Tag: Chimezie Imo

Actor Chimezie Imo has spoken up on how his outspoken nature has impacted his career.

In an interview with Chude, Chimezie said he often finds himself surprised when people say good things about him.

He said: “Here’s a little gist, one of the directors of Shuga back then had seen the cast and saw that I wasn’t in it, and she said that she wasn’t going to direct if I wasn’t in it. I remember showing up on set and everyone was surprised. I always think people think I’m problematic so when I hear people say good things about me, I’m surprised”.

This reaction stems from his perception that others might view him as problematic due to his vocal advocacy for others.

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He said: “I’m very vocal so I always feel people think I’m problematic. I fight for people and I think I need to stop that because it has put me into trouble. When I see someone being disrespected I don’t know how to let it go.

“When I see people not being treated well, even on set, I can’t ignore. Maybe because they don’t have a voice and all. For example if I’m a lead and a sub lead is eating less than me, I’m asking why”.

He said his willingness to speak up when he witnesses injustices or disrespect has sometimes put him at odds with producers.

Imo said: “I know it’s none of my business and all, maybe it’s something I need to work on. it has backfired a lot of times that’s why I’m always surprised to hear the feedback. I’m not the producer’s favourite but I’m the director’s favourite”.

Actor Chimezie Imo has shared his thoughts on stereotypes in the entertainment industry and the challenges of auditions in an interview with Pulse Nigeria.

He expressed his belief that stereotypes can have both positive and negative effects.

While acknowledging that they can highlight an actor’s strengths, he also noted that they can limit an actor’s potential.

He stated: “I’m of the opinion that stereotyping is not really a bad thing, especially in the movie scene, because it only means that you’re really good at something, and everyone can tell, and it’s okay to be good at one thing. But there’s so much an actor has that you don’t want to be kept in a box”, he said.

Imo suggests that even in stereotyped roles, actors can still bring uniqueness to their performances by tweaking the script or approaching the character from a different angle.

“Sometimes even when you get those stereotyped roles you can have conversations to tweak it a little bit. For example, there was a script that I had and it was supposed to be emotional and I said, ‘Okay can I be emotional without crying?’ I didn’t shed a tear in that film. There are other ways you could be emotional without shedding tears”, he added.

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Regarding auditions, Imo emphasised the difficulty and pressure actors face, often due to unwelcoming environments and casting directors who may not provide constructive feedback.

“Auditions challenge you. One of the worst things is getting a ‘No’ or getting in front of some people and losing all your lines and whatever, that is also because of most of our casting directors here.”

He stresses the need to create a more comfortable and supportive atmosphere during auditions, allowing actors to showcase their talents without feeling intimidated, frightened, or judged.

“I think we also need to do better. We don’t know how to make people comfortable and warm, just a bunch of straight faces looking at you like they’re about to stab you, and that line you’ve been rehearsing for 3 weeks just flies”, he concluded.