Veteran actor Charles Inojie says the comic roles he plays in movies and TV series have led many Nigerians to wrongly assume he is uneducated or incapable of being serious in real life.
Speaking in an interview with NollyNow, the 54-year-old star of The Johnsons revealed that people are often surprised when they encounter him off-screen, looking and behaving like a regular person.
“Till date, there are Nigerians who don’t believe that I can be serious or possess the capacity to be normal. People meet me on the street and become surprised to see me dressed normally.”
Inojie recalled an awkward moment in church where a child recognized him from TV.
“A mom once called her young son in church screaming, ‘Junior, come and see that mumu man we were watching on television yesterday.’”
He added that some Nigerians still find it hard to believe he ever attended school.
“A great number of people don’t believe I went to school. Some have even asked whether I ever saw the four walls of a university.”
Inojie studied Dramatic Arts at Bode Osoyin’s Writers Resort in 1993 and went on to earn a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Port Harcourt in 1999.
Despite public assumptions, he takes it all in stride, viewing it as evidence of his talent.
“That is a reflection that I do my work well,” he said.
Inojie also discussed his latest project, Divided Nations—a comedic skit series addressing tribal intolerance in Nigeria. He said the show was inspired by the fallout from the 2023 general elections.
“The elections were quite divisive, so we are using the comic sketches to promote messages of unity and peaceful coexistence.”
In addition to acting, Inojie is a writer and producer, and he served as president of the Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria in 2016. In 2023, he partnered with actor Ali Nuhu to promote the Make We Halla campaign against gender-based violence.
He has been married to his wife, Obehi, since 2012, and they have two daughters. Despite his reputation for comedic roles, Inojie says he is a “very serious-minded person” when not in front of the camera.
