Nollywood actor, Mike Ezuruonye in a recent
interview talks about his background, journey into acting and more.
Background
I’m
Mike Ezuruonye. I studied Accounting in the university, worked for a while in a
bank before I started my acting career. I have been acting for a few years now
but I consider myself a new actor for every new script that I get.
Journey into acting
I
would say destiny and fate. I had been toying with the idea of becoming
an actor when Ruke Amata introduced me to the job. I soon realised that
it was the void in my life that God wanted me to fill.
Nollywood’s development
Then,
Nollywood was on cruise control, steadily rising but now it is like an
unstoppable train and the stakeholders need to get better control of the train
so that it can reach its destination safely. We are making progress but
we need to get better at monetising the opportunities we have.
Right
now, many people are reaping from Nollywood without sowing the seeds.
Actors don’t get rewards
The
structures are not yet in place to ensure that we reap rewards for the hard
work we put in. This will only happen when we have a proper distribution
framework for films. Moreover, Corporate Nigeria has not extended to us a
proper and deserving handshake.
We
are loved by the masses because we provide a valuable service to them but yet
those who rule the corridors of Nigeria are yet to recognise our value.
Fulfillment
I
am happy to be part of an industry that has and continues to educate Africans
and the world about our past, present and our future. Nollywood is a worthy and
valuable Nigerian export.
I
am fulfilled in the career I have chosen. What has kept me going? Hard work,
perseverance and most of all, I have great passion for acting.
My personality
I
am not the characters I play in my movies. Those are the figment of the
writer’s imagination and it is my job as an actor to interpret them well.
As for my real personality, one of my best commandments from God is, ‘Love thy
neighbour as thyself,’ so I try to treat everyone right.
I
am a regular guy who happens to earn a living by appearing on many screens
around the world. Stardom can be very funny, therefore, I surround myself with
people who have known and still know the real Mike; that is my family.
I
am mostly a private person and prefer communicating to people through my
art. Finally, most of all, I fear God. He guides my life.
Handling female fans
It
is easy once I tell myself that they are crazy for the characters they see on
the screen; not Mike, the real person. Nasty experience from a fan? Well, I was
abroad and a female fan pulled her bra in a restaurant for me to sign! She
shouted, ‘Mike, you must sign this.’ I was so embarrassed because I thought my
hat and glasses disguised me enough.
No regrets
I
am thankful everyday that I get to do what I love as a job. There are
many challenges that come with it like any other job but I deal with them.
Me and other actresses
I
have a good working relationship with all my colleagues.
My worth as an actor
I
am worth the blessings I receive from God and the goodwill I receive from my
fans.
No comments:
Post a Comment