US-based Zimbabwean actor lends role in new movie

LOS ANGELES-BASED Zimbabwean actor Rick Cosnett says he has landed a role in the forthcoming movie titled Go To The Moon which will start filming next month.

Cosnett is popularly known for his performance as Eddie Thawne in the American superhero television series The CW's The Flash "The Flash," Wes Maxfield in The Vampire Diaries and Elias Harper in Quantico.

In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, the Chegutu-bred Cosnett said despite Go To The Moon being a small movie, he was proud to be part of the cast.

"Well I am filming it in March, it's a small role, not a big film either, but it's set in the 1960s and follows the first female software engineer and her integral part in the NASA Apollo missions to the moon," he said.

Cosnett said growing up, his family wanted him to do music although he opted to be an actor.

"I wanted to be an actor from about eight years, but if I think back it really started long before then, I just didn't know it could be a job you could do. My family encouraged music in me and I really fell in love with the theatre at about three when I would watch my parents in rehearsal in musicals at the Campbell Theatre in Kadoma," he said.

"They (parents) supported my very strong ideas of being an actor and encouraged strong goals, but they really wanted to steer me towards a more stable career, especially law, but I was adamant to follow my heart. It definitely has not been stable, but it's been an adventure so far with the good and the bad."

Cosnett said growing up in Chegutu and later landing the role of Eddie Thawne in The CW's The Flash "The Flash series was the greatest highlight of his career.

"From Chegutu and being able to create the character or Eddie Thawne from the very beginning of our version of The Flash was so special, to create the world with the other actors and all the creatives involved from the sets to the writing to the costumes, was one of the most thrilling times of my whole career," he said.

The soft-spoken actor, whose voice has been deemed one of the best in the Hollywood movie industry, said being a celebrity required one to cope with the ups and downs to reach the destination.

"I don't think I am famous enough to have to think about it too often. I would rather be doing the work of acting which I love so much and go relatively unrecognised because I had a taste of it. I can imagine it would be very sad if people can't be themselves around you or always feel pressured or to not see you, but see a projection of something when they see or talk to you," he said.

"What you want as an actor is consistent work which so rarely happens that you want to do anything to keep that flowing in. To be honest with me one year I am up and the next I am down so I have had no choice really, but to have to keep it very real."

Cosnett said he was working towards launching own a clothing label to be named after his role as Wes Maxfifield in Vampire Diaries.

In dealing with rogue fans who throw themselves at him, Cosnett said he used to be shy and worried, but now had grown to appreciate fans.

"There was this girl when I first became known who got my initials tattooed onto her and she tried to reach out through social media and I was so terrified to validate her choice because I felt so responsible and thought everyone would be tattooing themselves," he said.

"I wish I could find her now and tell her how honoured I am that she did that and I don't know why I was afraid, if that makes her feel good and she is inspired by me then I am in turn inspired by her. I had too many old voices in my head then."