Actor, Victory Micheal, popularly known as Big Mike, has said that his dream of building an international acting career is nearing reality after securing a Best International Actor nomination at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Micheal received the nomination for his performance in the movie, ‘Unboxing Love’, making it his first award nomination and his first international recognition since joining the film industry.
Speaking in a statement shared with Saturday Beats, the actor described the nomination as a defining moment in his career.
“This is my first ever nomination and I’m so blessed. I feel so grateful that my first nomination is an international nomination that carries so much weight,” he said.
According to him, he is the only Nigerian nominated in the Best International Actor category, where he will compete against actors from countries including the United States, Canada and Japan.
“Somehow they found me worthy to be nominated among other international actors. It feels so good and it’s a major milestone for me because I’ve always dreamt of going beyond Nollywood,” he added.
The nomination comes ahead of the premiere of the movie, which was shot last year and is scheduled to debut during the TIFF, taking place from September 4 to 12.
Micheal also stated that his passion for acting began during his secondary school years at Assemblies of God Bethel Seminary, Owerri, Imo State, where he joined the school’s drama group and regularly performed in church productions.
Despite pressure from his family to pursue a career in medicine or engineering, he said he remained committed to acting.
“My dream has always been to go more international. I’m hoping this is the first step to achieving international recognition and building an international career,” he added.
