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Enjoy.
You are looking good, the low cut thing is working for you.
Thank you very much
Were you really paid 5million Naira to cut off all your hair? Because some quarters have been suggesting otherwise.
Honestly, I was paid very well to cut my hair. I was not just paid 5million, but I was paid my artiste fee as well. And why not? I have grown my hair all my life and wouldn’t have cut it off for just anything. I was
approached 3 years ago to do it but I turned it down because I wasn’t ready and I didn’t like the script. The same marketer approached me some months ago and I finally agreed to do it. So, yes I was paid that much.
Have you read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘Americanah’?
No, I have not.
In the book, there are lots of passages that deal with the black woman’s hair and what it means to them. Is hair that big a deal to you?
Even the Bible says that a woman’s hair is her crowning glory so for almost every woman, hair is a big deal. And you know we Africans are not blessed with long hair so the little you have, you want to treasure it because you know how many years it took you to grow it up to that level.
Apart from the money, what made you change your mind about doing the film 3 years later?
Money is a big motivating factor but as an artiste, you have to look beyond the money. The script is the most important thing because you might be paid 10 million Naira but at the end of the day, the film ruins your career. 3 years ago they came to me with a script but it wasn’t good, they had to rewrite it and it took them so long. This one was wonderful in that it had everything; suspense, intrigue, drama, action, great dialogue. We burnt a car in the film, we moulded uncle Olu Jacobs’ statue, a lot of money was spent in the process of making the film and it ended very well. So the script played a huge role in my accepting.
A lot of actresses – from Bimbo Akintola to Mercy Johnson – have cut their hair onscreen and they have made headlines all the time even when some of the films have been terrible. Do you think actresses cutting hair is something we make too much of?
In Indian films, they sing a lot. It is their culture. Over here, these things still happen as tradition and the stories deserve to be told over and over again. And remember that producers are business men, maybe they are only reacting to what the market dictates. People want to see actresses in a different way so we have no choice but to give them what they want.
When is the film out?
Some time next year. I am not sure about the date but I’ll let you know by then.
You are always travelling. Do you live in Lagos or in the east
I live in Lagos but I always say that I visit Lagos. Reason is because I work mostly in the east so I am hardly in town except I have events or family functions to attend.
You got your big break when you accompanied your sister to an audition. I seem to hear that a lot, it makes me think that if I want to be an actor, I should never attend auditions with my friends or family because they will end up getting the roles at my expense.
No, no, my sister got 10 scenes in the movie, I got just one.
But you are Chike Ike now.
That is only because she did not pursue acting. She is more into pageantry and singing.
You work mostly in the Asaba axis where the films go direct to DVD. Is it completely rewarding?
Honestly I love doing the straight to DVD movies even though I can work anywhere and in whatever medium. These movies put food on my table, make me interact with my fans. I mean, that is why I am Chika Ike today so I will always appreciate it. Having said that, I have done a film, ‘Mirror of beauty’ some years back that was premiered in cinemas. It was shown in 7 cinemas in London and had lots of publicity so it was really big.
In recent times, you have become a huge blog magnet and stories about you become high priority for the tabloids and bloggers. How do you think you got there?
I really cannot say but I will attribute it to hard work because when people start appreciating your work, they begin to talk about you more. Every artiste gets backlash. Everyone must not like you, at least not all the time. But when your story becomes everbody’s interest, then you must be doing something right or something different because it is not everyone that is talked about even when they try so hard. I work hard and try to do my things in a different way so maybe that is why they pick interest in me. And of course the audience is there, or else they wouldn’t be posting all these stories about me so it’s all good. I am newsworthy.
One of your popular pictures online that drew some backlash is the one when you were in court for your divorce proceedings and you posed, all smiles. Do you wish you never took that picture?
Honestly I took that picture for personal reasons. I feel BBM should be private but unfortunately I have learnt that it isn’t. As an artiste, everyone wants to know your next move, your friends may even be the ones unwittingly helping put your stuff out. I put that picture as my display picture and the next thing I knew, it went viral. What can I do? The lesson I learnt was to slow down on things I do not want out there and be careful of what I post.
How much do you earn per film?
No, I cannot share that. How much do you get paid for your work?
Not much
But you don’t want to give me figures so why should I give you my own figures too.
Fair enough. How would you respond to allegations of living above your means?
I feel that people should just learn to mind their business. If I want to buy a Phantom (car) today and go broke in the process, it is my business. Nobody is going to help me out right. Truth is artistes do some other things on the side. I run a business among other things. Nobody knows my source of income aside acting, I have friends and family, some abroad who give me gifts so there are lots of ways money comes in asides from acting that people don’t know because I don’t want it to be public. Even when you go for interviews at foreign embassies they ask you what other source of income you have because they know these things.
You are active on social media. Do you tweet yourself?
Yes I do. I enjoy it and my fans want the direct interaction.
How do you handle the hate tweets?
I ignore a lot because I have realised that most of these ‘haters’ just want to be you, they want your success and because they cannot get it, they turn around to pour bile on you. But you need the haters to succeed because we all need challenges and naysayers in life. Everybody cannot like you. Some that really get to me, when I have time, I sit down and reply them but mostly, I just ignore.
You have said you quit your marriage because it wasn’t working. What exactly do you mean by ‘not working’?
Yeah it wasn’t working. Lets leave it at that. We are still in the process but hopefully the divorce will be finalized by the end of the year.
Do you think your getting married at a tender age or the nature of your profession contributed to it ‘not working’?
I don’t think so. In life things happen, people change. Yes age may play a factor because you can never be as wise as your mother but it cannot take the sole blame. For me happiness is all that matters and I deserve to be happy.
So what makes you happy?
I just try to make myself happy, ignore a lot of stuff, eye on the ball, stay focused. People around me that make me happy, I keep them, others I try to let them go. I try to do happy things, I have dogs I love a lot. I read, watch movies, travel. You know basic things.
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