Ghanaian actor and musician Frank Naro believes the Ghanaian movie industry has struggled to regain its former strength because it lost one of its most influential figures, Agya Koo.
According to Naro, the veteran actor created a standard that many performers who followed failed to match, with several allegedly choosing to imitate his style rather than establish identities of their own.
Speaking in an interview with DJ KA, Naro described Agya Koo as Ghana’s biggest actor and credited his popularity with inspiring a wave of actors to enter the movie business.
“It is Agya Koo’s influence that brought a lot of actors into the movie scene because everyone wanted to act like Agya Koo. All those who came in later copied him. Whether he was playing an old man, a rich man or a poor man, he had already done it all,” he said.
Naro, who has experience as an actor, producer and director, said only a few performers, including Bill Asamoah and Akrobeto, managed to develop distinct identities rather than rely heavily on Agya Koo’s formula.
He argued that the constant repetition of roles audiences had already seen Agya Koo perform eventually affected their interest in Ghanaian movies.
“That is why I say Agya Koo is the biggest actor in Ghana. We need to honour him. The government or the people of Kumasi need to do something to appreciate him,” he stated.
Naro also linked the decline of mainstream Ghanaian filmmaking to Agya Koo’s absence, saying the industry failed to adequately replace the impact he had made during his peak.
“Agya Koo is part of the reason the movies died down. His absence affected the industry. They need to apologise to him because he has really done a great job,” he said.
The actor recalled the recognition Agya Koo received from former President John Agyekum Kufuor, saying the actor’s popularity and talent were powerful enough to make Ghanaian productions compete with the growing dominance of Nigerian films at the time.
Naro further pushed back against the long-standing perception that Agya Koo was arrogant. He argued that criticism of the actor was sometimes unfair, particularly when he demanded payment for work he had already completed.
“If you can’t afford him, let him go. Don’t try to destroy his talent because he asked for his money,” he said.
Beyond Agya Koo, Naro raised broader concerns about how some industry executives allegedly treat actors they do not favour.
He accused certain executives of having significant influence over which performers receive opportunities, claiming that some careers have deliberately been held back because of personal disagreements.
“I am talking out of pain because they have done it to me too. Some of the executives are wicked. They intentionally sit and discuss who to promote and whose talent to kill. They did it to Kweku Manu and Bill Asamoah,” he alleged.
