American actors & Hollywood are currently understudying Nollywood processes— Kanayo O. Kanayo

Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo has said American actors are currently understudying the processes Nollywood actors produce in a short period.

Kanayo claimed that the Hollywood actors have been inquisitive about how most of them (Nigerian movie producers) deliver projects meant to be delivered in months, just a few weeks.

The veteran actor disclosed this while speaking on the Honest Bunch podcast on Monday.

According to him, navigating the complex maze of the acting profession in Nigeria requires a great deal of work, perseverance, energy, patience, and dedication.

“They have come to understudy us. Americans from New York came to study us, and they said, guys, ‘we see some efforts here and there; these things take us about one month to sort; how come you achieve it in one week?’

“So it was now a course of study for them. They saw the zeal we put in.

“Gone are those days they used to see our work as nothing. In fact, the word ‘Nollywood’ drew out of the seemingly ‘Nothingwood,’” he added.

He maintained that Nollywood actors, like himself, put in a lot of effort to act and produce good films, unlike what is seen today.

Kanayo further described himself as a better actor. He claimed he puts in more work than Hollywood star Denzel Washington while alluding to the days of 2k light being projected on them.

“2k light is projected on us during production, and it is so hot and could burn when you go close to it, or it falls on you. I also used longer hours producing in this light and under some uncomfortable conditions.

“If Denzel Washington puts in the number of hours I put in a production here, his colour will change to charcoal the next day,” he stressed.

He, however, discouraged those projecting different kinds of woods, like Kannywood, Yorubahood, and Asabawood, saying that there is only one Nollywood like Hollywood.