Chinedu Ikedieze, aka Aki: My height made me a superstar
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Long before he became a Nollywood star, Chinedu Ikedieze lived with his grandmother in Abia State, his head filled with big dreams of being a lawyer and later an actor. He got his wish, becoming one of Nollywood’s most successful actors after he landed a role in the 2002 comedy flick Aki Na Ukwa. The instant smash success of the film ensured that he became a star overnight, earning him a brother in the person of his ‘co accomplice’ Osita Iheme, better known as Pawpaw. Despite his burgeoning popularity, Aki as he is fondly called, remains very down-to-earth and assuming. In this interview, he tells PREMIUM TIMES that it was not an easy journey to stardom for him.
PT: Please tell us the back-story behind Aki Na Ukwa?
Aki: When Osita and I got our scripts, we didn’t think of it as a comic movie so we were acting normally. The screenwriter wrote the script and intended for it to be a film that was heavy on life lessons and morals. Maybe there was a bit of comic expectations especially from some other actors like my father in the movie, the late Sam Loco and some other big comic actors, but not from us. We were just acting like little kids with no intention to make people laugh or roll on the floor. We were just acting normally. If you watch the film again, you will notice that we were just interpreting the role of innocent children.
PT: Did you foresee the film becoming a success at the time?
Aki: I didn’t really think that the movie would be an instant hit but I think it was a success because of the chemistry Osita and I share. The movie was a first, something Nigerians and the movie industry hadn’t seen until then. It was the first time people would see two child actors who blended easily in one movie.
PT: How does it feel playing the role of a child as an adult?
Aki: It feels good as an actor but it has its own challenges. It is not easy bringing myself down and getting myself into the character of a little boy. It takes a lot of professionalism to do that well. I began acting in 1998, in my early 20s and I have gotten better playing child roles over the years.
PT: Do you sometimes wish you were taller?
Aki : Yes, I do, but you know there are things you can’t change. If it were easy to add some inches to my height I would have done that. But since I can’t change it, I have to play along. I have to be whom God has made me. Yes.
PT: Do you think your height is a shortcoming?
Aki: No. It is not. But, of course I am human, so there are little, maybe several unnecessary things I would have done if I were taller.
PT: What are they?
Aki: No. I don’t need to make it public. But I think I have become the person I dreamt of becoming. So, I can’t give less, or compare myself less of who I am.
PT: Do you think that you would have been more successful if were taller?
Aki :I don’t know. I believe in the law of nature. If God had destined that I would be very successful, irrespective of my height, I would still be who I am ordained to be.
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