How I was forced into Nollywood – Nkem Owoh

Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has revealed that his successful acting career began by accident, saying he never planned to become an actor but was pushed into the spotlight by colleagues who recognised his natural comedic talent.

Speaking during a recent episode of the Selah Meditate podcast, the comic actor explained that his original ambition was to remain behind the scenes as a scriptwriter. According to him, people around him repeatedly encouraged him to appear before the camera after noticing how easily he made others laugh during productions.

Owoh recalled that the former Anambra Television (ATV) gave him an opportunity to host a seven-minute stand-up comedy segment in the 1980s. Although he was initially reluctant to step into the limelight, he eventually yielded to the pressure and discovered that audiences connected strongly with his performances.

“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,” he said. “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 people accepted what I was doing.”

The actor, whose career spans several decades and has produced some of Nollywood’s most memorable comic roles, said the positive response from viewers convinced him to continue acting, eventually transforming him into one of the industry’s most recognisable faces.

Despite the success and popularity that followed, Owoh admitted that fame came at a personal cost. He noted that becoming a celebrity significantly reduced his freedom and privacy, making it difficult to enjoy many of the everyday activities he once took for granted.

According to him, many people focus only on the benefits of stardom without understanding its challenges. “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 said.