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Nollywood Actor, Uzor Arukwe has stated that he detests filmmakers who cast actors based on Instagram followers.
The actor who plays the lead in Criminal says that casting should be based on talent and not followers. He revealed this in an interview with Pulseng while recounting his struggles in the industry and how much he has grown.
He said: “I remember all so clearly when I started. It was a big problem for me.
“There was a time in this industry when it was mostly about Instagram and Twitter followers, and stuff like that. I didn't understand it but knew it was something I had to be at peace with because a production house wants to hire you and they’re looking at your numbers.
‘But can he act?’ That is the question I always ask. But there are some people who are blessed who are fantastic actors who have numbers and they’ve been doing well.”
“It's been really tough. But I love the job too much,”
After he played Toke Makinwa’s husband in Sugar Rush (2019), the doors to the big league opened. He featured in Prophetess (2021), The Set Up 2 (2022), and A Tribe Called Judah (2023), Nollywood’s highest-grossing film of all time.
As a theatre-trained actor, he is one of the few A-list male performers who didn’t transition to cinema and TV from a career as a model. All he had was his talent at a time when the industry desperately needed numbers. People had begun to invest more in Nollywood and producers wanted to prove to investors they could get returns on their investments.
