I started acting before Nollywood came into existence – Pete Edochie

In a recent interview with Afia TV, veteran actor Pete Edochie revealed that he started his acting career before the emergence of Nollywood, the Nigerian movie industry.

Edochie, a renowned performer, mentioned that he made his film debut in the 1985 adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s novel, ‘Things Fall Apart,’ at a time when Nollywood didn’t exist yet.

He said, “I’m senior in the movie industry. I mean, when I did ‘Things Fall Apart’ in 1985, there was nothing like Nollywood. By then, Nollywood was slumbering sonorously in the womb of time.

“It was seven years after that Nollywood came on board with ‘Living In Bondage.’ I went round the world before Nollywood came. By the special grace of God, after I did ‘Things Fall Apart,’ I was celebrated internationally.

“The BCC flew in here [Nigeria] to interview me and tell flew into America to interview Chinua Achebe. And Achebe said, ‘Pete Edochie gave that role an interpretation after my heart.’ Before he died, he was calling me Okonkwo.

“Seven years after Nollywood came and when I retired from broadcasting, I joined Nollywood.”