Nollywood comic actor, Victor Osuagwu and current Lagos chairman of Actors Guild of Nigeria has had a somewhat revealing interview with City People Magazine.
In the interview, he revealed who the real Victor Osuagwu is, how he started acting as a child and how he came to limelight and spoke about his fellow comic character from that of Mr. Ibu.
See excerpts below…
What advantage does your acting role have on you?
In Economics they say there is a comparative advantage, for me, the role I act is my comfort zone. When I came in after studying Theatre Art in the University of Port Harcourt, and having a Diploma in Acting and a Degree in Directing, I always thought I would end up as one of the biggest director in the industry, but as things would turn out, a lot of challenges ad frustrations didn’t let me meet up in that area. During audition, the judges found out I was very good in acting and jobs started coming in for me not as a director but as an actor, I picked that up and it blew me.
The So-called “Mumu” aspect of you on set, how do you get inspiration to play such roles?
Sometimes I don’t know how it comes. I told myself then that I had to make a breakthrough as an actor at all cost, no matter what it costs me. So, I can play Igbo, Hausa or Calabar version. Some even thought I was Calabar until I started speaking Igbo in some of my movies. In school then, they train you to play a specific role and that helped me. Since I noticed that the Mumu role could pay me, I made it into a making money venture. I just don’t know how it comes. I believe my mother was a great influence; she’s so comical and knows how to play all these type of roles.
What’s your relationship with Mr. Ibu?
We are very good friends. We have come a long way. What I love about him is his spontaneity. He always knows what to chip in when given a script. He is just like Nkem Owoh; they are a very strong character. If you stay with them on stage and shiver, they would swallow you up. It’s just there in them, you have to be strong as well to follow them up and I have enjoyed working with them.
What distinguishes your comic character from that of Mr. Ibu?
There are a lot of differences. We have different character exhibitions. He has his own way of comedy and I have mine. That’s why I always advice upcoming acts not to imitate others, because when you imitate others character, you are selling your name and fame to that character. You need to be unique and different. It’s just like Afeez Owoh, he has a unique character, same for Papi Luwe, people now imitate them because they created a unique character for themselves.
