Actor Chidi Mokeme reveals how Bell’s Palsy stopped him from acting
Veteran actor, Chidi Mokeme, has disclosed what made him stay away from acting for a while.
The actor who recently featured in the newly released ‘Shanty Town’ series revealed that he had Bell’s Palsy which is a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face.
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Mokeme made this known while speaking on Channels Television’s Rubbin Minds on Sunday.
“Yeah I have been off the film for a while. After we did the promotional tour for 76 and we went to the Toronto International Film Festival. I will say something that I haven’t actually said somewhere else because after that, as we were preparing to go to the UK for the British International Film Festival, I came down with something called Bell’s Palsy, it was the first time I was hearing it,” Mokeme said.
“Bell’s Palsy comes like a stroke and it’s something that affects one side of your face and sort of gives you a droop. It was something that the doctors felt was incurable because they didn’t know what causes it, they didn’t know how to treat it. So, as an actor if you come down with something that affects your face, you can imagine what I must have been going through that time.
“I thought it was something I could move around with, I tried to come for the Lagos premier of 76 at the time but the attention was sort of focused on the face rather than the premier, then I knew it’s not something that I could work with. I will take time off to try and sort out that problem. So in the meantime I just focused on doing my other business,” the actor added.
His role in the trending series has attracted graceful reviews from viewers as he acted the character ‘Scar’ in what reminded his fans of his good old days’ role of the ‘bad boy’ in the Nollywood industry.
On how he feels receiving positive reviews of his performance despite a long absence from the screens, Mokeme said, “It’s been humbling and coming from where I’m coming from in the last four to five years, I’m still trying to take it in.”
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