By Eddah Waithaka
Blessing Lungaho, the magnetic star who has swung from heartthrob to villain across Kenyan screens, is now flipping the entire industry on its head.
The three-time Kalasha Award nominee takes centre stage in Showmax’s bold new gender-swap dramedy Adam to Eve, playing not one, not two, but three distinct characters.
In an exclusive interview, the 37-year-old actor gets candid about the most demanding role of his career a transformation that required him to gain 13 kilos, step into stilettos, and fundamentally question his understanding of masculinity.
His first reaction to landing the part was pure fear. “I actually auditioned alongside more than 400 people,” Lungaho reveals. “The producers told me flat-out this was going to be a difficult task.”
After reading the script, he confesses, “I genuinely didn’t know if I had that kind of range. I was insecure, terrified even. The first two days on set felt like I was drowning.”
To prepare, he went “full method,” bingeing the series Orphan Black for inspiration and embarking on a drastic physical change. “I even had to gain weight to convincingly play a pregnant woman in the show,” he says.
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“I added about 13 kilos. No fancy diets, just me taking straight shots of olive oil.”The show’s central storyline forces his character, a Nairobi playboy named Adam, to live life as a woman after a mysterious curse.
Lungaho says the experience profoundly altered his perspective. “This performance didn’t just change how I see women; it changed how I see everything,” he shares. “I realized very quickly that the way I move through the world is completely different from how a woman experiences it.”
He believes the character of Adam perfectly portrays a specific stereotype of Nairobi men: detachment. “Adam isn’t a ‘bad boy.’ He’s not out here trying to hurt anyone,” Lungaho explains. “He doesn’t love himself, so naturally, he has no love to offer anyone else.”
Despite his rising fame, fueled by recent public interest in his personal life, the actor maintains a firm boundary between his on-screen persona and his private self. “I am not what I do,” he states.
“Blessing, the brand? That’s not me. That’s the version of me that shows up on screen. My real life is much quieter, much simpler.”He recalls a pivotal fan encounter from his early days on Maria that cemented his understanding of an actor’s impact.
A petrol station attendant, going through a rough patch with his wife, insisted on paying for Lungaho’s fuel, explaining the show had become the one thing the couple could discuss without arguing.
“That hit differently,” Lungaho says. “That was the moment I realized the impact we have on people’s lives.”As for fame, he embraces a grounded philosophy. “Fame is fickle,” he muses.
“I have seen people who were massive stars when I was growing up and today, no one even recognizes them. That keeps me grounded. I know there will be a day when I’m no longer famous.
And I really believe this too shall pass.”Ultimately, he hopes viewers take away a message of self-acceptance from Adam’s chaotic journey.
“He learns the hard way that everything starts with him,” Lungaho says. “You don’t need to overcompensate or pretend to be more than you are. You’re okay exactly as you are.”
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