Osuofia Reveals Acting Career Began by Accident, Says Fame Cost Him His Freedom

Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, widely known by his screen name Osuofia, has opened up about the unlikely beginnings of his celebrated acting career, disclosing that he never originally planned to appear on screen.

Speaking on the Selah Meditate podcast, the comic actor revealed that he started out in the entertainment industry as a scriptwriter, working behind the scenes before colleagues pushed him into the spotlight.

“My coming in front of the camera was an accident,” Owoh said. “I was a scriptwriter behind the scenes, and people started telling me to start performing in front of the camera.”

He recalled that the turning point came in the 1980s, when television station ATV created a seven-minute stand-up comedy slot for him after crew members noticed his natural ability to entertain off-camera.

“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. That was how my acting career began,” he explained.

Owoh also used the platform to address the less glamorous side of celebrity life, warning aspiring stars that fame comes at a high personal cost.

“Fame took away my freedom,” he said. “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.”