Tony Umez: I was a twin at birth but my sister came stillborn

Tony Umez, the Nigerian actor, says the girl child who was to be a twin of his was born still.

The film star briefly spoke about his childhood while replying to questions about women in a chat with BBC Igbo.

Umez, in Nollywood, is known for his roles as a soft-hearted husband figure who has his flaws with women.

Asked about the challenges he has faced navigating his acting career, the film star humorously spoke of how viewers are often not able to draw a line between the roles he takes up in movies and the man he is in person.

Umez spoke of his twin who was stillborn and how his late mum taught him from childhood to respect women.

“My biggest challenge navigating the acting space has been about people seeing you not for who you are but for the character you play [in movies]. On the other hand, it’s a testimony that you played that character well,” he said.

“I had to always point out that I’m different from what I play in movies. I was brought up to respect women. My late mum used to tell me that, once a girl gets to 12-13 years of age and starts seeing stuff, she can become a mother.

“She said to respect them from that moment on. So I respect women a lot. But I’m a frank person. No woman will take me for a ride as Tony Umez. [Unlike in the movies], voodoo can’t get to me. I’m a twin. The girl was born still.

“I have, this belief as an African that you can’t hurt a twin. I respect the role of women in a man’s life but I’m not that Tony Umez [who is gullible in matters of women], although I say sorry when I should be.”

Umez started acting in his secondary school days when he performed in stage plays and drama.

In 1993, the actor joined Nollywood but didn’t earn a dime from his first two movies, prompting his hiatus.

Umez returned to the industry in 1997 and was featured in the movie ‘The Princess’.

However, it was the film ‘Died Wretched’, released in 1998, that would nudge him into the limelight.