Nigerian movie star, Chinedu Ikedieze popularly known as Aki, has said the terms “Old Nollywood” and “New Nollywood” were coined by overzealous Gen Z actors.
The seasoned thespian said the Gen Z actors want to exert superiority, so they constantly try to make it seem like they are the best and “Hollywood standard.”
Speaking in the latest episode of Tea Talk podcast hosted with media personality, Toke Makinwa, Aki said, “There’s this thing now, Old Nollywood and New Nollywood. It’s absurd.
“I think the Gen Zs in Nollywood are trying to make it look like, ‘Oh! We’re the latest. We’re the Hollywood standards. We’re the best. We know it all.”
Fellow guest, popular comedian Bovi, however, disagreed with him, saying there is a obvious complex that exists in the movie industry and the older entertainers tend to look down on the new ones.
Bovi said; “It’s not even just them [Gen Z]. Let me tell you one thing that is common. I think it’s general in Nigeria but let me speak on the entertainment industry. Those before tend to look down on newcomers. They would be like, ‘Who’s this? Me, I’ve been in this business. I’m an aunty. She just came and said hi. Who’s this guy? He can’t behave himself. Does he know how long you’ve been doing it?’
“They [older actors] have been doing that. The reason many of us are relating with people like you [Ikedieze] is because when we came into the industry, you didn’t snub us. But the a**holes that are out there… We know them. And now they act all cool. So, it’s not just a Gen Z thing, the Old Nollywood, there are many of them who have seniority complexes”.