It is not as if it is not easy get Aki or that I
am running away from the press. The
truth is that my job, especially the one I
told you about some months ago, has
kept me busy. Most of the time you cannot
predict your movement. One can receive a
call for one project or another at any time.
I would say it has really been challenging
and also interesting. To me, this job is
just as if we are freelancing because the
money comes from different places. I will
definitely attend to any call from my
immediate constituency because that is
where I make a living.
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 minimise 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.
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.
Are you satisfied with the state of the
industry?
I think we are growing everyday. The
government even confirmed it. It shows
they felt our impact in the growth of the
country despite the fact that we did not
receive any financial support from them. It
is a welcome development that the
industry has contributed immensely to the
growth of the country. I think the ball in
the government’s court to do the needful.
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.
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