Veteran Nollywood actor, Nobert Young, is very clear about the divide in Nollywood — old Nollywood and the new Nollywood.

Explaining what it is and what it portends, Young opened up about the differences he saw between the older generation of actors, and the newer generation of actors.

“The pioneers of any industry go through a lot. It’s like they’re discovering the wheel so to speak. You’re charting a path that you know very little about and you’re searching.

“So you go through a lot, but you learn in the process and that is what you pass on to your younger ones. Nollywood started by somebody who just took a risk to put what we know as television play, television drama into VHS tape and sell to the public.

“And that’s how it started. And Nigerians basically embraced it, and gave it life really and a lot more people came into it. Some of us gave advice that was not taken, some of us gave advice that was taken, and we grew. The pay was very negligent then. We couldn’t survive on it alone as compared to today when actors are comfortable. Their throats are very wide now.

“What I would dare not ask for is what these children are asking for. Even till now, they’re very bold. And you see a lot of them did what we didn’t do. In our time we were not taught the management part of this business, but that’s where the money is.

“The management part, the administrative part of this business. That’s where the money is, we were not taught that. But these ones came with their face turned to the back. They’re looking at the money first before the arts. And then they make all the money, they have good packaging.

“We don’t have good packaging. For us, it was just the show, for them it’s the show business. I think that’s the basic difference. But I challenge them, they are not better than us, the old generation, in terms of the art. They’re not better. They have the money, but we have the art.”