Nollywood veteran Patience Ozokwor has revealed the challenges she faced at the start of her career, particularly with people attempting to assign titles to her.
She recounted how some individuals tried to label her as the “Liz Benson of Enugu” in comparison to the legendary actress Liz Benson. However, she refused this label, asserting that both she and Liz Benson have distinct identities.
Additionally, Ozokwor shared that she declined suggestions to adopt her husband’s first name as her surname, opting instead to retain her husband’s family name.
Ozokwor was interviewed by Nwafo TV recently.
“I don’t know how it started, all I know was that when I started [my acting career] and people started recognising this woman from Enugu.
“So, there was a time I came to Lagos for a shoot and people started saying, ‘That’s her, this woman from Enugu.’ They said, ‘You’re the Liz Benson’ of Enugu.’
“I said, ‘No, with all due respect, I don’t want to be like Liz Benson, I want to be myself. I am Patience Ozokwor of Enugu’,” she recalled.
She added: “And some people came and said, ‘You don’t even need to answer Patience Ozokwor again. Answer your husband’s first name Edmund; Patience Edmund.’
“I said, ‘No, because in Igbo land you’re not just married by one man, you’re married by a family. I don’t know about other tribes.
“So my husband’s people, their name is Ozokwor. When you mention Ozokwor in any part of this world, people who know the Ozokwors would say ‘I know where she comes from’.”
