Actor and producer Emmanuel Kabongo on being an immigrant in Canada, his production company and his pop culture obsessions

Emmanuel Kabongo enjoys the unexpected. The Toronto actor created his production company, unscEne piKtures, with the aim of sharing untold stories. “It’s not about making money; it’s about sending a positive message,” said Kabongo. “I want to create things that aren’t predictable.”

Kabongo’s life has been anything but predictable. In 1993, civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo forced Kabongo and his family to flee their home country. In 1998, after spending five years living in South Africa, his family settled into an apartment on Blake Street in Toronto.

The eldest of six children, Kabongo dreamed of becoming a soccer player, then a basketball star. At 15, he decided to pursue acting instead, following in the footsteps of his father, who often worked as a film and TV extra. Kabongo rose through the TV scene with roles on “Rookie Blue,” “Outer Banks” and an award-nominated turn on the web series “Chateau Laurier.”

Kabongo’s latest project is “Sway,” a film about brotherhood, masculinity and Black identity, which was shot over seven days in Regent Park and the nearby neighbourhood where Kabongo grew up.

Kabongo stars as the title character, Sway, a community leader quite literally swaying in and out of trouble, as he navigates the woes of being a sports and talent manager, and dabbling in real estate while running an underground illegal drug trafficking operation.

“(My character) has an undertone of trauma, which is important to touch on,” said Kabongo. “A lot of people deal with these dormant traumas, especially in the Black community, where it’s very taboo to talk about even seeing a therapist.

“I want to create projects … from a different perspective, using stories we don’t always hear about,” said Kabongo.

Playlist essentials: “My playlist changes every day. But currently, I’m listening to Zee. He’s a Christian artist and he’s got a song called ‘King Coming Back.’ That’s on repeat. Also, ‘Been So Good’ by Elevation Worship and anything by Maverick City. I also keep my siblings on my playlists: Jon Kabongo and Myck, who goes by Lu-Kusa Woe.”

Next up on your TV binge list: “A lot of my friends have been telling me to watch ‘The Chosen One,’ so that’s what I’m excited about watching next.”

Actors you’d love to work with: “Humberly González (‘Ginny & Georgia’) is really talented; Matt Murray from ‘Snowpiercer’ is another one. Also Stephan James and Shay Mitchell, who was actually in the same acting class as me right before she booked ‘Pretty Little Liars.’”

Last great book you read: “I like the Bible, there’s a lot of great stories in there!”

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