkers. Michelle Douglas, who plays Tessa, loses her family in the murder and she is shot but survives. So, Kgotso goes back to the farm to find out what happened,” Loyiso says.

The show sees Kgotso and Tessa interact to try to solve, decipher and come to terms with the murder.

“Tessa’s brother who dies was Kgotso’s best friend and the murder affected him badly,” he says. Tessa grapples with paranoia, psychosis, and mental illness.

“Kgotso grew up on a farm, his parents were farmworkers. Michelle Douglas, who plays Tessa, loses her family in the murder and she is shot but survives. So, Kgotso goes back to the farm to find out what happened,” Loyiso says.

The show sees Kgotso and Tessa interact to try to solve, decipher and come to terms with the murder.

“Tessa’s brother who dies was Kgotso’s best friend and the murder affected him badly,” he says. Tessa grapples with paranoia, psychosis, and mental illness.