Inathi Rozani joined the cast of Waterloo Road in 2023 as regular character Zayne Jackson, working with his on-screen family – brother Dwayne (Thapelo Ray), and his foster parents Joe Casey (James Baxter) and Mike Rutherford (Ryan Clayton). In 2021, Inathi booked his first recurring screen role when he played Wilf in Series 1 of the CBeebies show Biff & Chip, and in 2018, at the age of six, he had a guest role in Casualty as Elijah Faulks. Having filmed a number of commercials, last year, Inathi was part of the LEGO commercial with Jane Lynch, and he has been an interviewer for the Obi-Wan Kenobi press junket, for which he interviewed Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Continuing with his acting, Inathi has just finished working on an unannounced feature film with A-list celebrities. Answering our questions, Inathi talked to us about his time as Zayne Jackson in Waterloo Road, playing Wilf in Biff & Chip and being an interviewer for the Obi-Wan Kenobi press junket.

With Waterloo Road returning in 2023, you were cast in the regular role of Zayne Jackson, what was he like to play?

He was very fun to play, a very energetic and funny young character with many hardships that he is able to overcome, which I love.

How would you describe Zayne and what drew you to the role?

He was very interesting due to having foster parents and him and his brother being in and out of the care system, which made him a very well-written character.

How was it meeting the rest of the cast for the first time, and what is it like filming storylines with your on-screen brother Dwayne (played by Thapelo Ray) and your on-screen foster parents Joe Casey and Mike Rutherford (played by James Baxter and Ryan Clayton)?

First day meeting the cast was amazing. It was actually on my 10th Birthday so Liam, one of the cast members went out and bought me a birthday cake and a card, which was then signed by everyone (nice memento).

Thapelo was like an older brother to me in real life and it was amazing. My on-screen parents were also very funny to work with, there are also bloopers with them loving my accent.

It was also fun seeing Shauna (Shim) again, my “mom” on Biff & Chip as one of the teachers on Waterloo Road.

What did you enjoy about working on Waterloo Road and filming as a regular character in a hugely-successful BBC series?

I just loved being in high school, before I got to it! Everyone was very kind and it was a brilliant experience to see what high school life is somewhat like.

You played Wilf in Series 1 of Biff & Chip, how was it finding out you’d booked the role and how did you feel when the series released on CBeebies in 2021?

I auditioned and did a recall before lockdown. Had to do another recall after lockdown to ensure I still gelled with the characters. I learnt to read from Biff, Chip and Kipper books, so this was a dream. I was really happy when I got the role. It was also great hearing that my younger cousins (in South Africa) were reading the books when the episodes aired.

What was it like getting into character as Wilf and how did you prepare for filming your first recurring role on screen?

It was very easy to get into as he is a comedic relief character always having a laugh and making everything a good time.

Is there anything you miss most about being part of the Biff & Chip cast and did you have any favourite episodes to film?

This was my first full series ever and I made lots of friends.

I loved all the scenes as they were adventurous and very fun to film, but I fondly remember shooting one of the outside scenes where I fell into a rose bush and was pricked by a thorn on one of my fingers. Although treated immediately by a medic, I thought it was going to fall off, so everyone around (including my dad) was laughing when I was telling my mom over the phone.

How was it having a guest role in Casualty in 2018 as Elijah Faulks?

I was only six then, had no lines but one of the most difficult ones as everything I was feeling or thinking was through face gestures/body language. Great experience!

I also signed my first autographs then and made good friends with the kids (owners of the house we were shooting in) who came to play with me in between scenes.

Can you tell us about some of the commercials you’ve filmed, which have included last year’s LEGO commercial with Jane Lynch?

Ooh the LEGO advert, who doesn’t like LEGO? It was amazing! So, there were three of us from England, two Canada and one from the US. Jane was very fun and down to earth, amazingly nice to work with. We’ve since shot another one in SA, same gang.

We understand you were an interviewer for the Obi-Wan Kenobi press junket, what was this like to do?

As I had watched most Star Wars films (huge fan), I was able to chat about everything with the director during the recall.

Then I went and interviewed Hayden Christensen, who plays Anakin Skywalker (or more famously known as Darth Vader). It can’t get better than that!

How did you get into acting and was it something you always wanted to do professionally?

This is a story my parents tell people when they ask as I don’t remember…

When I was in nursery, one of the moms who worked at BBC kept telling my parents to send me to acting lessons. I’m an only child so my parents say they thought all kids were dramatic like me.

So, when I turned three-and-a-half and went to school nursery, my mom lost touch with that lady as me and her child went to different schools. We then met at a mutual friend’s birthday party when I was five and she actually gave my mom details of a drama school in MediaCity.

My mom called the school, and the classes started from six years up, but the teacher said I could go and see if I’ll like it. I loved it… the rest is history!

The director from Casualty spotted me there.

What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?

I am a big fan of Marvel movies, watched every single movie and show up until Avengers: Endgame, now I keep up to date with them. Recently, I’ve been watching anime though. Attack on Titan, Code Geass and Bleach are definitely my favourites. However, I also love the DC Animated Universe as the movies have amazing stories and really good fight scenes.

I also enjoy watching random movies every now and then with my parents, such as The Lion King movie franchise, Grown Ups, Central Intelligence and many more.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I play football, both at school and my local team… I also love going out with my friends, also playing on my PS and PC a lot with them.

Do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about and what are you hoping this year brings for you?

I’ve just wrapped on a feature film I’ve been working on with some ‘A-list’ celebrities!

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