Jude Chukwuka is known as a man of many parts. The actor has appeared in the headlines several times and is popularly known for being a music lover, singing popular songs Word for Word online. In a recent interview, he spoke about his dedication to his trade, family and ideal life. Rotimi IGE brings extracts.
How did you get to Nollywood? How did it go and what was your entrance point?
Acting had always been part of me. I began to act in the 90s and early 2000s. I remember being involved with the Holy Family Society.
The work was based on the biblical story where Jesus asks: “Who is your neighbor?” It was a man who was traveling, was attacked by thieves and left beaten. A priest passed and ignored it, a rabbi did the same, but a stranger reached his rescue. Interestingly, I played one of the thieves who beat man. On the day of acting, I felt a little under the climate, but that experience was where I can track my interest in acting again.
I left it for a while, then I got involved in the drama of the Church in the Baptist Church of the State of New York in 1992. Fortunately for me, Israel Ebo, who was also a member of the Church, noticed my talent. He was the director of Drama and told me that your performance is beyond the church drama. He had a project at that time, the Concubin of Electhi Amadi. He believed he had potential and gave me a role. And that's how the trip began.
I read one of your past interviews in which you mentioned that you occasionally take your wife to the movies. Has it ever been a problem for you when choosing or assuming a role?
I am an actor. Like a gynecologist examines a woman professionally, regardless of how her wife feels about it, acting is my profession. When I assume a role, I have to do it convincingly, even to the point that my wife can feel a bit jealous. That means that I have done my job well and I have delivered what the director asked me.
If a script requires a certain scene, it should be able to execute it professionally. That is why I sometimes have my wife on the set, so that I can see first hand that he is only acting. Once the filming ends, I will be her husband again, and we move on. I am not afraid to assume roles, I am an actor.
Returning to the beginning of his trip as an actor, he mentioned at a time that he completed his accounting title and obtained his certificate. How did your parents react to you choosing a different path?
Interestingly, my older sister also studied accounting, which influenced my decision to study it. But deep down, I knew it wasn't for me. It was difficult to tell my family, but they always knew that I had a different spark, something out of the numbers and accounting books.
When I finally told them that I could not continue the accounting, my sister, in particular, was very disappointed. I had even assured me a job in an insurance company, but I rejected it. I told him that I was not built for a job from 8 to 5, that if I tried it, I would wither me.
During my difficult times, my sister often reminded me of the opportunity I let. But I stayed on my way, I paid my quotas and obtained my stripes in the industry. Where I am today is nothing more than the grace of God.
I see that you publish a lot about your family, tell us how life is like grandfather and family man.
This is my second marriage, that's why I celebrate it. My first marriage crashed in 2011. I thought I was still in it, but I didn't realize that I had already failed. I met this wonderful woman, who had also gone through anguish. People think we work well together because we have both been married before. They see us together and assume that we are a perfect combination, without knowing that we are simply handling our rupture. It has been wonderful, and experience will not break me because I am a very optimistic person. I always look at the positive side of life, it doesn't matter how difficult things come back.
Like grandfather, it has been a wonderful experience. Seven years ago, I had my first grandson, and felt how to witness that the Scriptures were fulfilled in my life. The Bible says: “You will see your children and the children of your children.” That moment hit me.
The first time I paid attention was when you left and declared yourself Marliano. I was amazed. That movement seems to have faded naturally. But I am curious about curiosity, what were the qualities that made you declare Marliano?
Frankly, the movement may have vanished, but the problems it raised are still very present. Azeez Fashola saw a weakness in the system and took advantage of it. The system remains as weak. It was the entire Mohbad situation that caused the movement to disappear, not because the problems have disappeared.
I still think I would prefer to have Azeez Fashola than some of these so -called leaders. Take, for example, that the Niger Delta oil company executive, which passed out at the Senate audience after spending ₦ 1.3 billion to build a plywood bridge. I prefer to have 20 Marleys de Naira than one of them because the damage that the “gentle appearance” is making Nigeria is much worse than any million Naira Marleys could cause. People focus on symptoms instead of the real problem. Naira Marley came from a system that had already failed. The real question is, what caused the system to fail? It is leadership.
At this point, I have no bias. The problems are still there, we have only overlooked. We are relieved that the person who forced us to face our reality has vanished, but that does not mean that the problems have disappeared. People complain that someone does not wear a belt, but those who are in costumes and ties are the ones that destroy Nigeria. The clean shaves, the so -called 'responsible', are the ones who loot the country. Their children have no job, but they are millionaires. Their children do not work in Europe, but they are spending dollars. Explain that. The real problems are still there. Let's leave Azeez Fashola, also known as Naira Marley, out of it. He only exposed what was already there, and I simply rode that wave.
Did it hurt that I was involved in everything that happened? What police investigation then found him innocent? No, I was not surprised. He knew from the beginning that it was an attack against his person. We talked, and I understood that people were only taking advantage of the situation to rise. It was an effect of the mafia, nobody stopped to reason. If a person said: “Let's go in this direction,” the crowd followed it blindly.
He got so bad that three years ago, in January, I went to Ikorodu for a filming, and some boys appeared with machetes, accusing my son of killing Mohbad. And I told them: 'He is Azeez. How are we related? He is not my son. He is from Abeokuta, I'm from the state of Delta. What is the connection? But this is how the mentality of the mafia works. People only repeat things they have heard without verifying them.
Did it hurt? Yes. It hurt that the situation destroyed the career of someone who played an important role as a “negative” part of our conscience. He asked people's question: “How did this status achieve this guy?” Interestingly, when the ruling party wanted to close his campaign, they invited him. He was the one who closed his campaign in Teslim Balogun Stadiumin Lagos. However, they called him irresponsible. If they did not believe in their influence and followers, they would not have invited it. I don't understand why we keep living in bubbles.
I am very fascinated by the fact that you speak two languages. I want to believe that they are only two Nigerian languages.
However, two Nigerian languages, but also ventured into some others, not so competent.
I grew up in lakes, and at that time, our parents did not sit you to teach you a language. They simply assumed that you understood it and had spoken to you naturally in their mother tongue.
Because they communicated with us in those languages, we had no choice but to understand to be able to answer. Unlike this generation, if someone talks to their child, they could even call the police. Our generation was different. We just had to understand.
When observing the industry now, there is a growing concern that our films should make more to promote our cultural heritage. With the emergence of social networks and globalization, many young people are losing contact with their roots. Some parents even pride in the fact that their children cannot speak well Yoruba, which is deeply worrying.
Professor Sophie Oluwole once said that it doesn't matter how intelligent you are, you can't join sticks without a rope. In this context, our language is that rope, it keeps everything together. However, we are gradually losing it.
That said, not all hope is lost. The world is evolving and we are moving with it. But the real question is, how are we evolving and what do we hope to do it?
I think our industry has reached a plateau. Yes, we celebrate the recent successes, but can we support them? I will not mention specific titles, but some Yoruba films have appeared in the headlines recently. The real test will be if they can replicate that success in the next two years.
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What will really drive us is to find a way to incorporate technology to tell our cultural stories. The Chinese have done it. The Indians have done it. Unlike the United States, where any culture can be adopted, countries like China and India have remained deeply rooted in their traditions while they adopt modernization. They continue to produce films in their native languages ​​despite globalization.
Some argue that China and India have the advantage of the population, which their films can reach the equilibrium point selling within their own country. While that may be true, we must remember that more than 140 million Yorubas people live outside Nigeria. If we take advantage of technology to tell our stories well, we can point to them and their communities, keeping our language and heritage alive.
Another challenge is financing. When the government assigns ₦ 10 billion for film production in several producers, what kind of films do we expect to get out of that? It is simply not enough.
It hurts when I see people who celebrate ₦ 1.2 billion in box office returns. To the current exchange rate of ₦ 1,680 per dollar, that is less than $ 715,000. That is not even enough to make a high -risk film according to global standards.