Ikechukwu Ogbonna is one of Nollywood’s hottest acts. Over the years, he has made the news for a variety of reasons: his touted relationship with actress, Juliet Ibrahim; his marriage to a Colombian lady, Sonia Morales; his fashion sense; movie roles; and so on. He speaks with OSEYIZA OOGBODO. Excerpts:
What’s the latest about you?
Latest about me, work-wise, basically I have a project that’s out there in the cinemas now. I actually starred in it, Disguise, where I play a woman and a guy at the same time. I’m also planning the part two of Excess Luggage. We’re in the pre-production stage on that one.
What inspired Disguise?
Disguise is not my movie, I just featured in it. I can’t tell what inspired it, but I got a good script, I read it, and I felt it was something that’s very challenging. I like challenges.
How easy was it for you to play the role of a woman?
Well, it’s not that easy, but, you know, there’s a bit of masculinity and femininity in everybody. You just have to dig into that part and then bring it out. I have sisters. When growing up, I had younger sisters that I watched grow up. I have a mother, I have aunties; I have friends. Getting into the costume was one thing. You need to feel like the character, and then, you just remember one, you remember someone and then try to be like that person. So, I’ll ask myself, what would Adesuwa do in this kind of situation, and probably I should act like her, that kind of thing.
Now, looking at the Disguise poster, you and Nancy Isime, your co-lead, were like funny-looking. How do you feel yourself, when you see yourself in that poster or in the movie itself looking the way you looked so funny?
It’s a character, whose name is Belinda and Melvin and I’m IK Ogbonnna. So, when I play a character, I separate myself from it completely, so I don’t see it how you see it. I see a character, I see a Belinda, I see a Melvin. When I watch it, I see how IK Ogbonna tried to bring Belinda to life, you know. I try to take myself out of the actor’s shoes and watch it like the audience, like a viewer and criticise myself and at the same time, see where I can improve on.
Basically, you can only do your best, but your fans keep you relevant, your work keeps you relevant. You know, you just have to make sure you choose your projects right. You don’t just jump on every single project that comes your way. You have to choose the right projects and you know that different projects address different markets
What’s the most challenging role you’ve played?
I would’ve said the Belinda character in which I played a woman. I mean, it was a lot, wearing a bra, I didn’t know it’s that hard to put a bra on, quite honestly. The eyelashes were like oil in my eyes, and the fingernails, you can’t even type on your phone. I wonder how women do it. So, I would’ve said that one, but I think I’ll pick the character I played in Excess Luggage, Eyinnaya, where I was a guy from the village who was stuttering, yeah. In real life, I stutter a little bit, and I controlled it to be able to face my profession. But then, when you have to act as someone stammering, it’s very hard. I mean, anyone that stammers will tell you that when they tell you to do that thing, it becomes very, very difficult to bring it out that way.
It’s very difficult to become successful in Nollywood, like you. It’s even harder to remain relevant. How do you manage to remain relevant?
Basically, you can only do your best, but your fans keep you relevant, your work keeps you relevant. You know, you just have to make sure you choose your projects right, you don’t just jump on every single project that comes your way. You have to choose the right projects and you know that different projects address different markets. Some movies will never get to the grassroots people, some movies will only be shown in the grassroots and will never get to the cinemas; some movies will never get online. So, you need to have a balance on how to get to your fans in the grassroots, how to meet your fans online, how to meet the needs of your fans that go to the cinemas, and you always have to give your 100 per cent every time you are on set. You know, this is what I try to do, and at the same time, your personality has to stand out. So, you have to, as much as possible, make sure that what makes you IK is the same passion all the time. Just be a 100 per cent you.
Senator Ben Murray-Bruce tweeted recently that actors now prefer to do odd jobs abroad because they’re poorly paid. How do you feel? Is acting viable in Nigeria?
Well, I think it depends on the individual. Do you know everyone can only speak for himself? You know, you’re selling a brand individually. MTN will not compare itself to Glo. Glo will not compare itself to Airtel. They’re individuals. Everyone knows how much they’re making at the end of the day. Some actors get better pay than the others. Some artistes get to increase their artiste fees, and some believe in their worth, and then stick to it. My wife told me that actors are like cars. When you start acting, you’re a Golf. And then when you’ve acted a few movies and people know you, you’re now a Camry Muscle. And then when people now know you and like you and appreciate you and you have fans, you’re a Range Rover Sport. And then when people now know you and you’re an A-list artist in Nigeria, Africa, you’re like a Rolls Royce and Bentley then. When you’re like a Denzel Washington, you’re like a private jet. So, what car are you? I thought about it very well and ok, I think I might not be a Rolls Royce and Bentley yet, but I think I’m a G-Wagon, I’m a Range Rover. You know, she said, and which is the truth, if someone comes to buy a Rolls
Royce with the money of a Camry, everyone wants to ride a Rolls Royce, you want to ride a Rolls Royce, I want to ride a Rolls Royce, but if you don’t have the money for a Rolls Royce, you afford what you can afford at that point in time. So, if I class myself as a Range Rover actor, and you come to price me with the money for Golf, I won’t take it, unless I want to help you, you know. If I see it’s a good project, and I really like it, and I see that you’ve a genuine vision and passion for the job, I can decide to help and say, OK, let’s just make it happen, and
that’s that.
