Streets of Calabar has a rapturous secret!

The character, De Don. Who is the actor behind the mask? Do you know?

Those of you who have watched the trailer and read the synopsis for the soon to be released Nollywood international movie Streets of Calabar will already know the story involves two dodgy jokers, a 419 (advance fee fraud) scam and a crime boss trying to take over the peaceful streets of Calabar. But who is the actor behind the very distinctive red hat and black mask? Nobody seems to know. Surprisingly in fact, it’s been a very well kept secret.

The only information revealed so far by the producers of this movie is that the character known as De Don, is played by a very well known and much loved Nollywood actor. But just when his identity will be revealed appears to still be under wraps.

The evil De Don!

Writer and producer of Streets of Calabar, Charles Aniagolu said, “We’re undecided yet whether we should reveal the actor’s identity before the premiere of the movie or whether to keep it a secret and surprise everyone on premiere night”.

The actor behind the character said, “I was very excited with the script for this movie. The role of De Don was a real challenge and I love challenges. I am always looking to go above and beyond whatever parts I have played in the past. So for me, it was another opportunity to push myself and improve on my craft”.

Who is this?

The Facebook fan page for Streets of Calabar has had a number of people posting comments and guessing the identity of this actor.  Some fans believe the face of De Don might be Keppy Ekpenyong or Jim Ike. Some have even said it might be Rita Dominic! Well, if it is Rita, then this would mean she plays two roles in the film. Is that probable?

So, who is this mystery person? Should the producers of the movie publicise the face behind the mask before the movie premiere or is it better to do a reveal on the night of the premiere? Tell us what you think…

He KISSED her. He LIKED it. But boy was he NERVOUS!

Anthony Ofoegbu & Rita Dominic as Chuks and Sly
in soon to be released Streets of Calabar

It seems Anthony Ofoegbu, lead actor in Streets of Calabar felt rather nervous about ‘sleeping’ with Rita Dominic in the soon to be released Nollywood movie. We caught up with him on set the day before he was due to go between the ‘sheets’ with the AMAA 2012 winner for Best Actress and it was fairly obvious the tension was beginning to mount.

All kinds of crew from wardrobe to make-up to production management were buzzing around him on set. But then Anthony was used to that kind of thing, having been in the business now for over twenty years, travelling the world performing and even touring as part of Wole Soyinka’s theatre productions.

The majority of his work however has been based in the UK and Streets of Calabar was his first time of working on a movie with Nollywood actors and this is what he wasn’t used to.  So he was pleasantly surprised at the quality of performances from the likes of Rita Dominic and even more astonished by the huge following she had garnered in Nigeria and across Africa.

And so to suddenly find himself in bed with one of Nollywood’s most celebrated actresses required some kind of mental fortitude. Anthony showed me some of the exercises he uses to psych himself up for such scenes.

“I never feel one hundred percent comfortable filming any kissing or bedroom scenes let alone having to kiss one of Nigeria’s most popular actors”, Anthony said. “People just don’t realise how hard it is when you have a camera right up next to your face and a director telling you to move this way and that and just when you think you’ve got it right the director yells, CUT and says no, no you have to have your arm over this way or your face has to move in that direction. So it can be quite difficult to make it look believable.”

The following day we met up with Anthony to find out how it all went. He had a big smile on his face and he seemed jubilant. “The scene went very well. It was a closed set which was brilliant because it meant just the essential crew were in the room. So both Rita and I felt much more comfortable. Rita was terrific. She is such a professional”.

But just how was THAT kiss? And Anthony replied “I was nervous. Rita is such a beautiful woman but she is also a terrific actor. But I do have to say WOW, WOW, WOW and that’s all I can say”. He then ran off with a big smile on his face ready to start preparing for his next scene.