“I have been acting before Nollywood existed” — Pete Edochie

Veteran actor, Pete Edochie discloses that he embarked on his acting career before the emergence of the Nigerian film industry, Nollywood.

In a recent interview with Afia TV, the iconic performer mentioned that when he made his cinematic debut in 1985.

Delving into his first movie role, Pete Edochie mentioned his feature on the adaptation of Chinua Achebe‘s novel, ‘Things Fall Apart.’

He added that the concept of Nollywood as known today did not yet exist at the time.

In his words;

“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.”