Over the years, Chris Attoh has been known on the screen as Kwame Mensha on Tinsel, Nii in Shuga, Jay in Single and married and Umar in Flower girl. In this interview with The Nation, the Ghollywood superstar who is married to Nigerian actress Damilola Adegbite, shared what it's like to be married, being a new dad, his new passion which is directing and other sundry issues.
Excerpts:
What’s it like being a dad ?
It’s the best thing that has ever happened to me and it makes me have a deep understanding and an insight into God’s love for His children no matter what. I discovered that the more time I put into it,the more I get back. It’s beautiful.
How has it been like married to Damilola, you guys are just like the perfect couple?
It’s been exactly like you stated. It’s just perfect (laughs). It’s been wonderful and the relationship has taken time to grow. You know I watched Damilola from being a girl, to a woman, then to being a mother and really we can’t be more grateful as to how things have turned out to be.
You guys are from different countries and different cultural backgrounds, so how has it been?
It has always been interesting because we’re so similar and yet so different. The interesting thing is that we’ve always discovered our similarities. The similarities are so many and the differences are so few. The Ga people of which I am one, are literally descendants of the Yoruba. The Yoruba people decided to stay in Nigeria and the rest migrated to settle down in Ghana and other places. So, in Ghana, the Ga people share something with the Yoruba in the way we greet, our diets and the way we appreciate things . Whenever there is a misunderstanding, I think that the beauty of it all is that we always resolve it amicably. I think before our wedding we had many interesting issues but I am more educated about the Yoruba culture. I feel more at home now.
Can you tell us about your childhood?
My family is blessed fwith a humble beginning. My father worked very hard to make sure that we had very good education. One of the things we were privileged to have is exposure. Being the son of a chief especially in Ghana, much was expected of us. I think all that is translated to the man you see here today from humble beginnings but yet very disciplined.
As a child, were you a nerd or a popular kid?
You know you hit the nail on the head because I was more of a nerd as I kept to myself a lot. I was in my own world. If I talked to you, it took a while. A lot of my friends in school thought it’s interesting to see me now in the public eye, where I talk to everybody. It’s a blessing every single day when you look at it.
At what point did you decide to take acting as a profession?
I graduated from the university so many years ago and I always wanted to go to film school and always wanted to direct. I wanted to hold my audience spell-bound for at least two hours which is the power of a director. So, that aspect was actually very interesting to me and that was my motivation. Then I thought okay, if I was going to direct, one day, it would be interesting to find out what’s in it for the actor and therefore direct the actor. That was how I got into this mess (laughs). I got into it and I guess I’m good at it.
Why did you leave Tinsel? We’ve heard lots of stories about that…
Well, Tinsel will always be the training ground that I’m always grateful to, because that was where we all got most of our training. It was also where we built families; it was where I found a beautiful wife (laughs). But like every other job, we outgrow it and after eight years of shooting Tinsel, it was time to move on because I wanted to do other things. It’s time now to start making that journey towards directing which is why I got into acting in the first place and I couldn’t do that on Tinsel because it was very demanding. Tinsel is usually shot six days weekly, leaving just one day for me to address my other needs, so as much as we all got comfortable, one must move on and create even greater vista.
Have you started directing now?
Yes, I have. I have had the opportunity to study in the film academy in New York and since then, I have done a few short films. I recently directed a film for Ebony Live Television. It’s called Devoted and you can find it all on my website, www. chrisattoi.com. If you go there, you will be able to see some of the trailers as well.
What’s the difference between an actor and a director?
The huge difference is that the director is the puppet manipulator and the actors are the puppets. But really, the director is responsible for creating and bringing that story to life while the actors are simply soldiers or part of the pun. So, the director is in charge but again in film making, without actors, it’s meaningless.
You have grown on the job now, can you compare when you started and now?
Yes, I can and all I can say is growth all the way (laughs). The truth is that you get what you put in. If I’m asked to advise someone coming in newly, I would say it takes a lot of hard work, it takes a lot to do what you are doing and to bring out the best in you. As an actor, I like to hold my audience spell-bound through my performance and ask them if they see anything that they can relate to and I think I wouldn’t be caught doing anything else, maybe in the next life?
You met your wife on set, the first day you saw her, did you think she would be your wife?
Na wa o!(Laughs) The first day I saw Damilola, she had a way of entering a room and stealing all the attention and so there was no way I couldn’t have noticed her. But I won’t lie to you, maybe the most I thought of was, I have got to have some of that ( laughs). But if someone stated at that time that she would be my wife, I would probably have said, “you are joking.” But working to together, living together and growing up as a family, I have to say that God has blessed us in our relationship. You know, I have learnt to be her friend, the man in her life and right now I enjoy being her husband.