If the maiden edition of Africa
Magic Viewers Choice Awards which held in March 9, 2013, at the 5,000
capacity hall of Eko Hotel was a yardstick to measure actors’ successes, then Okechukwu
Ukeje, fondly called O.C., is
an extraordinary talent who
excelled with distinction.
At that prestigious award ceremony,
Ukeje did not only emerge as the Best Actor of the Year, his uncanny knacks for
roles interpretation was also exceedingly celebrated by both the organizers and
keen observers of the Nigerian movie industry globally known as Nollywood.
That was not his only achievement in
the year under review. He also carted away many other movie related awards
including ‘Best Actor in a Lead Role’ at the Best of Nollywood (BON) awards which held on Thursday, December 5, in Asaba,
Delta State.
Others include ‘Best Actor Award’ at the
Nollywood Movies Awards which held on Saturday, October 12, where he was
rewarded with a brand new Nissan car; AMAA; and the coveted prize for
Entertainment and Talents at the Future Awards which held in Port Harcourt,
Rivers State, among many others.
“Winning the Africa Magic Viewers
Choice Awards was a humbling experience. I had really powerful people to
contend with in my category; people that are really good at what they do. This
is Africa and I know I just have a few movies in circulation; it is just really
wonderful to know that the viewers know I am good enough,” he joyfully said
shortly after the AMVCA.
With a unique combination of good looks, an
acting prowess and a great voice, Ukeje has set himself apart as an
effervescent actor to reckon with. He
stands tall with his phenomenal rise, large fan base, cult-like followership,
and off course, the anticipated recognitions from industry stakeholders. No
wonder he is the first actor to be named person of the year by Nigeria’s most
authoritative voice on entertainment news- Entertainment Express.
Though he had always been involved
in stage plays and was a member of
the acting group christened Rhythm of the Blackman, his emergence into the Nigerian movie scene could be traced to
the year 2006, when he won the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) Reality TV
Show, after which he starred in his first movie entitled White Waters. His
role in White Waters startlingly earned him the Best Upcoming Actor in
the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), 2008.
After being part of AMBO, how did the Abia
State-born act prove to movie producers and directors that he could fit well
into the Nigerian movie industry?
“I have to be honest, it was really, really tough. Reality TV shows are good
concepts here in Nigeria but I think the part the organizers have to work on is
how to incorporate whoever wins into the industry at large. We just win and we
think that yes, the world is going to bow at our feet, but then we realize that
it really doesn’t work like that.
“But since then it has been
interesting, difficult and a serious roller coaster. When you sit at home for a
contract that doesn’t allow you do anything for one year and then you finish on
that contract and your eyes open to the real world on how Nollywood doesn’t
automatically accept you and you have to try and prove yourself, then you begin
to see the reality of it. But now, I’m beginning to enjoy bits and pieces of
it, so it’s getting better now,” he hinted in an interview.
Like the Bible says, you cannot hide
a light under a bushel. Ukeje’s illumination in the acting space stood him out,
making him one of the shakers of the movie industry in 2013. He remained one of
the number one choices in many hit flicks; from Asaba to Lagos, Enugu to Abuja,
his face graced posters and movie jackets and was adjudged by many as the
hottest new face in Nollywood.
By the standard of the many awards
he carted home, especially the AMVCA, Ukeje is acknowledged as Africa’s King of
the screen. Indeed, apart from his amazing roles interpretation skill, his star
factor got a boost by the many awards he won.
Did this ‘prodigy’
stumble into acting? He speaks: “
I started off with the fellowship I was belonged while on campus. After we staged a play at the Muson Center, a bigger organization called ‘Rhythm of the Black Man’ saw what I was doing and they asked if I wanted to play a small role for one African-American play they were working on. So I joined the group and we did stage plays all around Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt for four years.
I started off with the fellowship I was belonged while on campus. After we staged a play at the Muson Center, a bigger organization called ‘Rhythm of the Black Man’ saw what I was doing and they asked if I wanted to play a small role for one African-American play they were working on. So I joined the group and we did stage plays all around Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt for four years.
“Then I was
studying Marine Sciences at the University of Lagos and I was also trying to
keep my grades up as well because for me it was important for people not to
think I was not doing well in school. My first acting gig was a stage play in
2001 and I did stage plays from 2001 to 2005 before AMBO came up.
“The truth is that
it was in my third year in the University that I began desiring to act
professionally. This was in 2003. I knew that I wanted to do this for the rest
of my life. Things were really picking up and it was just easy for me to act
and do it effortlessly.
Big thing, they say, starts small.
He might not have starred in over 50 movies, but the few he has done are
outstanding. Half Of A Yellow Sun, Two Brides And A Baby, Hood Rush, Alan Poza, Comrade, Confusion Na Wa,
The Awakening, Black November ,and Gone Too Far are some of his
movies. “I have starred in about 13 movies. It keeps getting better every day,”
he disclosed in a telephone chat with Entertainment Express.
The phenomenal rise of Ukeje
indicates that a movie star is not made by the quantity of movies to his
credit, but by quality of the movies.
Charmed by the actor’s acting skill,
critic and movie producer, Charles Novia in his list of the best five actors
for 2013 wrote: “No apologies to anyone. My number one actor for 2013 would be
OC Ukeje. In arriving at this conclusion, I had the uncomfortable task of
distancing his acting in my movie ‘Alan Poza’ from the list of other movies he
was assessed with…He has an unusual intensity as an actor and a peculiar
propensity to project his characterisation which would leave many with gaping
mouths.
“One cannot ignore that in
2013 alone, Ukeje won the ‘Best Actor’ diadem four times at the AMVCA, NEA, BON
and NMA awards. He has also been nominated for ‘Best Actor’ for eight times in
a single year. That is enough to make heads turn and so they should. This is a
feat even the older acts in Nollywood cannot boast of.”
Just as honey attracts bees, fame
also attracts women! In this vein, Ukeje is not an exception. He unreservedly
confessed in an interview that female fans are all over him- a good number of
them want something intimate from him. Some even go as far as throwing their
phone numbers into the good-looking actor’s car.
“There are occasions when I am
driving and someone would throw something into my car. Reflex makes me dock but
when I check what it is, it is a lady’s phone number,” he confessed in a chat.
Indeed, this is not only an honour
to the young, energetic and inspiring entertainer, but also to so many aspiring
and up and coming actors, who are breaking barriers and making progress in the
highly competitive motion picture industry. Like a whirlwind, Ukeje’s impact
was truly felt in 2013; hence he truly deserves being Entertainment Express
Man of the Year.
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