Actor Owobo Ogunde has opened up about how his journey into acting began under the guidance of his late father, Hubert Ogunde.
In an interview with Vanguard, Owobo said he was taken out of school at 14 to join his father’s theatre troupe, a decision that shaped his early life.
“I was withdrawn from school at the age of 14 to join my father as an actor. That’s how I started my acting career. I was with my father from age 14 to age 22,” he said.
He explained that at 22, he had not completed his secondary education and had focused entirely on performing arts.
“All I knew at that time was acting, dance, and singing. I was a walking artist,” he added.
Owobo also spoke about his father’s enduring influence, insisting that the legacy of the theatre icon remains strong.
“Hubert Ogunde is still alive; he has always been alive,” he said, noting the size of the family and the continued relevance of the name in Nigerian theatre.
He dismissed concerns about whether his father’s legacy has been sustained, pointing to his own return to acting after decades abroad.
Owobo left Nigeria for the United Kingdom in 1992 and returned about 30 years later, taking a role in Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre by Kunle Afolayan.
Reflecting on that decision, he said: “I wasn’t thrilled at all. I asked him to give me some time to think about it. I also spoke to a couple of friends and family members. Shockingly, my friends and family members advised me not to act in the film. This is because I haven’t been acting for some time, I was even questioning myself whether I can do it. A lot of things were going through my mind. In the end, I decided to act in the film for one reason: I wanted to find out if you take the man out of the theatre, whether you can take the theatre out of him.”
He added that despite doubts from friends and family, the experience confirmed his roots in the craft.
On his plans, Owobo said audiences should expect to see more of him on screen, adding that he is mindful of the responsibility tied to his family name.
“My vision is to get to a point where we can bring back Ogunde films so that people who love the films can see them again. We can also make films at the level of the quality that my father used to make the films. That’s the way to bring back the legacy of the father of modern Nigerian Theatre and that’s the way to honour his legacy.”
Hubert Ogunde, widely regarded as the father of modern Nigerian theatre, died in 1990. He founded one of the earliest professional theatre companies in Nigeria and used drama to address social and political issues. His works remain part of theatre studies in Nigerian universities, and his influence continues to shape stage and film storytelling in the country.
