To many film marketers, the theme of voodoo is a hot selling point in the Nigerian movie industry. Voodoo, juju or jazz as some chose to call it, has remained the secret of many success stories in Nollywood but no one talks about it in the open. In this interview with MERCY MICHAEL, Nollywood scriptwriter and actress Nuella Njubigbo exposes the role voodoo plays in the lives of many movie stars in her new movie, Jujuwood. She also speaks on the many scandals trailing her and relationship.
AS on who used to operate from the East, when did you relocate to Lagos?
I’ve always been in Lagos. My parents live in Lagos. I’ve been in Lagos since I was a child but had my Secondary and University education in the East. I attended Federal Government Collage, Owerri and Imo State University. I graduated in 2010 and I’m presently serving in Delta State.
How true is it that you’ve gone into film production?
Yes I have. My first movie is called Jujuwood.
That is a very funny title. So what inspired your movie?
First of all I’m a screenwriter. And you know how it is with the mind of a writer. I just had this thing in my head. I’m actually working on a sequel. We just talked about Juju now. The next one we are going to talk about the love we have for each other as much as people think we don’t love each other and all that. Jujuwood tells the stories of how far some people go in the industry to get what they want. A lot of fiction is involved though.
Is Jujuwood your personal experience in anyway?
I will be truthful to you, I’ve not had any personal experience but we hear a lot of gossips, I don’t even know how true they are. That’s what inspired the story. People tell stories of their experiences but there is no way I can ascertain if they are true. That’s why I say it’s more of a fiction.
Five years in the movie industry, to what extent do you think the Juju thing is true?
Nobody would come out to say I do Juju and if I’m not a pastor I can’t really tell. You know most of these things are spiritual so you can’t really be sure about it. The stories we basically hear points to the direction that they could be true. Basically, the movie looks at the filth, guts and tricks that these girls in the movie played to become movie stars.
Tell us about your foray into Nollywood
My foray into Nollywood dates back to 2007. That’s like 5year ago. I was just a student then and I used to watch a lot of Nollywood movies. I spend my pocket money on movies as way back as 2000. I also remember burning my food because I was watching a movie. My mum didn’t find it funny. I’ve always loved movies. One day, I was watching a movie in 2007 and I got so interested in the movie. At a point I told myself that I could actually do this. I called a family friend of mine, Mike Odife. He’s a Director in the industry. I told him I wanted to act and he said, right now, he doesn’t have jobs but that there are auditions going on in Owerri, in school. He told me where to go. I got my form and I did one or two auditions. Later I called him back and told him I could write too. So he asked me to write a story for him. I wrote it and he liked it. I actually started writing first before even acting.
Before now you kept a low profile in the industry but all of a sudden you are everywhere. What has changed?
I don’t think anything has changed. I think it’s all about growth and that’s with the help of God for sure. I guess it’s time I attain such height. Like every other business, you start small but you intend to grow. I think it’s all about growth. Being steady and wanting to get better by the day. That’s just it.
Could it be that it’s your Juju that’s working for you right now (laughs)?
If it’s the Juju you should have known by now. The essence of doing Juju is to probably be number one or number two. You shouldn’t be paying your dues if Juju is supposed to help you cut the process. It’s been five years.
Why would someone in your generation settle a subject like Juju instead of contemporary story?
You know, as moviemakers we deal on every issue. We’ve talked about politicians, things that happen in Nigeria as a whole. Jujuwood is just one of those things themes. At the end of the day it’s about knowing God. We are just trying to tell people to believe in themselves because if it’s not there it’s not there.
Apart from Juju there are other rumours that we hear, like producers sleeping with actress in exchange for a movie role. Tell us your experience?
For me, I would always say that it’s a matter of personal decision because if someone comes to you and tells you, I would give you this and I want you to give you this. If you don’t want to give it, you go. It’s not by force. If you believe in yourself I don’t think you have to play that game.
How many movies have you screen played?
I’ve screen played about fifteen movies.
Can you name some of them?
Lord of Marriage, Next of Kin, Royal Palace
What inspires you basically?
Anything can inspire me even you. People I see every day on street carrying stuff on the head, the way they look, what they could be thinking and so on.
Five years down the lane what have been the pains and gains of being a star?
The pain, of course, is not having your privacy. You say one little thing and people add some other things to it. You intend to make somebody laugh and you end up making the person angry. People misunderstand you. People want to judge you. People want to come into your heart and take what is there. They don’t want to believe what you say. The gains of being in public glare has been good. I thank God for where I am. I’m a better person.
What did you study in school?
I studied Government. Actually I wanted to be on TV, not necessarily as an actress. I wanted be a broadcaster, presenter or a newscaster. I applied for Mass Communication but they didn’t give me. I saw my name on the list for Government so I just settled for it.
Between acting and writing, where does your strength lie more?
I do more of acting because of the demand and its takes more of my time. That’s where people want to see me. They want to see me act. But if you’re asking me where my strength lies? I do both well.
What would you say to those who feel you beauty is your only selling point?
I don’t know about that. I wrote scripts first and I acted afterwards. Since then I have been acting. At a point I couldn’t even get enough time to keep writing. So I don’t know about being a pretty face. It’s not all about beauty. People can only look at beauty for a few months. When they get tired of seeing your pretty face, they will let you go if you can’t act. So it’s not about beauty.
How do you deal with negative press?
When it comes, up you won’t feel exactly happy about it especially when you know that they are not really true.
You bought a car worth N8m. Do you do other business aside from acting to be able to afford it?
Yes I have other businesses I do by the side but even if it’s just acting, it can actually get me a car and can even get me more. I don’t know if you’ve gone to the market and see the amount of movies I’ve done. I’ve done a lot. In a year, I know how many movies I do so even if I’m paid the smallest amount of money multiply that with what I do in a year I can buy this car comfortably. It’s funny the way people look at the industry and think we are poor people. I heard as at the time Tonto bought her Hummer Jeep she was charging N400, 000 upward. In a month Tonto can do six movies. So multiply 400×6 in a month. Even if she doesn’t have the money she can go and deposit half of the money and they will give her the car because she’s a star. Look at that year to this time. In January alone I shot five movies even if I’m paid N150,000 multiply it by the amount of movies have done. Really it’s not an issue.
How much are you paid per movie?
I can’t tell you that except you want us to do business together.
But how did you feel when a particular Governor was now attached to it?
It was funny at first. It was laughable. At a point it got annoying and it got funny again. Some journalists called me at that point and I told them that I’ve released a statement on the internet to answer any question they need to know. I’ve not met the said Governor before. I’ve not even seen him from a distance. I only just see him on TV and newspapers. People will always talk but the truth is I don’t know that man. I don’t know who he is.
Someone was seen to be championing the rumour. What’s your relationship with her?
It is not funny that within a space of eight months one person will write that someone is dating three people. I mean how do you want to share them? I have a right to go to Ghana but just to show you, I went to Ghana last in 2010, about May. I went for City People’s Award. That was the first and the last time I went to Ghana. I’ve not been there since then. But you know the irony is that how come you people don’t ask questions like is there something personal?
Could it be one of your friends who started the rumour?
If you ask me I do not think so. My friend cannot go out and say what is not true. I don’t even have a lot of friends. I have just one or two and those are not people who can just get up and fabricate stories that are not true about me. For me, it’s not an issue of friends. I remember someone calling me and telling me to cut off friends. I didn’t tell my friends this kind of story so who am I going to cut off? Am I going to cut off my friends just because someone wrote something on her blog and I know I didn’t tell them that kind of story? I think it just people being mischievous.
What lessons would you say that scandal has thought you?
It has made me realize how much I am being loved by my fans. And it has taught me to expect anything. You can’t please everybody no matter how much you try.
How did your family react to it?
I don’t lie to my parents so it wasn’t an issue. I just told my mum that I don’t know this person. When I started acting the first thing my mum told me was, ‘darling you know what comes with this job? You know how you are? You know you cry a lot?’ So I said, ‘mummy what will I do? You know I love this job so this is sacrifice I have to make.
Did you cry in this case?
No I didn’t cry. Why would I cry over something that’s not true, over people who intentionally want to hurt me? When you intentionally want to hurt me I won’t give you that opportunity. So I won’t cry over things like that.
How did the man in your life take it?
He knows me very well. Do you know the funny thing? He did not even ask me for one day if the story is true because he knows me. He knows everything. I didn’t even have to prove it to him for a second.
Tell us about your love life?
I’m in a relationship. That’s all you need to know.
Can you forgive if your man cheats on you?
I’ve not had that experience before. I’ve not caught my man cheating before. He might be that he’s smart. I’ve never had that experience before. Even in my past relationship. Maybe I don’t snoop unnecessarily and we respect each other.
What informed the low cut?
It was for a movie shoot. It will soon be released. They cut my hair in the movie so I went bald for a while.
How much were you paid to go bald?
I won’t say it. If I say it they would say they don’t pay Nollywood people that kind of money (laughs). Anyway, it was a long time that happened. The title of the movie is called Tears of a Widow. It was very challenging. I had to speak bad English as an illiterate widow.
Nollywood is growing and we are moving away from Asaba movies…how are you trying to move into this new Nollywood?
You see, I’ve thought of this in so many ways and I’ve had cause to argue about this with some of my friends but this is my summation about it. There is always a market for different set of people. You will be so shocked if some of actors who are known for cinema movies walk down this street. Half of the guys on this street will not know them because they don’t read newspapers, they don’t go to cinema. It is a market thing. For me the so-called Asaba film is not a relegated market. I think it’s about what you want to do. That thing about Asaba, Enugu I don’t know what it means. Nollywood is Nollywood to me. It depends on your market. It’s about using good equipments, no matter where you shoot.
You’ve shot your debut movie. What market are you catering to now?
The mass market of course because they are the people who made me who I am. The movie has every requirement for cinema because the equipment I used is a very high standard one. This particular one is not going to the cinema.
When is the movie due for release?
Towards the end of March or early April.
Who are the cast in the movie?
It features Funke Akindele, Halima Abubakar, Ruth Kadir, myself and a lot of other people.
