Pearl Thusi is giving audiences a closer look at her character in Average Joe Season 2, as the South African actress joins the popular series as Phyllis Wabantu.
Thusi is part of the second season of the series, which was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, and premiered globally on Paramount+ on August 19, 2026. Her character, Phyllis, brings a unique presence to the storyline as the drama continues to unfold around Joe Washington and the dangerous world he finds himself caught up in.
For Thusi, Phyllis is not simply a character who exists on the sidelines of the story. She is a sangoma, a spiritual healer and traditional healer, with her own journey and struggles.
Pearl Thusi told more about her character, Phyllis Wabantu. She said, “I play Phyllis and Phyllis is a sangoma. A sangoma is a spiritual healer, traditional healer. If I look at Phyllis, she is by having any form of self-doubt. She’s a villain in her own journey.”
Her description of Phyllis offers an interesting insight into the character and the way Thusi approached the role. Calling Phyllis “a villain in her own journey” suggests that the character has her own complicated path to navigate, rather than simply being defined as a traditional hero or villain.
Phyllis also enters a story where Joe Washington is already facing the consequences of choices that have pulled him deeper into danger.
Thusi also spoke about the character of Joe Washington, who is played by actor and comedian Deon Cole.
Pearl Thusi also said about Joe, “Joe is a villain in his own journey in terms of making the choices he’s making versus chasing the money and chasing the curiosity of finding these drugs or finding this money or the clues that Teddy has left for him that he keeps following.”
Joe Washington is a blue-collar plumber from Pittsburgh who finds himself dragged into a dangerous world after his late father’s secret criminal past catches up with him. In Season 2, streaming on Paramount+, Joe travels to Cape Town, South Africa, with his close friends to face a new threat targeting his family and uncover long-buried secrets about his past.
While Joe’s journey is driven by the mysteries surrounding his family and his late father, Phyllis brings another dimension to the story through her identity as a sangoma and the choices that define her own journey.
With Pearl Thusi taking on the role, Phyllis Wabantu becomes one of the characters to watch in the new season, particularly as audiences discover what drives her and how her path connects to the increasingly dangerous world surrounding Joe.
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