Osuofia: My journey into acting happened by accident – Nkem Owoh

Veteran Nollywood actor and comedian Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has revealed that his journey into acting was never part of his original career plan.

Speaking about his rise to fame, the celebrated entertainer described his entry into the movie industry as “an accident,” explaining that he initially wanted to work behind the scenes as a scriptwriter rather than appear in front of the camera.

According to Owoh, his colleagues were the ones who spotted his natural talent for comedy and encouraged him to explore acting. He recalled that while working on scripts and other creative projects, those around him noticed his humorous personality and ability to make people laugh effortlessly.

Speaking in a recent episode of the Selah Meditate podcast, 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.