Nigerian actor Victor Udochukwu Nwaogu, popularly known as Nkubi, has revealed that repeated job rejections due to his physique pushed him into pursuing a career in acting.
The movie star made the disclosure while discussing the stigma faced by little people on a recent episode of the One On One podcast, where he appeared alongside his wife.
Nkubi explained that he became fully aware of his reality after secondary school, when he began attending job interviews and was turned down for even minor roles that others easily secured.
“As a child, you don’t really understand your reality, but you know you’re different from regular people,” he said. “The reality of being a little person hit me after secondary school, when I couldn’t get small jobs like others.”
According to him, the discrimination he experienced played a major role in his decision to embrace acting, a field where he eventually found acceptance and success.
Nkubi also expressed concern that his daughter is already facing similar stigmatization, as internet trolls make derogatory comments about her size because of his condition.
He noted, however, that he and his wife were aware of the possibility of having a child with dwarfism and had emotionally prepared themselves for it.
His wife added that although they anticipated such challenges, it is still painful to see their child being bullied online without provocation. She also revealed that a doctor once advised her to get pregnant again to avoid giving birth to a child with dwarfism, but she rejected the suggestion.
