‘You’re Going to Start Acting Today’: Imasuen Recalls Discovering Alex Ekubo

Renowned Nollywood director Lancelot Imasuen has shared the story of how he helped launch the acting career of late screen star Alex Ekubo, revealing that the actor’s first role came unexpectedly while he was still a student.

Reflecting on Ekubo’s passing, Imasuen described the loss as “devastating and unbelievable,” recalling years of friendship with the actor and his family.

According to the filmmaker, his relationship with Ekubo began in Surulere, Lagos, where he was close to the actor’s father. The family frequently made their home available as a filming location, giving the young Ekubo a front-row seat to movie production.

“He would always watch us work whenever we came to shoot there,” Imasuen recalled. “That was how I gave him his first movie role, the one that ushered him into Nollywood.”

At the time, Ekubo was attending secondary school in northern Nigeria but regularly visited Lagos. Living in the same neighbourhood in Aguda, Surulere, allowed him to maintain close contact with Imasuen and other film professionals.

The breakthrough came during a production in the early 2000s featuring industry veterans such as Justus Esiri, Ngozi Ezeonu, Empress Njamah, Charles Inojie and Charles Awurum.

Needing someone for a small role, Imasuen decided to give Ekubo a chance.

“You’ve always been watching us. You’re going to start acting today,” he told him.

The young Ekubo embraced the opportunity, delivered a strong performance and earned his first acting fee.

Shortly afterward, he gained admission to the University of Calabar and returned to continue his studies. Imasuen said he handed the acting fee to Ekubo’s mother, who was delighted by the development.

“She was excited that her son had earned his first fee from acting,” he recalled. “That was how Alex’s journey into Nollywood began in earnest.”

Ekubo later returned to Lagos and personally thanked Imasuen for the gesture. Beyond acting, he pursued modelling during his university years and competed in the Mr Nigeria pageant, laying the foundation for a successful entertainment career.

The actor will be buried on June 18 in his hometown of Arochukwu, located in Abia State.

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