Patience Ozokwor: Why I always play wicked roles

Amarachi Ihesiulo

August 14, 2026
3 min read
Patience Ozokwor

Veteran Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwor, popularly known as Mama G, has explained why she has become closely associated with wicked and strict characters in Nigerian films, saying such roles allow her to expose unpleasant realities in society.

Ozokwor recently revisited the subject while speaking about her career and the villainous characters that have defined part of her screen identity.

The actress said she does not regret portraying such characters because they have given her an opportunity to bring certain societal problems to public attention. In a recent interview, she explained that she was proud of the roles because they helped expose behaviour and attitudes that exist in society but are often ignored.

For decades, Ozokwor has been one of Nollywood’s most recognisable faces, particularly through her portrayals of strict mothers, intimidating mother-in-laws and antagonistic characters.

Her performances became so convincing that some viewers began associating her screen personality with her real-life character.

However, Ozokwor has repeatedly rejected that perception, stressing that acting requires performers to separate themselves from the characters they portray.

In an earlier interview, she said actors should be able to deliver whatever roles they are given and noted that the popularity of her strict characters reflected how effectively she interpreted them. She also explained that she had played many different roles, although her vocal and strict characters became the most popular with audiences.

The actress has also revealed that some of her most disturbing roles affected her emotionally after filming.

She previously recalled becoming emotional while watching some of the films in which she portrayed extremely cruel characters, saying the actions were so disturbing that she was grateful they were only fictional performances.

Her explanation highlights the often-overlooked distinction between an actor and the character being portrayed.

For audiences familiar with classic Nollywood films, Mama G became almost synonymous with the feared mother-in-law archetype. The character helped establish her as one of the industry’s most recognisable actresses.

Yet Ozokwor has consistently maintained that her professional ability to portray wicked characters should not be confused with her personality outside the screen.

Her latest comments have again sparked conversations about the impact of Nollywood storytelling and the way actors can become permanently associated with particular roles.

For Ozokwor, however, the success of those roles remains evidence that she succeeded in making fictional characters believable while using them to reflect issues that audiences could recognise in real life.