Sunday, 13 July 2014
Nollywood actor, Arinze Okonkwo, talks about his career When and how did you delve into Nollywood? I started in 1995 through my sister, Dolly Unachukwu. I did a movie with her, ‘Deadly Affair’, but that was my second movie. After that, I left and was at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, to study Economics. I graduated and did my masters at the University of Lagos. I came back fully to the industry in 1999/2000 after my national youth service. Why didn’t you utilise economics as a career? Acting, for me, is a talent. It does not have to do with what one studied in school. I started acting in my church drama group. Then, I moved on to music. I am a praise leader in my church now. Do you intend to release an album soon? I am always in the studio and I will release my album soon. But it has to be gospel music. Why do you prefer gospel music? That is what I want to do. I sing in church. What excuse would you give for the movies you feature in that are not Christian movies? It is about talent and acting out a script. You are expected to act like someone that you are not. I can get into the roles and it does not mean that is who I am. For acting, I can do anything, but I cannot act nude. I cannot expose my body to the whole world. It is against my Christian faith. Do you have any regrets not practising what you studied in school? I do not have any regrets being in the movie industry but I still run my business. Economics is about demand and supply. I studied it in school and I am practising it. I do movies, I sing, I act, I am a master of ceremonies and those are businesses to me. I have a lot of talents. How do you juggle between your business and acting? They do not clash. If I am not acting, I would be in my shop, and if I am on location, I would not be in my shop. I have a staff that would be around. I do the emcee jobs on weekends and they do not clash. Do you have time for your family? When I am not working, I am always with my family. They are number one in my life, every other thing is secondary. My family comes first after God. What other business do you do apart from acting? I run a fashion outfit. It is mainly on men’s wear. I have been running it for six years. I have had some challenges but I keep pushing. I am not a designer but a clothier. I only design for my personal use. What influenced you to start the business? I knew what I wanted. Some people do not know what they want; they do things because they see others doing those things. I sought people that were into what I wanted to do and found out how they did what they did. I searched for where to learn the business and I interned with a fashion house for three years before I set up my own. What was your motivation for acting? God has been my motivation. My flair for the job also keeps me motivated. I had the enthusiasm to like what I did. I have love and passion for what I do. Can you be rated as a flamboyant actor? I am not flamboyant, but I believe in being clean and staying up-to-date. I do not dress to make an impression; I dress for comfort. Events determine the way I dress. The way you dress will determine the way you are addressed. I do not wear flashy colours. I prefer dark or solid colours. What does style mean to you? Style means making something that would suit your personality and being the best you want to be. I do not follow trends. How do you handle female fans? As long as you are a male celebrity, you cannot do without female fans. You cannot ignore them when they say hello to you on the road. You have to respond and be nice to people. I have more female fans than the males because they are always there. Without them, I do not think anybody would know me, and I love them as well; but I do not pass my boundaries. I know my limits. There are still some crazy ones but I know how to handle them. What embarrassing moments have you had with female fans? Recently, a friend of mine had a party which I attended. Everyone was drinking and I went to the restroom. I did not know it was the ladies I entered. I bumped into a lady who was coming out; she grabbed my crotch and quickly planted a kiss. I retreated and told her I did not know who she was. She said I did not need to know her. We are friends now but nothing intimate. Sometimes ago, I had a flat tyre in Lagos and a lady stopped to help. I told her I was fine and while she was leaving, she tapped my buttocks. I see a lot of it, it is not new. Did you have trouble relating with other artistes? I am not an introvert and I’ve never had problems mixing with people. 99 per cent of actors are extroverts. They have to mingle and talk with people. On location, it is either someone is making jest of you or making you angry. I like to meet people and the movie industry was the best place for me. My sister paved the way for me but I created my own impact as well, and joined the Actors Guild of Nigeria. Some of the known actors are not registered with the AGN. How did growing up influence your acting career? I am not a dull or quiet person. I like to be where things are happening. I always speak my mind; I do not hide my feelings. That was the way I was brought up. Growing up was fun, and the schools I attended helped shape me too. I was born in Lagos. I did my primary education in Lagos and my secondary education was in Enugu. I am from Amichi, Nnewi South Local Government Area, Anambra State. Did your parents oppose your acting career? They did not. They let us do the things we wanted as long as it made us happy. How do you unwind? I am always in my office when I am not acting. I close by 6pm and I head home. I do not keep late nights but I like to have fun. How do you handle competition in the industry? I do not think there is competition in the industry and I am not competing with anyone. What I have is not what every other artiste has. That is why I am where I am, because I do not copy people. The industry is quite large and there are so many jobs to go round.
Nollywood star, Ramsey Noah, exposes some of the realities confronting many Nigerian actors, writes Jayne Augoye
After a phenomenal rise to global fame, Nollywood celebrated its 20th anniversary recently. At other times, the occasion would have been marked with much partying, probably round the year. But things are far from being rosy for the industry at present.
Many challenges, including piracy, absence of structured distribution networks and a string of scandals trailing some of its star players, are threatening to rob the industry of its glory. While these issues are not new, they have taken a toll on the fortunes of some actors and actresses
Over the last few years, the effect of the dip in Nollywood’s fortunes on some practitioners, especially the pioneers, has become a subject of debate and concern for stakeholders.
Before now, a good number of the screen stars found consolation in endorsements by corporate organisations, especially telecomunication companies like Globacom and MTN. But the business world is fast shifting its love to musicians.
Although some of their fans have come to realise that Nollywood movies ‘no longer sell’, a number of these stars, who themselves are obviously experiencing hard times, cover up by constantly hyping themselves.
But Nollywood star, Ramsey Noah, has burst their bubble.
Noah, whose acting career kicked off when he starred in the Nigerian TV soap opera Fortunes in the 1990s, is saying it as it is for the first time.
The actor was one of the panelists at the recently held Nigerian Entertainment Conference. He did not mince words when painting the true picture of the situation in Nollywood.
He says, “Many Nigerian actors live on their past glory. The truth is that many of us (actors) don’t make money from film-making or movies any longer. There is the show part, but there is actually no business side to Nollywood any longer.
“Many of these actors depend on and make their money from acquaintances. So, they simply depend on those who appreciate their works and then introduce them to other sources of income aside acting.”
The actor whose Globacom endorsement deal was terminated in 2013, alongside that of Rita Dominic, Uche Jombo, Mike Ezuruonye, Monalisa Chinda, Nonso Diobi and Odunlade Adekola, adds, “Some people who appreciate you for who you are and for your talent will then try to establish business links that can sustain you and your family.”
Judging by the number of factions that currently exist in Nollywood and the current leadership tussle within the Actors Guild of Nigeria, it is not difficult to tell that the actors are somewhat divided amongst each other.
Noah appears to confirm this when he notes, “The truth about creative people is that they lack unity. It is very hard to find unity among them. It has nothing to do with Nollywood, in particular.
“In Nollywood all you have is the show part but not the business. We lack structure. There is no balance. It is almost as if we sold our birthrights to the wrong people. Nollywood is capital — intensive and we are aware that improvements are needed, but we lack the structure to make this happen.”
Even as The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved a 12-man committee of Nollywood stakeholders (this will pave the way for Nigerian entries to be considered for the Oscars in 2015), Nouah is optimistic that the future is not entirely bleak for Nollywood.
He says, “Hopefully this digital era will bring about positive changes in the outlook and technology of some of our movies. I would love the situation where creative minds put the right structures in place for the industry and then things will get better.
“I suggest that the Federal Government should impose heavy taxes on DVDs/VCDs producers so as to curb piracy. There is a need for the right structure, in addition to marketing and promotions, to propel Nollywood.”
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