Veteran Nollywood actor Bob Manuel Udokwu has shared his thoughts on the casting of British actor Idris Elba as Okonkwo in the forthcoming adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s classic novel Things Fall Apart.
Udokwu, who appeared as a guest on The Morning Brief engaged in a lively discussion about the current state of Nollywood and the importance of collaboration in the film industry.
When asked for his opinion on the missing piece in Nigeria’s film sector, Udokwu responded, “Collaboration. I said this years ago that Nollywood has come of age; now we don’t have to do much to prove to the world that we have world-class talent here.”
Weighing in on the discourse revolving around Elba being cast as Okonkwo, the actor stressed that even though he has regard for the British actor, talented Nigerian actors could have been given the role.
He explained, “There’s this conversation about Idris Elba being cast as Okonkwo in the Hollywood make of Things Fall Apart and I don’t have anything against that as an actor but I think that we have people who are top-class actors in Nigeria who can play that role better knowing where that story is coming from but that’s another story for another day.”
Udokwu emphasised the need for collaboration across the film industries, highlighting that it is already beginning to take shape.
“What Nollywood needs now is collaboration and it’s beginning to happen. I happen to be part of another production that involves two major actors in India and another Hollywood-based actress. We need to have more collaborations with our counterparts in Europe and North America, and it’s happening gradually. The bundle of talents we have in Nigeria is awesome,” he concluded.
