Luthando BU Mthembu on Vuyani’s life shift in Adulting S3

Former Big Brother Mzansi contestant Luthando BU Mthembu has made a name for himself playing the charming Vuyani in the Showmax Original series Adulting.

With Adulting S3 now streaming on Showmax, Vuyani steps into his role as a club owner. The new season raises the stakes as the gents confront their deepest fears and desires while striving to keep their friendship intact.

Watch the trailer for Adulting S3

Xabiso Ngqabe chats with BU to unpack the drama, intimacy scenes and what viewers can expect from the third and final season.

In Season 2, we saw Vuyani make an effort to turn his life around. How has he evolved in S3?

Vuyani’s vice lies in his love for women. Despite being a young, healthy, intelligent, and well-grounded individual, he still struggles with unemployment. What stands out about him is his ability to leverage his strengths to navigate life and achieve his goals. Without giving too much away, I can say he steps up significantly this season. I’ll leave it there to avoid spoilers!

What do you think has contributed to the success of the show?

I think it’s because everybody brought something to the table. It’s about everyone coming together to play their respective roles. I have to give credit to the casting director and the entire team for allowing everyone to contribute their unique talents. They really encouraged creativity. For example, I make music, and in Season 1, my music was featured on the show. I’m even hoping my new tracks, which I just released, make it into Season 3. And that scene everyone loved, where Vuyani did a handstand – that’s actually one of my yoga poses, and I incorporated it into a sex scene.

Viewers often tend to believe that actors are the same as the characters they play. Do people associate you with Vuyani in real life?

I think it’s a matter of education. When you portray a character really well, people can become so convinced that they can’t see beyond what they’re watching. For instance, they’ve seen my character do a frog jump with Thembi Seete’s character, and now they think that’s who I am. That’s the scary part for us as actors – people tend to hold on to moments like that. But it’s all part of the job. It just means I played the role really well and made it believable.

Speaking of intimacy scenes, your scenes with actress Thembi Seete broke the internet last season. How does trust between co-stars factor into the performance?

I believe it’s important to understand people and recognise that everyone is vulnerable. When it comes to sex scenes, even I felt uncomfortable at first. I remember my very first sex scene was with Rosemary Zimu on Ayeye: Stripped. She guided me through that scene, and what I took away from that experience was a sense of ubuntu.

In Adulting, we have intimacy coaches, which helps a lot. I’ve also observed Thembi Seete and tried to apply the skills I’ve gained through life to make the space as comfortable as possible. I approach these scenes with the intention of staying true to the purpose of the scene and contributing to what we’re trying to create for the show.

From the handstand in Season 1 with Beth (Winnie Ntshaba) to the frog-jump in Season 2 with Portia (Thembi Seete), I can’t help but wonder what Season 3 has in store for us.

People will just have to wait and see. I’m excited to watch it myself! But I’m even more excited about my emotional scenes. I think we’ve seen everyone else show vulnerability, except for Vuyani and Mpho – though Mpho was going through a lot from the very beginning. This season, we’ll get to see Vuyani shed a tear, and viewers will really feel what he’s going through.

Bonga and Vuyani have a complex relationship. Do you think Bonga is too hard on Vuyani or maybe feels envy because he sees himself in him?

Bonga and Vuyani constantly challenge each other. Vuyani often calls Bonga out, like when he points out how having money has changed him. And it’s true: Bonga did leave them in Season 2 to hang out with other friends. At the same time, Bonga frequently criticises Vuyani for sleeping with older women because he knows his friend has potential. Bonga believes Vuyani is capable of so much more but chooses the easy way out. That honesty is what makes their dynamic so real.

In episode 6 of Season 2, Vuyani uses his teeth to remove a g-string during a scene.

That’s my favourite scene! Fun fact: I’ve only been aroused twice on the show. The first time was the kiss at Konka, which is weird because it was just a kiss. The second time was during that scene, though I didn’t feel aroused while shooting it – only when I watched it. This is the edited version, so it’s cleaner. Using my teeth was my idea, but I had to ask for permission.

While you wait for Season 3, binge the first two seasons of Adulting, which made it onto the list of the 10 most streamed titles of 2024 on Showmax.