By Oratokhai Jesusemen O.
In an interview with Pulse Nigeria, actor Chimezie Imo shared his views on stereotypes in Nollywood and the challenges actors face during auditions. Imo contended that being typecast in the Nigerian film industry isn’t inherently negative.
“I’m of the opinion that stereotyping is not really a bad thing, especially in the movie scene,” Imo said. “It means you’re really good at something, and everyone can see that. It’s okay to excel at one thing, but actors have much more to offer and shouldn’t be boxed in.”
Imo believes that even within stereotyped roles, there’s potential for creativity. “Sometimes, when you get those stereotyped roles, you can have conversations to tweak them a bit. For example, I once had a script that required an emotional scene. I asked, ‘Can I be emotional without crying?’ I didn’t shed a tear in that film, but I conveyed emotion in other ways,” he explained.
Discussing the difficulties of auditions, Imo pointed to casting directors as a significant factor. “Auditions challenge you. One of the worst things is getting a ‘No’ or forgetting your lines in front of people. This often happens because of the casting directors,” he said.
Imo also highlighted the lack of warmth in some audition environments and the pressure actors face. “We need to do better. Many casting directors don’t know how to make people feel comfortable. They just stare at you with straight faces, and the line you’ve been rehearsing for three weeks suddenly vanishes,” he noted.
