Crossover actor par excellence, and star of countless DStv-sponsored
productions including, Edge of Paradise,
Norbert Young
has come out to declare that even though home video
appearance pays him more, acting on stage is where his
fulfillment comes from. The actor who is regarded as one of
the best-trained movie role interpreters in Nollywood, said
so in an exclusive interview with our correspondent
recently, adding that whenever he had the rare opportunity
to see some of the productions he stared in many years ago,
he is usually overtaken by a feeling of amazement
Long before the advent of home video, the Warri, Delta
State-born thespian, has always been a delight to watch on
screen. Many television viewers, especially those who
followed rested soap opera, Checkmate, would readily recall
his face as the randy lecturer, Professor Okon. But, whoever
thought that was his first outing in a nationally aired
television drama, had obviously been mistaken, as we found
out.
Norbert Young was part of the detective drama series, Third
Eye, which ran in the 1980s.
Currently playing the character Emeka Anyanwu in Edge Of
Paradise, not many knew that he got the role by a stroke of
fate.
As we exclusively gathered, Norbert missed the two auditions
for cast of the now running series because he had other
engagements. But as fate would have it, the sponsors of the
drama were satisfied with all other roles excepting that of
Emeka Anyanwu, and had to call for another round of
audition, just for that singular role. And this time round,
he was available. And the rest is history.
Though he savors the plus of being seen by an elite audience
across over twenty countries in Africa and possibly beyond,
via DStv, he told our correspondent that like any other
artiste, he prefers the mass audience to a select one. Don’t
blame him though, after all, he had had to wow movie
audiences in several countries that the Nigerian home video
has journeyed to.
"Well, with all sense of humility," he started, when he
played host to this reporter at his Ijegun, Lagos residence,
"That is small considering that one has been seen all over
the world, and as far as I am concerned, DStv is elitist, so
the viewers may be very small. I think the home video gives
me a wider coverage and audience base," he asserted, paused
then added, "If you ask any performer, he’ll tell you he
prefers the popular audience."
The University of Ibadan and University of Benin trained
actor, who actually started his acting career at the
University of Ibadan, after his Diploma in Theatre, believes
strongly that he is one of the best trained actors in the
whole world, and this he tried to justify with the argument
that he passed through some of the best theatre teachers
around.
Whether one acquiesced or not, really, no actor worth his
onions would pass through the likes of late Professor Zulu
Sofola, Ola Rotimi, Bayo Oduneye, Mrs. Ajayi, Professor Dapo
Adelugba and Femi Osofisan amongst other erudite theatre
scholars, and wouldn’t thumb his chest with pride to assert
that he or her received one of the best trainings available
for practitioners in the art.
Little wonder he told us, "I consider the honing of my
talents and the discipline about the trade, the two best
things I came out of University of Ibadan with. And I can
state that, by the grace of God, I am one of the best
trained in the world," he gushed.
Some of Nobert Young's Movies
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Nobert
Young
