The thing with being a good actor in Nollywood is you’ll be typecast. And that stereotype will seep into your personal life.
I remember years back when we were kids. A few years after Aki and Popo came out, Osita and Chinedu started acting in grown-up roles where they were kissing and dating women instead of the mischievous/childish parts that brought them into the spotlight. Nigerians went to protest at AGN offices because according to them, their kids watched the actors, and seeing them act in grown-up roles would make their kids start acting like that too. Aki and Popo were supposed to remain slapstick comedy actors for their kids because they were role models and their kissing in movies would make their kids kiss too.
True story.
If you wonder why they never got out of those childish characters or why they have no prominent grown-up role, this is why.
Producers/Directors stopped casting them in normal roles cos Nigerians didn’t want to see them play anything except those childish mischievous roles.
Same thing with Victor Osuagwu, Mr. Ibu, Chiwetalu Agu, etc.
I watched one interview where Victor Osuagwu bitterly complained about being stereotyped in the industry. Back then, I didn’t even know what stereotyped meant. I was in Junior Secondary School.
It’s one bad thing about acting in old Nollywood. If you’re good at acting a particular character, you’ll never grow out of it. You’ll only be given such characters to act in the future and the Utobos we have in our country will stick it to your personal life. They will believe that that is how you are in real life.
In the case of Aki and Popo, because they acted as mischievous kids, people refused to see them as adults even though they acted in such roles as adults. Chinedu gave an interview about how they’d go to places and “people wey we senior” would rub their heads like they’re rubbing a child’s head.
This is why actresses who act as witches must become pastors or undergo public deliverance before society will accept that they are not witches.
Remember Camilla and her TB Joshua deliverance, Nneka, The Pretty Serpent’s Ndidi Obi marrying a pastor, Eucharia becoming an evangelist, Liz Benson marrying a pastor, Clarion Chukwurah becoming an evangelist, and Patience becoming an evangelist?
Do you see the pattern?
Because once you act as a winch, the only way to convince the world you aren’t one is to become a pastor or marry one. Because people will carry that role and attach it to your personal life.
I don’t even want to talk about how men don’t have to become pastors or marry evangelists to convince anyone they’re not ritualists in real life cos that’s a post for another day.
Same thing with acting as a “runs girl”. Act it too well and people would attach that role to your personal life. You’d now have to rush and marry to prove you’re not one.
This is why those that play comedic roles are seen as clowns and only given scripts like that.
People don’t take Charles Inojie, Mr. Ibu, Victor Osuagwu, Chiwetalu Agu, and co seriously, because they ascribe that role to them in real life.
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This is why because Pete has acted plenty royal characters and plenty powerful dibia/occult characters, these fadaless phools now think he’s some kind of god or king and is dragging people who don’t see him as such.
Because they now ascribe that kingly/powerful persona he plays in movies, to his personal life.
He is an actor. That’s all. At best, a veteran actor. Not even a versatile actor if we’re being honest cos he only plays king/powerful/patronly roles. I’ve never ever seen him play a poor oppressed man or anything else.
His acting is just predictable.
I mean, we’ve seen Kevin Hart, a comedian, act in very serious roles. Same with Eddie Murphy and the rest. We’ve seen Al Pacino and Robert De Niro who are very serious Oscar-winning actors, act funny/hilarious roles; from mobsters to poor men to dirty grandpas to everything. But Pete is just Igwe or a leader of the occult or a rich father. That’s all. If I see him on a poster, I already know his character.
And because he acted in those roles, people suddenly think he is an untouchable king/god.
If it’s because of him being a veteran actor, you guys would have made the same noise for Chiwetalu Agu when he was disgraced by Nigerian Army. After all, he’s equally a veteran actor. In fact, Chiwetalu holds the record for having the most movies of any actor in Nollywood under his belt.
So why isn’t/wasn’t he accorded the same respect? because he only acts poor and wicked village uncle. That’s why!
Even the legendary Nkem Owoh doesn’t get as much respect or hype despite his contributions and talent because why? Stereotypes and the comedic roles he plays.
The only basis for the sudden reverence people bestow on Pete are the characters he played, his big body, and cos he’s a man. I don’t want to talk about the inherent misogyny there sef because they would not give this type of reverence to a woman on his level. They would not cause this ruckus for Liz Benson or Joke Silva or any other veteran actress.
But see the senseless capping for Pete cos he throws in 3 or 4 proverbs and wears Isiagu and dances leg work ndi mgbe ochie.
Quick to cancel Joke cos she championed APC but capping senseless over Pete that said a woman should give her cheating husband condoms and keep quiet; a man that said women are properties in their husband’s house. Man that when he opens his mouth, he talks gwomputus and repus. But he is your king because he acted as the king of Eziama in Lost Kingdom, and the priest of Ogbakiri in Oracle.
Talmbout “he has the highest title in Igbo land”. Which Igbo land? He has a title in his VILLAGE. Not even the entire Anambra ya foduzie Igbo land.
Please please please please please.
Worship your king and let us be.
PS: this does not mean he should have knelt or bowed for whomever cos e no dey hard for una to twist post. He should never. Me sef I would never.
~ Ijeoma Chinonyerem
