Chinedu Ikedieze, also known as Aki, shares the details of Ada Umeh’s with The Johnsons production.
In a recent chat with Chude Jideonwo, Chinedu shared the impact of the loss of his co-star Ada, who he had played a mother-son role with on The Johnsons. He said, "It was hard. She took the character off the screen. I have met her severally outside and people will say to her, see your pikin... it was like losing a part of me. It was the least story or information I opted to her".
Chinedu also spoke about the difficulty the production had trying to come to terms with the tragic event. In his words, "That's the biggest shock of our lives... all of us, The Johnsons. It broke us... forever".
He confirmed that the production considered suspending the series, with the cast and crew struggling to hold in their emotions because the set always had reminders of her.
In his words, "Losing Ada on The Johnsons, we didn't even believe that the show would still go on. Because if you mention The Johnsons, you must mention 'Emuakpor'. It was difficult to take away Ada that is the character Emu... But I don't know how it happened, how we are still bubbling".
Chude also shared that his interview with her was the first time he met her and describes it as a raw open-hearted deep conversation.
Ade Umeh's loss is still a big hit in the industry at large, she was a veteran actor in the Nollywood industry and had graced our screens for almost 25 years before her passing.
Watch the interview: