Meet The Hostel’s Brother Matthew

Who is Bismac?
My full name is Bismac Moses Amumpaire aka Bismac the Versatile because I do quite a number of things. I’m a travel journalist working with UBC, an artiste and producer, a freelance model and an actor.

Most people probably know me from the big screen as an actor in the last season of The Hostel series. I’m 27-years-old, born to Patrick Kashaija and the late Rossette Nayesiga.

I have three siblings and I’m the first born. I attended Kagongo Parents Primary School in Ibanda District, Ruyonza Secondary School, in Bushenyi District for O and A’Level. I later enrolled for a diploma in film at the Uganda Film and Television Institute in 2012 and graduated last year.

What happened to The Hostel series?
The current season has a completely new cast. Uganda has quite a number of talented actors and actresses and The Hostel series will not always have permanent participants. There will always be entries and exists as depicted in the last season. The producers probably wanted to look at a whole new perspective, hence the new cast. And I urge people to support them because they are trying to develop their acting talent as well.

What role did you play?
I was playing the role of Brother Matthew, a staunch born again Christian. He was the kind of man who would first request his girlfriend to kneel down for a prayer before kissing her. He was also an annoying and judgmental character.

How did you land your role?
I got the role after auditioning for it. And even after going through, my character, brother Matthew was just an extra character who made rare appearances but as the series continued showing, they continued developing the character into a more solid and authoritative one.

So what did you think of that role?
I could somehow relate to the role because I am also a born again Christian, a strong believer in other words but not as staunch as brother Matthew was.

How different is Bismac from the character you played in The Hostel?
Brother Matthew was a focused man who was even looking at being a pastor at some point unlike Bismac who is dynamic; he can do almost any kind of work if told to. Also, Bismac is not as staunch as brother Matthew was (religion). He loves joking around and is nonjudgemental unlike Brother Matthew.

Do you agree with that character you played?
To some extent, yes. There is a time when Brother Matthew was disappointed by a girl he loved, Hope, after she was impregnated by another man, Brother John. But despite this, he forgives Hope and continues to love and take care of her. That was an aspect of Brother Matthew that I liked.

What other role would you have picked in The Hostel if it were up to you?
I would still go for the role of Brother Matthew because I found him unique and different from the other characters. His character showed us that no one is perfect, that even the strongest of believers have their own weaknesses.

What role would you absolutely not play?
I would never go for a gay role because it would portray a totally wrong impression of me. On the other hand, it would be going against my principles and values.

What’s been your most embarrassing screen mistake you wish you could undo?
There was a time I had to remove my shirt during one of the previous scenes of The Hostel. Then, I was not just ready to remove it for the rest of the world to see.

How about the make out scenes, such as where you are required to kiss a girl?
Being an actor, you have to be ready for anything. But to be rather honest with you, such scenes are not easy to act when you are in a relationship. Although my girlfriend understands that such scenes are part of my job as an actor, sometimes she gets a little insecure.

Speaking of girlfriend, who’s the lucky lady?
(Laughs) Must I really reveal her identity? I do not know if she would be comfortable with me doing it here. But just know that she is a news anchor at a television station. We met about two-and-half years ago during an interview where she was asking me questions. We later kept in touch as friends and eventually started dating.

Which actors do you look up to?
Most definitely Will Smith because he does things that I like doing; he sings and acts as well. Then, for the actress, it is Angelina Jolie. She can play any character perfectly.
How about in Uganda, is there any actor or
actress you admire?
Although there is great acting talent in the country, I have not really found that one actor to look up to. On the other hand, the actress I find quite interesting is the one who plays Milka in the NTV series, Deception. I think she has a great acting career ahead of her.

What are your long-term plans for your acting career?
I will continue auditioning whenever I get the chance of doing so. That aside, I will be producing my own movies too.

What do you wish was different about the Ugandan movie industry?
Although our movie industry is not yet at its peak because of various reasons including poor funding, I am optimistic that the situation will improve in the next coming years because of the great talent many actors, actresses and directors have.

Titbits

What attributes do you find as the most annoying in women?
Women who talk a lot, the ones very dependent on their men, and those who are always sleeping around a big turn off.

Ever been heartbroken?
Well, a girlfriend I had in the past cheated on me but later apologised. Despite her apology, things did not work out and the relationship ended.

Anything surprising about you?
After finishing my A ‘Level, I joined the military where I was deployed in the Middle East to serve in the areas of Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq for three-and-a half years.

And how was the experience like serving in the military?
The one thing I can probably tell you is that when it is a war zone, it is war. There is no honey moon in such places.