Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has opened up about one of the challenges that came with becoming a household name, saying fame has greatly reduced the freedom he once enjoyed.
The celebrated comic actor said many people admire the benefits that come with being famous but often overlook the sacrifices involved.
According to him, public recognition has made it difficult for him to move around and carry out certain activities the way he did before becoming a star.
Owoh made the disclosure during a recent appearance on the Selah Meditate podcast, where he reflected on his career journey and life in the entertainment industry.
Speaking on how he entered acting, the veteran actor revealed that his move into the spotlight was never part of his original plan.
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He explained that he began his career as a scriptwriter and was comfortable working behind the scenes.
According to him, colleagues who noticed his natural ability to make people laugh repeatedly encouraged him to appear in front of the camera. Their persistence eventually convinced him to give acting a try.
He recalled that in the 1980s, the then Anambra Television created a short comedy programme for him, giving him the opportunity to perform before viewers.
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The programme exposed his talent to a wider audience and helped launch what later became a successful acting career.
The actor said the positive response from viewers convinced him to continue performing, and over time he established himself as one of Nollywood’s most recognised comic stars.
Owoh said, “My coming in front of the camera was an accident. I was a scriptwriter behind the scenes and people started telling me to start performing in front of the camera.
“I remember ATV created a 7-minute programme for me to do stand-up comedy in the 80s. They told me to come in front of the camera because I was making people laugh behind the camera. With much pressure, I came in front of the camera. And I saw that what I was doing people were buying it so that was how my acting career began.”
On the downside of his career, Owoh said being famous robbed him of his freedom.
“Fame took away my freedom. A lot of people want to be celebrities, they only know the benefits but not the downsides. When you become famous you can’t do a lot of the things you were doing freely before. You become restricted in a lot of ways,” he explained.
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