There’s a growing sense Nollywood is about to enter its golden age. While the Nigerian movie industry has always been one of the world’s most prominent for some time, it has been criticized for prioritizing quantity over quality. However, the times are changing, and the quality is rapidly gaining on the quantity. Our movies are earning strong performances at the box office and on streaming platforms. The upside to all that is the many phenomenal acting talents this country possesses are now getting recognized at home and abroad. Chimezie Imo is one such talent, and he has earned his place as one of the faces of the industry.
For Chimezie Imo, every milestone between his first screen appearance to his Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards nomination has been earned, not given. Born in Lagos state in January 1992, Chimezie found his connection to the arts through participation in church choir and theatre groups. His first stage appearance came in a church stage play at eight years old. Aiming to follow in the footsteps of his idols like Ramsey Nouah and Gabriel Afolayan, he continued to put for a career on the big screens. A runner-up finish on “The Next Movie Star Reality Show” in 2014 gave him his first big break.
Chimezie’s on-screen debut came in the film “Learning Curves,” and he has barely put a foot wrong since then. While a few decent film and TV appearances followed, his role in the drama series “Shuga” was the true catalyst for all of his success so far. He shone as he played the part of a young man succumbing to peer pressure and backed that up with another solid performance in “Kasala” that same year.
Every successful actor has that one movie or series they can point to as the gig that really changed their lives. For Chimezie Imo, it was undoubtedly “Nimbe: The Movie.” The 2019 movie explored the world of drug trafficking and substance abuse and obviously needed powerful acting to push its poignant tale. Chimezie’s convincing performance in the lead role of Nimbe, a teenager who got involved in the dangerous world of drugs, propelled the movie to positive reviews and a strong box office performance. It also led to two nominations – one for the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) and the other for the Future Awards – both acknowledging Chimezie’s potential to become a superstar.
At the heart of Chimezie’s successes so far is his willingness to take on challenging roles and his ability to essentially become one with the fictional character he is tasked to play. A high level of preparation is required to truly embody a fictional character, and Chimezie is an actor who is always ready to put in the work. A strong example is the effort he put into understanding the mind of a sickle cell warrior for the movie “Choke,” which included extensive conversations with people living with the condition. He also forced himself to live with a cat before filming and lost a lot of weight. The dedication paid off and led to another critically acclaimed performance.
With each role he is asked to play, Chimezie Imo grows into an actor who commands attention and awe. Hence, it’s no surprise that he continued his pattern of excellence in his last major appearance, which came on “Breath of Life,” an Amazon Prime Video feature film. He also recently debuted as a producer in the short film “It Happened Again,” proving that he can contribute to the industry’s growth in multiple ways. We can say with a high degree of certainty that Chimezie Imo will be an important figure for Nollywood for years to come. He’s a fantastic talent; hopefully, the industry will reward him appropriately.
