By Adams Odunayo,
Not
many know that the petite duo, Osita Iheme(Paw Paw) and Chinedu
Ikedieze(Aki) who took the film industry by surprise years back are no
longer as cordial as before.
Aki
Although many thought they were related in one way or the other;
maybe because they lived together, have the same body size, and so on.
However, they soon grew apart,even stopped living together. This was
more noticeable after Chinedu (Aki) got married.
Chinedu in an interview with Nigerian Tribune, explained everything. Read excerpts from the interview below:
Considering the fact that you have been busy since the beginning of the year, would you say you don’t have time for yourself?
Yes, I do. What I usually do is that I take a time out after a hectic
work. I travel and I may leave one of my phones on in case of any
important call. Most times when I am off work, my management team takes
care of other things. My brother, I must take time to free myself from
any stress either for months or weeks because life is very vital. One is
only useful when one is alive. My body is the engine room of what I
give out.
If I don’t have the physical energy, I won’t be able to give, as well
as sustain my best. I have to make sure that my body and soul are in
order. This is why I go on vacation. I also unwind, but it is not what I
do all the time. I have reduced the number of times I go to club as a
married man. You will agree with me that there are some things that I
would have to minimize because I have much more responsibilities now.
More so, I have exercise apparatus in the house to keep me fit. I love
reading books and playing games, especially the play station. I have a
lot of things that can take my mind away from acting for a period of
time.
Aki and wife
Has marriage denied you of enjoying life again?
No. The life of a bachelor is different from that of a married man.
It is expected of you to respect your spouse. One has to be conscious
and make an adjustment on the kind of life one lived before settling
down. A responsible man must always be conscious and always stay around
his family.
How has life been as a married man?
It has been wonderful and interesting. I thank God for it. As I said
earlier, it requires more of responsibility than when one was living the
life of a bachelor. I really enjoy my marriage and I thank my
understanding wife who takes care of the home while I am away.
What is stopping you from joining the list of celebs that have shown interest in politics?
I would encourage anyone who is interested in the Nigerian politics
system to do so because it is a good development. We need such faces in
governance. Personally though, I cannot give a definite answer to that.
The fact, however, remains that we are all part of the game of
politicking and this is the only way we can bring change to the country.
Let’s wait and see the outcome because I don’t always delve into things
without cross-checking.
If you eventually declare your interest in politics, which position would you opt for?
That would be determined by my people. They have the final say on that.
Could it be true that the interest of celebs in politics is as a result of the purported wealth being amassed?
I will not agree with that. I don’t think there is any truth in that
because it has no basis. We are human beings and most of us are
intellectuals. Anyone that wants to go into politics should have it at
the back of his or her mind that they would bring change and help the
people.
In your own take, do you believe that celebrities can bring the change the people really want?
It is an individual thing because dreams are different from one
person to another. For me, I would say yes, we can bring about that
change. Shakespeare says that: “The mind is like a basket, no one knows
what the other person is carrying.” Generally, we are all instruments of
change, and from the things we do, we are like evangelists who reveal
the unknown to the public, especially things that are happening in the
society.
So, if we can achieve this dramatically, we can bring it to the
reality. I believe the mindset of every entertainer going into politics
is to set a standard and bring positive change to the nation.
Back into acting, it seems you did not discover yourself until Paw Paw joined you in the industry?
It wasn’t like that. I started acting in 1998 while I was still an
undergraduate and I have done some major jobs between 1999 and 2000,
especially as supporting lead role. In fact, I was almost there before
Paw Paw surfaced; he started acting in 2001, but he was not famous. God
miraculously picked the two of us and featured us in a movie which gave
us a break among others of such stature as ours.
I believe we were not the only ones with small stature. It was a
unique combination which opened the people’s eyes as well as gave the
industry a new face. Remember, I did not start acting with the comic
aspect. Back in my secondary school days, my friends knew that I was a
funny person. Everything that happened was for a reason. I guess it was
time for people to know the other side of me, which also gladdened my
heart. I would say that our coming together stirred the comic thing.
Do you sometimes think you guys might not have been famous if you had not come together?
I don’t see it that way. As I said earlier, it was a divine
connection. God has a purpose for bringing us together and every man has
his time and season. Despite our small stature, which many people see
as a disadvantage, fame still located us. The coming together of Aki and
Paw Paw was a prestige to us and a plus to the industry because it was a
usual way of shooting movies before we were discovered, especially
witchcraft or any other movie. The whole thing changed when we came on
board. We brought stories that happened to us personally to the screen
and before we knew it, the combination became hot cake in the market.
Could you recall how you discovered acting?
I studied Mass Communication from the Institute of Management and
Technology in Enugu. Before then, back in the secondary school, I was a
member of arts and drama club and as a boy, I used to do ministrations
in churches. I would say all these built my character as an actor, but I
wasn’t seeing myself as an actor. I was just doing it for fun until I
got admitted to IMT where I eventually developed an interest for acting.
In 2004, I went to New York Film academy for 8 weeks workshop. The
little knowledge I got there has been helping me a lot, but it was not
easy, especially the disappointments I usually encountered whenever I
went for auditions. It was really challenging, but I did not relent
despite the fact that I had to shuttle between school and going for
auditions or locations. It was tasking, but I eventually succeeded.
How successful are you as an actor?
I am contented and satisfied with where God has placed me today. I
really appreciate how God has lifted my career. I am happy and
fulfilled, but I still have more to achieve and until I do that, I won’t
be completely satisfied.
Could you recall you guys’ meeting point?
It was easy for me to shuttle between school and locations in Enugu
back then, but Paw Paw usually
came from Aba. I had been in the industry
before him and, according to him, he had been longing to meet me and we
eventually met in 2001 at a location.
If not acting, what would you have become?
As a Mass Communication undergraduate then, I was hoping to be an
independent producer and report for CNN or any top international medium.
I even had the premonition that I would further my academics in law,
even though I was offered admission to study at Madonna University in
1998, but I was already a Mass Communication student.
How many movies have you done so far?
Honestly, I have lost count of the movies I have produced. I have
been producing since I started acting and I don’t have a favourite among
them. I love all the movies I have shot because I love going to
locations. I have even lost count of how many movies Paw Paw and I have
done together.
How do you draw inspiration?
Sometimes, I wonder how I come about these things, but I would say I
draw the inspiration from God and I mimic people a lot, especially when I
was a little boy. My mum does that perfectly. I think it runs in the
blood.
Not that the pranks I played at my tender age coupled with what I
gathered in my surroundings then gives me joy, but I have been able to
bring them into acting to give people a clear picture of what is
happening in different homes and the society at large. I love my
parents’, unfortunately I lost my dad last year, but my mum was actually
my source of inspiration because she is a woman that would ensure that
her children have the best.
You are always hyperactive in movies. Is that part of your scripts or you act outside of the scripts?
(Laughs…) The truth is that I always research on any scripts I lay my
hands on. I usually have a mental picture of how I would want to see
myself in a movie., especially when I want to play the role of a kid. I
pick from how my cousin or nephew play in the real sense into the
character and once I hear action, I am the character at that moment.
Honestly, I have to be professional about it because if I don’t do that,
I won’t be able to convince my audience. It has been interesting.
Sometimes, I play double role, which is one of the advantages of my
size. I could play an adult and also a child at the same time.
Have you ever been misrepresented as a kid?
We are all human beings and any body that sees me for the first time
would think I am a baby, but when I talk, my reaction would give the
person an understanding that I am not. I did not create myself and I
cannot change myself either. There is nothing I can do about that; no
amount of plastic surgery can increase my height, except if God wants me
to grow taller than I am.
I have realised that we leave in a world where people are easily
carried away. A lot of people are myopic and my perception about life is
quite different from theirs. Sometimes an adult will see you and
misbehave. Despite the cautioning, they still go ahead to laugh at me
and sometimes, many even try to tease me. People don’t understand that
the Aki they see on the screen is different from Chinedu Ikedieze.
Are you the only one with a small stature in your family?
Yes. I don’t know how it happened and I was not bordered to ask my
parents about it. I just knew I was created that way. I am the first son
of the family.
How were you able to handle the crisis that struck when you rang your wedding bell?
It wasn’t difficult because I had an effective event planner. You
will agree with me that there must be division of labour; I cannot be
everywhere.
News had it that you asked Paw Paw to vacate the apartment both of you once leaved in as a bachelor when you got married
There was no clash between us. Then, the owner of the property wanted
to use it, so we both had to vacate the apartment. The truth must be
told, we cannot live together forever. We are adults and someday we
would get married. We are not same twins, I am from Abia and he is from
Imo. It’s just that we are good friends. It is not bad we go our
separate ways, though; we are not far from each other.
For how long have you been living in Lagos?
It’s been a very long time. In fact, I have been paying house rent
for very long time. I love the delicacies here, especially yam powder,
also known as Amala and beans.
