Multiple award winner, Pete Edochie, may look too serious for fashion and style discussions but you cannot deny he is one of the good looking men in Nollywood. The accomplished broadcaster also has few style qualities that stands him out. In this interview with Senior Reporter, Ifeoma Ononye, he speaks on his personality, style and why he loves his hair.
Back in the days when you were young, were you one of the happening guys?
Pete Edochie, Nollywood Actor
In our own time we didn’t have what you describe as happening guys. We enjoyed drinking. We had very little time for women. We didn’t have time to keep girlfriends. When I met my wife, I just came back from the north. I told her I loved her and will like to marry her. She said if I was serious about it, let us go ahead and we got married. I wasn’t an adventurous young man. If you talk about drinking, yes I can take some pride in that but going from one woman to another and keeping a chain of girlfriends and having them fight over you, no, I didn’t have time for that. I mean I was a very strikingly handsome man; there was no doubt about that. They called me Elvis Presley. I was growing my hair. I was that in-thing you wanted to talk about in that way. A lot of girls came after me back then if I must be frank but I did not see them as people who can occupy me. Not that they were not worthy but we had a group of young men who had our own source of inspiration. We believed in music and acting. When we come together we either sing to the Beatles or talk about interesting things. We were not one of the ‘o boy, this girl na wa’ kind of people like we have now.
You have won many awards from different organisation; the most recent is that of Igbo Person Of The Year, are you also grounded in your culture?
I am an Igbo man. I have no regrets for that. If you watch me in my productions, I wear mostly Igbo outfits. By sartorial projection, I put across something that culturally identify with my people. And I am happy about it. I always wear a red cap because I am a titled man. And I encourage people to project their culture. I once introduced a polish woman; she was a doctor and was supposed to teach me how to pronounce polish names, to our local drink, palm wine and how to eat ugba.
We have never seen you wear a suit, why?
In the photograph I took back in those days with the late Professor Chinua Achebe, I was wearing a suit. I took that photograph after I came back from BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). Back in those days when I just came back from Britain, I wore suit a lot but when I realised myself, I stopped wearing all those things. We belong to a tropical climate; there is no need for ties. I prefer our native attire; they are stylish and unique and suit our weather perfectly.
How do you relax? Do you go to the club or relax with friends?
I am not a club person. I am not used to going out. I can watch television for a whole day. Going from one station to another, I watch the news, sports and others. I go out occasionally.
You like your own company more?
Not really. I go out when I like and may just take a bottle of beer and I buy for others around me because I enjoy company. I don’t drink except people come. Sometimes I buy palm wine and stock it in the fridge incase I have visitors. I am not out going I must tell you the truth.
We have never seen you in any red carpet event or even those African Movie Academy Award (AMAA) or African Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA), why?
I have never attended any. I get invited to AMAA but I never attended.
Tell us all the titles that came with all the red caps in your wardrobe?
There is no need to announce the titles. Just be satisfied with the fact that I am a titled man. Yes my house is filled with red caps. Not all has its own title. If I go on location to shoot and you give me a red cap to use, no other person will use it. I go with the cap when I am through with production. Anybody who is a titled man does not share caps. I don’t make that mistake. Before shooting a film, I tell those in charge that once I put the cap there is no returning it.
Do you usually go to location with your own clothes?
I go to locations with my own costumes all the time. They give me costumes but unfortunately because they do not measure me, most of what they give me is so tight and I feel very uncomfortable. The last film I shot, every single thing I wore was from my wardrobe.
So how often do you upgrade your wardrobe so you don’t go out of fashion?
I don’t necessarily shop every time nor have a particular time I upgrade. I have a lot of clothes in my wardrobe that are yet to be worn.
What does a man need to wear?
A man should be simple and straight to the point with what they wear. I hardly go out so I only dress up when I am on location or have an event to attend. I am not dressing to impress anybody. I am not the type that thinks of wearing what will attract girls. I will always dress like a titled man. I am a titled man. I cannot wear coat or suit, whatever their names are now. If you like me as a girl, thank you. You will have to like me from what you see. Even if I am invited to a party with the president, my native attire is what I am going to wear.
Do you wear T-shirts for a stroll?
I wear my T-shirts at home. I don’t have to wear T-shirts for outing. My tummy is too big to wear a T-shirt. You have to know what fits you. I have about five to six pairs of jeans. I wear my jeans, sneakers and large shirt for outing. And I comb my hair.
Tell us about your hair…
A lot of my age mates do not have the kind of hair I have.
Don’t you like cutting your hair once in a while?
I do cut them sometimes. The hair was given to me by God. He did not give it to me to clear them away. Most of the men who are bald headed today are bald because they are not grooming their hair regularly. Some who turn out to be bald cut the entire thing so you don’t know they are looking like dangerous birds. My father had a lot of hair before he died at 96. My father in-law was bald. My children, because they are predominantly male, they are taking after their mother. I love my hair. At my age, if I am doing a production and you tell me to clear all my hair, I cannot do that. Not even if you pay me all the money in the world. Look at people like Wole Soyinka. People admire him because of his hair. I will keep my hair. If it goes all white, I will thank God for it. My hair has always been my identity. There is nobody who has hair like me in the industry, particularly those who belong to my age group. A lot of people do not believe it is my real hair. I have had a woman walk up to me in church and touch my hair.