ou can always count on Nomzamo Mbatha to keep you on the edge of your seat. Three years after her first international breakout role in Eddie Murphy’s “Coming 2 America,” she takes the lead in the sci-fi thriller “Assassin,” sharing the screen with the legendary Bruce Willis in his final role.

Her diverse roles include the long-running hit drama “Isibaya,” the award-winning film “Tell Me Sweet Something,” and South Africa’s most Googled TV show last year, “Shaka iLembe,” as Queen Nandi, where she also served as the executive producer.

With “Assassin” premiering on Showmax on Monday, 13 May, Xabiso Ngqabe sat down with the Durban-born SAFTA and Africa Movie Academy Award nominee to find out more.

What drew you to the role of Alexa in Assassin?

“I loved the idea of delving into the thriller and sci-fi genres because I haven’t had the chance to explore them before. When I got the opportunity to sit down with the director after completing all the auditions, we realized that with sci-fi, thriller, and action, there’s a lot of emotion and heart involved. I really wanted to portray a complex character who also experiences surprise in the end. But more than anything, I wanted to challenge myself in a different genre, to add sci-fi thrillers to the list of films and projects I’ve accomplished.”

Tell us more about the role you’re playing.

“Alexa is courageous. She’s a woman who has been mourning because her lover has died, and she hasn’t been able to find the right answers. She is not afraid to go to the very end to get the answers that she needs. As the story unfolds, we witness her pursuit of truth and justice while exploring the depths of her love for him and their shared experiences. As a character, she grapples with risking her life and the daunting prospect of uncovering the truth. Despite initial hesitations, she ultimately finds herself compelled to face the truth head-on and see the mission through to the end.”

Your character goes through a lot. How did you bring that emotional weight to the character?

“For me, it was the idea of grief, but not grieving for someone who has left the earth, but rather for someone who still has a chance to come back to me. Also, my character is trying to balance between the grief and worrying about whether I have lost him forever. But there’s also the complexity of hope – the hope that he will get better, that he will come back to me, that I will find the answers and hold the people who have put him in this state accountable. Little do we know that she’s the one who gets the biggest surprise in the end.”

How important is it to see Black women diving into sci-fi roles like your role in Assassin?

“The more of us there are, the better because then we break the mold of old Hollywood that says Black people can’t be in sci-fi or that Black people don’t fit well into those kinds of roles. It was very important to be a representation of something that breaks the mold, and I think we continue to be in the conversation to be considered for those kinds of roles.”

What are some of the prominent themes in the film?

“The themes of strong and courageous women, identity, love, and scientific exploration are prominent in the film because we incorporate human drones. What does that even look like to be a human drone? It implies transforming into something otherworldly and being able to tap into different realms and times.”

Nomzamo Mbatha’s role in “Assassin” promises to captivate audiences and push boundaries in the world of sci-fi cinema. Get ready to be thrilled and inspired when “Assassin” premieres on Showmax on Monday, 13 May.