Veteran award-winning actor Bob-Manuel Udokwu has addressed those who question when he joined the movie industry. Bob-Manuel said he didn’t join the industry. Nollywood, he said, joined him.
ANAMBRA PEOPLE reports that the thespian revealed this in an Instagram live interview when asked to share his journey into the industry.
He said “There was no Nollywood, I was part of those who started what is known today as Nollywood you know, people often ask me when did you join Nollywood and my answer has always been, there was no Nollywood rather Nollywood joined me.
“I was already ahead before Nollywood joined me and you know the landmark year that is universally accepted to be the year that Nollywood effectively took off was 1992 that birthed the multi-billionaire industry called Nollywood.”
Continuing, he said: “Now before then, I had been involved in radio, stage and television productions, the most popular being ‘Checkmate.’ It was actually why on the set of Checkmate which aired from 1991 to 1995 that was four years that I was invited with my good friend who played elder brother in ‘Checkmate’ the late Francis Agu by Kenneth Nnebue, the owner of the movie ‘Living in Bondage’, we had a meeting in his office in Surulere and he offered us roles which we eventually played.”
Bob-Manuel was recently appointed as the Special Adviser on Entertainment, Leisure, and Tourism to Anambra Governor Charles Soludo.
He had served as Senior Special Assistant on Creative Media during the administration of Peter Obi and was an aide to the immediate past Anambra Governor Willie Obiano.
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