Seven years on from her TV debut on SABC 2’s “Keeping Score”, South African actress Gaosi Raditholo is now growing into a bonafide star. Her latest move is arguably the biggest of her career thus far. After landing a role on the globally syndicated HBO Max acquired martial arts crime drama “Warrior” in 2018, she has now secured a more prominent role on the series’ third season.
“Warrior” is based on the writings of the iconic cultural figure, Bruce Lee, and is set during the Tong Wars which took place in the 1800’s in San Francisco. “Knowing that this show was inspired by the writings of the legendary Bruce Lee was very exciting. I grew up watching his films, so I am truly humbled to be part of such a great project with a compelling story. It’s also a bonus that it puts forward Asian American representation so beautifully.”
Gaosi recalls growing up on a lot of Chinese films. “Some would be dubbed and others wouldn’t but we’d get the essence of the story,” she says. “The visuals and the martial arts were all so intriguing to my siblings, cousins and I that we’d binge watch a lot of these films on tape over the weekends. We’d trade films and sometimes watch and rewatch the same movies over and over again. Chinese films and westerns were a favorite in our family during my childhood.”
In filming “Warrior”, Gaosi had the privilege of working with several talented people. Jonathan Tropper (show creator, showrunner and executive producer) and Shannon Lee (executive producer) were among the central figures who were tasked with bringing to life this concept. “Their attention to detail in storytelling and execution have left an impression on me. Most importantly, their dedication to ensuring that different creative elements came together so immaculately without losing the core message of the story is commendable. I also must add that the casting was great, and working with international and local actors who are so brilliant and disciplined in their craft truly stretched and inspired me in many positive ways as a performer.”
Having started her journey on “Warrior” with a small role, her involvement has since grown gradually. After her character was killed off as per the initial script, the show’s producers felt compelled to bring her back in season two to play a whole other character. “Playing both Nora and Abigail has been an exciting challenge. Nora, who’s Lee’s first love, is killed by his cousins who disapproved of their interracial relationship in the first season. In season two Lee meets Abigail, a bartender who initially swindles him for cash one night when he visits her bar. The two end up developing an attraction to each other despite their initial unpleasant encounter.”
Even though she can’t disclose much about the third season, she says she was super excited to learn that Abigail would return to the third season of the show. “All I can say is the story continues to be a very gripping, thought-provoking and extremely entertaining one. I cannot wait for the viewers to meet Abigail again in the third season.”
