Veteran Nollywood actor, Bob-Manuel Udokwu has dismissed claims that he accused his senior colleague, Pete Edochie, of parading himself as the oldest actor in Nollywood.
Udokwu, in a recent interview with NollyNow, said his words from a podcast were twisted and reported wrongly. He explained that he never made any insulting comment about the legendary actor.
According to him, he only spoke about the history of Nollywood and how the industry is often misunderstood. He pointed out that while Pete Edochie had already gained fame from his role in Things Fall Apart, that particular work was not part of what is known today as Nollywood.
“The line that I said Pete Edochie is parading himself and deceiving others never came from me. That was a complete misrepresentation. It is wrong for me to say such a thing,” Udokwu said.
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He explained further: “What I stated was that if you are talking about Nollywood as an industry, I started acting before him. But he had already done Things Fall Apart, which was not part of Nollywood. Even Kanayo O. Kanayo once made a similar point.”
Udokwu stressed that Edochie’s earlier works came before Nollywood officially began in the 1990s, and that does not reduce the respect and honour he has for him.
The actor, who is currently the Special Adviser on Entertainment, Leisure and Tourism to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, said he would never speak badly of Pete Edochie.
“Pete Edochie is far older than me, and in our culture, we never disrespect our elders. I admire and respect him greatly and will never disrespect Pete Edochie,” he said.
Udokwu also reflected on his early roles in series and films such as Checkmate and When the Sun Sets. However, he noted that those works are not counted as the official beginning of Nollywood.