In this interview with NAOMI CHIMA, veteran actor, Chidi Mokeme, gives an insight into his travails battling with Bell’s palsy, a condition that paralysed half of his face; and the sacrifices he made towards fitting into the character, Scar, in the action-packed drama series, Shanty Town

How challenging was it battling with Bell’s palsy?

It was quite challenging. This happened while we were in the middle of promotional tours for the movie, 76. I couldn’t be part of the tours; you know how it is when you have done the work or be part of a job that is as beautiful as 76, part of the joy of it is to join to show it around to people, be there, live and see their reactions and receive criticisms, good or bad.

And to go from there and know that I won’t be able to work for some time until my face is sorted out, was a challenging time.

When did you experience this ailment and what were the symptoms?

It happened in 2016. I woke up and felt that one part of my body and my face wasn’t feeling alright. By the time I managed to get up, conversations became difficult because I was no longer in control of half of my face. So, the first impression was that it was a stroke because it had the same symptoms as a stroke. But at the hospital, they said it was Bell’s palsy.

You made a heroic return to acting with your role in Shanty Town after experiencing such a medical condition, how did that make you feel?

I did what I would do with other roles in Shanty Town. As an actor, I gave it my shot. That’s the mindset that I approach every character with. With the advent of social media and the likes, we were able to get so much love. It feels good to have great reviews though.

How challenging was it to work on you becoming Scar?

It was quite challenging because Scar was a deep character. It was an embodiment of a lot of issues, both mental and psychological. The character himself was dealing with a lot and all of that was moulding the way that he was responding to society. To be able to embody all of that and project it in such a way that you can see through it in every scene, it was difficult, trying to embody the character and keep it consistent. But I guess we tried our best and the reviews have been very nice.

What motivated you to take up the villain role in Shanty Town?

I think for every actor, the basic motivation first and foremost is always the script. So you see a good script and you like it, you feel drawn to it and then you want to do it. So, it was the same thing with Shanty Town. I saw it and I was immediately drawn to it.

You had to take packets of cigarettes per day just for the role, why? Did you consider the health implications?

(Laughs!) Sometimes as creative people, we put ourselves in a sort of arms way. We do stunts and so many dangerous things to make the story as believable as possible. For most of the guys on the street, smokers are addicted to forms of stuff and the effects of years and years of consistent smoking have these telltale signs on the eyes, lips and voice. So, what I sort of tried to do for Scar was to give him a crash course, and put him in a comfortable place around all that smoking, all that cigarettes, and just make it look like it was second nature.

Will there be more of you playing the role of an antagonist in other movies?

Everybody knows that I love to play the villain. I am comfortable being an antagonist. The bad guy has a kind of swag and personality; we have different shades of the bad guy across both sides. Scar was just one. There would be a lot of bad guys, each of them coming with their own personality. I love the bad guy roles, you just need good morals to be a good guy, but I always liked a dirty, bad guy because it takes a lot more from you.

You are a multilinguist, how has that influenced your career?

It is an added advantage; it is something every Nigerian aspires to do. That’s the spirit of one Nigeria. I was fortunate to have been able to live in different parts of the country by design; I had my primary school in Lagos State, secondary school in Niger State and then went on to the east to continue my higher education. It’s an advantage because movies are ‘boundary-less.’ Ability to tell stories in whatever type of language as we already see in a multicultural society like Nigeria with different ethnic groups is a gift.