Veteran Nigerian actor, Chinedu Ikedieze, aka Aki, has said the social media phrase “Old Nollywood vs New Nollywood” was coined by overzealous Gen Z performers in an attempt to exert superiority.
He said the Gen Z actors are constantly trying to make it seem like they are “the best” and “Hollywood standard.”
Speaking in the latest episode of TeaTalk podcast hosted by actress, Toke Makinwa, Ikedieze 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.”
His fellow guest on the podcast, comedian Bovi, however, disagreed with him.
“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,” Bovi said.
