I was lucky to find a hot Nigerian wife –Ghanaian actor Chris Attoh

Ghanaian actor, Chris Attoh, needs no introduction in entertainment circles. With over a decade of acting experience, he says that Nigeria has blessed him with a lot. He speaks with OVWE MEDEME on a couple of issues, including family, career and life as an actor.

HOW has it been with you?
My career has been very exciting. It has been almost 15 years down the line. I remember when I said I was going to do this, thinking nothing is going to stop me. And here we are. At the moment we are on the set of Shuga and it is an amazing show. It is not just a television show. I can say that when you find yourself in a position like this on a set for MTV, you know that you have done something right with your career.

How many seasons of Shuga have you been on?
I was in the first season in Nigeria. This is the fourth season but it is my second appearance. It can only get better.

You are playing the role of a young man who used his wife as a punching bag on Shuga. Is that your true nature?
It is a character that I can relate to because to be able to give that performance, you end up doing a lot of research that can immerse you in that world. So for me, it is relatable. But it is also relatable for the many victims out there, who are victims of a true representation of the character I play which could be any young man. You can’t tell it on his face. It is not written on his face but at the end of the day, he is an abuser and a wife beater and there are serious laws to protect victims as well as to punish offenders.

This is why a role like that is attractive to me especially given that one way or another, I am playing something very far away from myself but it speaks volumes. That’s the point. This is the fourth season if Shuga and I still play the character who is well known for his wife beating characteristic but there is more to see this season as we are delving into deeper areas.

As an actor, you are prominent in Ghana but as it is, is it right to say you are gradually taking in 
permanent space in the Nigerian movie industry?
We are fast approaching a world where it is no longer about Ghollywood or Nollywood. We have independent producers who are now looking to make a great African films. This is also why we are all mixing. You can’t just have Nigerian actors in one platform or just Ghanaian actors in one production. When you mix it up, the magic is more. My attraction to Nollywood is that Nigeria is also the hub.
Whatever it is, Nigeria is the LA. You can live in New York, you can live where you want but if you are on film, you will probably always fly to LA or Hollywood to do the work. Nigeria is the LA in these parts. I say that because if anything is going to happen, the auditions are here in Nigeria. Most of my work on the international front has been founded here on Nigerian soil. And of course,I especially have been blessed with much from Nigeria including a beautiful Nigerian wife (smiles).

What has been your biggest challenge in the industry?
I think my biggest challenge as an actor has been choice. In a growing industry where you are looking for the best stages and the best platforms, I’ve never limited myself. I’ve never had to, which is why as a Ghanaian you find me here in Nigeria. I’ve done some productions in the States also.

As one who has acted in Ghana and Nigeria, what relative difference or similarities do you see in both industries?
The similarities are very much like the culture. There are so many similarities with the Ghanaian and the Nigerian culture. It is funny. I mean, if you want to go back in history, you are talking about pretty much the same people. Because the Ghanaians migrated from here. Especially where I am from, the Ghanaians migrated from the Nigerian people. They were among the Yorubas who came and settled. The similarities are many. In our food, in the way we talk, the way we express ourselves. So you find that especially in the desire.
The same desire for both industries to thrive. You have a smaller industry in Ghana pushing to give quality stuff. Wee have a much bigger industry here with more varieties and with numbers. Huge numbers. Nigeria always has the numbers which has created more varieties. So we have two thriving and yet challenging markets that are striving to be the very best that they can be. And I foresee that we will get there because now we are looking at a world where Kenyans, Ghanaians, south Africans and Nigerians are all together in one production. It will finally get better.

What was growing up in Ghana like?
I had the privilege of getting my fundamental education in Ghana. I moved on to London to study but ended up not studying. I ran out of school. And then I lived in the States for a while. But pretty much my upbringing was about the simple things. It was about appreciating what you had. As the son of a Chief, you are privileged with a few things but you are also taught to appreciate these things so that if you are left in a world where these things are no longer here, it won’t be about that.

What were you supposed to study in London?
I went because of a course that I wanted to do at the London Film and Television Institute. It was a television presenting course because I started as a television presenter. But by the fourth week in school, I discovered how to make money by working for the Queen. By the sixth week, I had quit school and was working about four jobs and making a lot of money. But one way or the other, that was not my portion. Something brought me back home and that was the beginning or reinventing my career.

What is your biggest vice?
I think my biggest vice would be caring too much. Whenever I have the opportunity, I would always encourage other people to do the same. Imagine a world where all I cared about was you, and all you cared about was the next person. I think we will all truly look after each other. Unfortunately, we are increasingly faced with a world where we are taught that separation is the key. It is not the key. We are all one.
You are also on Tinsel…
Tinsel has been a huge blessing in my career. It was a training ground for a lot of the things I’m able to do today and I’ll always be grateful to Mnet for that. On a personal level, I’m also very grateful because that is also where I met my beautiful wife and it has been wonderful since I got married to her. It is like we are acting every day.

What was the attraction when you first met her?
The attraction to my wife when I first met her is, her birthday is on the 18th of May while mine is on the 17th. That is the first thing that caught my attention. I said this must be my sister. If I’m a day before her, then our thoughts are probably the same and our desires are the same. We did find out that our desires are the same. She is an amazing person. When Dami walks into a room, she steals the attention so it is very hard not to notice her. Obviously I was meeting new people, new faces but she definitely made an impression.

Will your child be Nigerian or a Ghanaian?
(Laughs). First of all, it is interesting that you ask that question because the beautiful thing is that my child is a reflection of the world that I get to enjoy and the world that I get to share. My child is a reflection of Ghana as well as Nigeria. As the great Kwame Nkrumah desired, that is true power, where Africa comes together.

When you got married to a Nigerian, did your Ghanaian sisters not get angry with you?
My Ghanaian sisters, my Nigerian sisters, my Canadian sisters, my American sisters were all angry. Don’t mind me. That is all I’ll say.

What was your reaction?
My reaction is that you enjoy life until you find that one person who you decide you will not let go, you want to share the rest of your life with that person. Unfortunately, it has to be one person. It beats being whether the person is Ghanaian or Nigerian or Italian. I was lucky to find myself a hot, beautiful Nigerian woman. Me, I need some fire in my life, so there you go.

If you have to settle down somewhere, where would that be?
That is an interesting question because I am thinking about that now. I’ve had the pleasure of exploring the world. I don’t think that I’m done yet. Home will always be home but now that I already have two homes, Nigeria and Ghana. But I think that at the end of the day, home is where the heart is and where family is for me now. And that is what I’m loving about it. Whether it is in the States, whether it is in the moon, as long as my family is around, I’m alright.
As one acts and your wife also acts.
To remember that every moment is golden, to appreciate everyday as it comes and to take it one day at a time.

What plans do you have for when the job takes both of you away from home?
When we get to that bridge, we will cross it. Really, there is nothing impossible. Many have done it and I suppose we are coming as well.