A Pattern is Emerging — and It’s Not Looking Good for Uzor Arukwe
I’m genuinely worried about Uzor Arukwe. Yes, I am.
It’s not just about one movie or one odd role—this feels like a trend. Ever since Love in Every World ( Omoni Oboli ‘s film), Uzor seems to have slipped into a very specific typecasting trap: the overbearing, often chauvinistic Igbo local man. And it’s getting repetitive… fast.
Is he intentionally choosing these roles? Is he just not turning scripts down? Either way, it’s not doing his career any favors. For an actor with range and potential, this current streak feels like a step backward.
Let’s break down the most recent offenders:
- To Love and Obey
Uzor plays Chief—a rigid, traditional man married to Adaogu. He’s not just strict; he’s borderline tyrannical. He has commandments (yes, actual commandments!) for his wife: when she must cook, what she must do, how she must behave. Miss one rule, and you face punishment. His controlling nature isn’t reserved for his wife alone even his mechanic feels the sting of his attitude.
It takes illness yes, only sickness for Chief to begin valuing his wife. But by then, as a viewer, you’ve already tuned out. It’s draining to watch such a character spiral in ego and domination for 80% of the runtime.
- Big Fish
This one tries to be comedic, and yes—I’ll admit I laughed in a few places. Uzor plays Lotanna, a wealthy Igbo businessman who meets Oluchi after his luxury car breaks down. Sparks fly, romance brews… until we discover the twist: Lotanna is already married.
Oluchi’s brother, Izuchukwu (who is hilarious, by the way), steps in—not only as comic relief but as a necessary conscience. When Oluchi becomes pregnant, the truth explodes. Lotanna, now desperate to be a father, must reckon with the mess he created.
Again, same theme: a deceptive, entitled man who only wakes up when consequences hit him in the face.
- Wherever Love Leads
And then there’s Ifeanyi. Wealthy. Polished. Generous. Angela, his fiancée, is living the dream—until the morning after their engagement, when she finds out Ifeanyi has multiple children with different women. Boom. Another betrayal.
It becomes yet another story of broken trust, emotional manipulation, and a woman forced to decide whether love is enough when lies are the foundation. Uzor plays this role with such familiarity, you’d think he’s been doing it forever—and that’s precisely the problem.
What’s Going On Here?
Across all three movies, there’s a clear and troubling trend: Uzor Arukwe is repeatedly cast as the overbearing, dishonest, patriarchal Igbo man with money, pride, and a disregard for the women in his life—until things fall apart.
While it may be entertaining once, maybe twice, watching him play the same archetype in different costumes gets tiring. There’s no growth, no nuance, no surprise. And for fans who know what Uzor is truly capable of, it’s frustrating. These roles are not only typecasting him—they’re watering down the excitement we once had when his name appeared in a cast list.
If this continues, the risk is real: audiences will see him and no longer feel anything. No curiosity. No anticipation. Just another rich, problematic man on screen. That’s a shame.
Yes, it’s great to see Uzor working. But not at the cost of his artistic identity. If he keeps saying yes to every script that puts him in this same box, we’re going to get tired and we’re almost there.
None of these movies, in my opinion, earns more than a 5/10. They lack emotional complexity, depth, and originality. Worse, they’re wasting Uzor’s talent by putting him on a loop.
We need better scripts. He needs better choices.
Before it’s too late.
~ Joy Charles Ekong
