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Cape Town - We first got to know him as Isidingo’s Stewart Buller back in 1998.
Later he presented Idols SA for a while and played the lead in local rugby movie Number 10.
Now he features in Emirates airlines’ latest ad – the handsome passenger who watches Emirates air hostesses perform a variety of dances in an on-board music video is our very own Colin Moss.
“The ad was filmed in Dubai last year,” Colin (43) tells us. The director was none other than Michael Gracey, who directed award-winning musical The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams and Zac Efron.
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“It was incredible working with him,” says Colin, who now lives in New York with his wife, Tamarin Kaplan-Moss.
“We divide our time between New York and Cape Town. Living in New York is a huge culture shock – the lifestyle, the hectic pace and each day’s hustle can be quite challenging. But the inspiration and opportunities the city offers makes it all worthwhile,” he says. “That city has an energy you won’t find anywhere else.”
But he and Tamarin, a freelance director, try to come “home” often. “We come home every year, sometimes for months at a time – it depends on our work. The film industry demands a nomadic lifestyle,” Colin explains.
They’ll never leave South Africa for good, he says. “Eventually, the dream is to work all over the world and live where we want. And when all is said and done, there’s no place like home.”
And when they get homesick, there’s always rooibos tea or chutney. “There’s very little you can’t get in New York these days – rooibos tea and Mrs Ball’s chutney at your local Fairway Market, and South African chocolate and cooldrink from speciality South African shops. American chocolate tastes like plastic!”
He says he often has cravings for Stoney Ginger Beer and Appletiser. “But I miss my family and friends in South Africa most. And the mild weather. New York is either freezing cold as the Arctic or hot and humid as the jungles of Borneo.”
The biggest challenge of moving to America in 2015 was having to start from scratch. “When I first arrived in New York, I couldn’t even get an appointment with an agent. I was lucky enough to get a part in a Marvel series [Jessica Jones] and since then doors have been opening.”
Getting an acting foot in the door in New York was incredibly difficult, Colin says. “It took quite a few years and hundreds of auditions to get to know the agents and persuade them to trust my work. The competition in New York is extremely tough – you’re up against the greatest talent from all over the world.”
That’s why he spends most of his time pounding pavements and riding the subway. “I’m just trying to get to my next appointment on time.”
Colin is in the independent movie Then Came You, which was just released in the US. The movie stars Maisie Williams (aka Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark), Nina Dobrev (best known for The Vampire Diaries) and Asa Butterfield (The Space Between Us).
And later this year he can be seen on Netflix in the movie Christmas in the Wild with Rob Lowe and Kristin Davis.
“I also appear in [series] Black Mirror and Jessica Jones on Netflix, and The Deuce on HBO.”
When they’re not working, he and Tamarin enjoy exploring New York.
“We spend a lot of time in the incredible museums here and go exploring different parts of the city. We often attend free concerts in the park and enjoy discovering new talent in the jazz clubs of the West Village. There’s always something to do in the Big Apple.”
Pictures: Supplied
