Nobert Young

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.