Kanayo O. Kanayo: I’ve never been typecast
By Tosin Brown
Nollywood veteran actor Kanayo O. Kanayo has refuted claims that he has been typecast in ritual-themed films.
In a recent interview, he said, “I’ve never been typecast. If those storylines were not selling, we wouldn’t be doing them. There are no bad roles and good roles. Every role complements another. I have been playing different roles. I’m dynamic from one role to the other and that’s what I keep on doing, teaching society lessons from each story told.”
On how he separates his real life from his roles in ritual-themed films, Kanayo said, “In this part of the world, people see you playing the role of a wicked father-in-law and attach you to that role. They say you’re a wicked man. People see you as a billionaire in a role and assume that you must be a billionaire in person, but the actor has only done an excellent job if the audience believes he is the character he plays.”
Continuing, the actor said, “Over the years, I can assure you that my identity has not mixed with any movie role and character I play, even the good roles. I don’t want to live the characters I play, even the good characters. I want to play the role well enough for you to believe it because role interpretation matters in this job. Any actor who tries to live his movie role has to either steal or engage in some corrupt practices. An actor should be comfortable and invest his money in alternative sources of income.”
