Veteran Nollywood actor says new actors become stars overnight by looks, not knowledge

• Veteran Nollywood actor Charles Inojie says the industry now creates stars overnight without the knowledge to support their fame.

• He criticises what he calls “too much razzmatazz” and “cosmetic beauty” in today's industry.

• Inojie also blames media outlets for hyping people with “Nollywood superstar” labels beyond what their work can deliver.

Veteran Nollywood actor Charles Inojie has said the industry now rewards appearance over substance, arguing that many of today's so-called stars are made almost overnight, without the knowledge to back up their fame.

The remarks come from an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, recorded about two years ago and reposted on Jideonwo's channel this week as a new episode. The repost is why the comments are circulating again.

Comparing today's industry with the one he came up in, Inojie summed up the change in a single line. "Too much razzmatazz. Too much cosmetic beauty," he said.

He said passion alone was never enough to build a career in acting. "It's okay to be passionate, but the substance that holds that passion together is what you know, the knowledge base that forms your foundation. That is what we lack today," he said.

Inojie was blunter about how fame is now gained. He said a girl who considers herself pretty and, "in most cases," is willing to expose parts of her body can become "a superstar the next day." His argument is that people in film need to focus more on the story as opposed to the personalities of the stars.

He also blamed the media for feeding the trend. According to Inojie, outlets "hype people beyond what they can deliver," attaching labels like "Nollywood actress" and "Nollywood superstar" to people whose work doesn't match the billing. He said he sometimes looks at the person being described and wonders whether it is the same industry he and his colleagues built.

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Inojie is an actor, comedian, director and producer who has worked in Nollywood since the late 1990s. A graduate of the University of Port Harcourt, he began as an assistant director at Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen's production company before building a career in comedic roles. His films include Issakaba and My Village People.

He was appointed president of the Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria in 2016, and played the lead character, Lucky, in the Africa Magic sitcom The Johnsons for 13 years until he announced its conclusion in February 2024.

The comments are from the older interview and do not reflect any new statement from Inojie.

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