Meet our very own born in Nigeria but raised in New York, the actor, screenwriter, and movie director Chet Anekwe is among the star-studded cast of Heaven’s Hell. He speaks to Chidinma Tijani about the #endsars protect in Nigeria and more.
What is your take on the protests to #endsars and #endbadleadershipinnigeria?
I fully support an end to police brutality! I stand with the youth of Nigeria who is fighting for basic civil rights and the right to let the world know that they matter.
Do you think this protest will give us good results?
Yes. With social media making the events worldwide it is definitely the start of something.
The movie Unwanted Guest put you in public glare. How popular would you say it made you?
Interestingly, someone once asked me if I was popular and I said no. I think we ought to concentrate on the work like Unwanted Guest. Some movies are like that. It doesn’t matter if you are popular if you are going to a premiere or you are wearing Armani
I have been in the movie industry for over twenty years. I still enjoy every second of the act, both Nollywood and Hollywood are the same and different.
How can you rate Nollywood and Hollywood?
Both are the same and very different. I enjoy both.
What’s your advice for your fans this period?
Stay healthy and listen to healthcare providers.
What’s your best Nigeria food?
Pounded Yam and Egusi soup. I also love black amala and okoro soup!
Who are you,r mentors?
I had an amazing acting teacher in Atlanta, Nick Conti. I started with him when he did classes in his basement. Now he runs the biggest acting studio in Atlanta. Learned a lot from his classes and met some of my closest friends there.
What are your favorite actors in Nigeria?
Too many to name. Nse, Mercy, Genny, Chioma, Ramsey, Bimbos (Akintola & Manuel) and so many other great actors I know.
What do you think we can change in our movie industry?
More stories about some of our historical figures. We have many great characters and stories yet to be told.
Have you ever been a victim of racism?
Absolutely. I grew up in New England. I am not too sure, but historically, it is one of the more racist towns in the US. When I went to elementary school, I and my brother were the only two black kids in the whole school. For the first and second grades, I fought physically almost every day. I would have to fight as many as five boys at a time and trust my Naija mumsie, if I lost, she would beat me.
For two years, I fought almost every day and I only lost once. You need to see the kind of beating my mother gave me. She said it doesn’t matter if they are 20; true story. In my third grade, there was a white teacher who was appalled at the level of racism in the school. She put an end to it and actually, some of those kids who were mean to me turned out to be my friends many years later.
What is the mindset of people who are living and working abroad?
Everybody who leaves their country for someone else’s country is not going there to fool around. They go there for a reason, so their work ethics are different. In fact, for the person that has done everything to get out of their country, whether it is Pakistan, India, or wherever, when you get to your host country, you work hard. Even Indians who come to Nigeria work very hard to get something better.
I think that is what happens to Africans who go abroad. They need to take care of the family so they work harder than the people there. The thing is not to lose the fact that you are still from somewhere else. Once you lose that fact, then you can get into a situation where you are completely lost and then you don’t get appreciated, and then all the things you think you had, you don’t have. Don’t forget that you are really not from here.
Can you fund your way back home, since you have been away for too long?
can find my way. I can get on Ekene Dili Chukwu and get there. I have done it before. In the States, you are from where you grew up; you are not from where your parents are from. You are from your hood. I was talking to my friends and I told them that if that were the case, I am from Surulere. I grew up in Surulere most of my life.
Who are your mentors in the movie industry?
I had an amazing acting teacher in Atlanta, Nick Conti. I started with him when he did classes in his basement. Now he runs the biggest acting studio in Atlanta. Learned a lot from his classes and met some of my closest friends there.
Tell me about your Nigerians actor you enjoyed working with so far?
My favorite Nigerians actors and people I have worked closely with are too many to name. Nse, Mercy, Genny, Chioma, Ramsey, Bimbos (Akintola & Manuel) and so many other great actors
