DARRYL

Mince pies, mulled wine, Quality Street all go hand in hand with Christmas . And then there are the Christmas movies ; The Holiday, E.T and Home Alone but let be honest, as much as we love these staples we’ve done them to death so we were a little excited at Blowout when we went along to the screening of the new Christmas ‘kid on the block’, ‘A Christmas No. 1’ , and we were so impressed with Darryl Mundoma’s performance in the film that we just had to spend a day with him, hanging, shooting, laughing and getting to know him! Here’s how it went…

Hey Darryl, tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re up to now?

I’m a Zimbabwean actor from Dudley in the West Midlands, I’m an avid creator who is passionate about faith, motivation and the performing arts sector. I am currently on a deserving break for the Christmas holidays after just finishing shooting for a major Apple Limited TV series as-well as sharing the release of the new possible Christmas Classic ‘A Christmas No.1’ available on Sky Tv now.

Tell us about the film “ A Christmas No 1, and about your role.

A Christmas no.1 is about a young girl, Nina, (5 together’s biggest fan) who desperately wants her Uncle Blake to find love and for his song to hit the number 1 spot by Christmas Day. I play the role of Jarel , who is a member of the band & we compete against Blake’s band for the Christmas No.1, using his song.

How did you end up acting and how did you land the role in A Christmas no 1 ?

Since the age of 10, I would go to auditions and then at 16 I decided to to study Acting at BOA. A Performing arts school in Birmingham. I auditioned through self tape and making my own homemade music video and the rest was history.

What's your dream role?

I wouldn’t say I have a dream role however my aim in a role is to create a character which is impactful and has the ability to resonate with people and hopefully provoke thoughts and emotions never experienced.

What's your favourite quote and why?

‘What’s crazy in one season will be counted as faith in another’.. this was said by pastor Mike Todd who is the Senior Pastor of Transformation Church. The reason I really connected with this quote is because the idea of becoming an actor when I was younger seemed really far fetched however this quote reminds me that no goal is impossible to reach as long as I have faith.

What's your favourite memory and why?

I have many but one specifically is when I was able to take my grandad to the emirates stadium tour at age 13, after winning a 2014 World Cup draw, he had been a arsenal fan for years but had never been inside the stadium. Despite Arsenal being a rival club, seeing the joy on his face filled my heart with warmth and was most definitely one of the best days ever.

Best advise you've ever been given?

My mom would always say “don’t listen to respond, listen to understand because if you listen to respond you won’t have time to understand what the other person is saying”

One item you can't live without?

Socks! I hate walking around barefoot as I feel like my feet are getting dirty.

What was the last book you read and film you saw that you found Inspiring?

Ikigai ‘the Japanese secret to a long and happy life’ by Hector Garcia and Frances Miralles, as I find Japanese culture interesting due to the constant innovation and undisputed authenticity shown throughout their food, anime, clothes and technology. Also, the ideology of finding peace is interesting and this book is a perfect blend of that. Knowing your direction of purpose that makes your life worth living and this inspires me as a creative.

The Green mile is such an inspirational film because despite the hardships and constant life deprivations that the character John endured he still remained true to himself with a pure heart and treated people respectfully regardless of how they treated him and I believe that’s a honourable trait and has inspired me to remain true to myself no matter what.

Where are you in 10 years?

Although the future is in God’s hands I hope that I will be continuing to better myself as a human, as an artist and growing in my faith, sharing my successes and endeavours with my family, friends and hopefully a family of my own.

What's next?

After a successful and ever blessing debuting year, my aim in 2022 is to be better than this year, venturing into new territories; one of those being a theatre show but also new tv and film projects that will impact and entertain audiences.

A Christmas No.1’ available on Sky Tv now. Dont miss it! Blowout absolutely loved this film!

Follow Darryl on @dazzzym

Photographed by Erica Bergsmeds

Styled by Kumari George @kumariigeorgee