Charles Gitonga Maina may not be a common name in the country. Unknown to many, Gitonga became one of the few Kenyans to earn an acting position at Hollywood in the 1990s.
Born in Buruburu, Nairobi county in 1976, Gitonga grew up with the love of basketball training at a dirty court in the city suburbs and at the age of 14, he had perfected the art of doing things the correct way on matters basketball.
According to an article by Sports Illustrated, Maina heard of auditions for the film The Air Up There in 1992, at the age of 17 years.
The film from Hollywood Pictures would have in feature a tall African basketball player as a prospect under the training of an American coach, a role that would be played by global star Kevin Bacon.
Maina auditioned for the lead role in a local audition at Buruburu, describing himself as a "dunkaholic" because of his affection for the game.
Due to his efforts and undeniable talent, Gitonga and a friend were selected among 46 other players, and flown to Los Angeles for a final audition.
Sports Illustrated quotes Gitonga saying that this was his first time flying on a plane, a dream that neither him nor his parents thought would come true.
“My parents didn’t believe me. I told them I was flying out and they said, ‘Where you going to?’ After I was picked up at the airport in a limousine, the driver chastised me for standing up through the sunroof,” remarked Gitonga.
Gitonga’s journey would be later set precedence of possibilities to act in the most formidable arena as he was selected for the lead role of Saleh, a member of a fictional local Kenyan tribe(Winabi) which greatly borrows the character of the Samburu people living in the northern part of Kenya.
The guy with no experience and a flying history had to now be moved to South Africa where he would take part in his first time in a movie shoot.
At 18 years, Gitonga was the youngest of all and this was crowned by his prowess in the film, attracting applause from the who’s in the field of films.
“When I first saw him play, I thought he had a chance to play college basketball in America. Just seeing his enthusiasm and his size, I knew there was something there.” remarked McAdoo, a former actor and now a scout for the Heat.
“He was just a sweet kid, and that’s what was needed for this character. I don’t truly think he knew what he had accomplished.” remembers Miguel, another member of the team.
Miguel further indicated to the Sports Illustrator that once the frenzy of the filming subsided, Maina didn’t get back to Buruburu at once but chose to be left as he pursued college opportunities where his basketball talent helped him get admission to junior colleges in North Carolina, Kansas and Florida.
Due to his unending effort to grow his ever growing skills, Gitonga would later earn a chance at Lynn University in Boca Raton with a scholarship at the D-II level.
As a first among Kenyans who made it to the Hollywood hall of fame, other actors who have followed include Lupita Nyong’o Eddie Gathengi, Mary Oyaya, Raymond Ofula and Benjamin Onyango.
As the most noticeable, Lupita started her career in film in 2008 working as an assistant producer in Hollywood.
Other movies that she has featured in include Star Wars, Black panther, Queen of Katwe, 12 years a Slave, The Jungle Book amongst others.
