The popular actor told Showbiz last Monday, “It is said that you don’t live at a place for long if that place is likely to bring you disgrace. That is why I have planned to quit acting and concentrate on my music career if the producers continue to sideline me.”
He said that it had become necessary for him to take that step because some producers of Akan speaking movies have ganged up against him seeking to forcefully oust him from the business.
Until the emergence of actors Kwaku Manu and Lil Win on the Akan movie scene, popularly called Kumawood, Agya Koo enjoyed a huge following among movie enthusiasts.
But in recent times, the scales have turned and Agya Koo is barely featured although he still believes that he is the topmost actor as far as Akan movies go.
“It is quite interesting to hear people say that Agya Koo’s time has passed”, he said in last Monday’s interview. ” Do actors have expiry dates? How many of the old Nigerian actors and actresses don’t we continue to watch in Nollywood movies? If they are not that relevant, why are they featured in the movies?
“I know all the people championing this propaganda. It is a clique of people who have just conspired because they are probably envious of my progress in life.
They have warned their colleague producers not to feature me in their movies. As if that is not enough, they have also warned distributors not to sell my movies. Their excuse is that Agya Koo is too expensive.
“I wonder when they got that idea. For a long time, I have been charging the same fee so I get really surprised when I hear statements like that. Besides, the same producers employ the services of Nigerian actors and even pay them up to six times the fee I charge.
“They would rather appreciate a foreigner to come to the country to make money and take back to their own country than a Ghanaian because they hate to see a local actor drive in big cars and live in big houses. My only crime is that I tell them my piece of mind when things are not done right and when that happens, I am tagged as the arrogant one.” he said.
Does Agya Koo concede that his popularity has waned? “I don’t have any challenger in this industry. My talent is unique. I don’t know if there has been any research conducted to test my popularity but this is the challenge I am throwing to them, they can give it a shot.
“You have no idea how people mob me when I get to town especially in Kejetia. I don’t think that if I have lost my public appeal I will get such reception from people when they see me” he said.
For now, Agya Koo is mostly into his own productions. “I have decided to produce my own movies and thankfully, I have got some producers on my side. I have made a couple of movies like Alhaji Grunsah, Tanker Driver and Oyonko Bi Di Owuo which are scheduled for release soon.
But as I said earlier, if things don’t work out well, I will quit acting and pursue my music career. Who knows, I might even end up being an evangelist” he said.
