Tag: Jude Chukwuka

Nollywood actor Jude Chukwuka is a man imbued with the ability to speak two prominent Nigerian languages – Igbo and Yoruba. He has been in the news for various reasons and has amassed millions of fans across the world with his works and personality. In this conversation with ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, GBENGA BADA, Chukwuka speaks on life, being a grandfather and film industry among other interesting topics.

Tell us what life is like as a grandfather and a family man

This is my second marriage, which is why I celebrate it. My first marriage crashed in 2011. I thought I was still in it, but I didn’t realise it had already failed.  I met this wonderful woman, who had also been through heartbreak. People think we work well together because we have both been married before. They see us together and assume we are a perfect match, not knowing that we are simply managing our brokenness. It has been wonderful, and the experience will not break me because I am a very optimistic person. I always look at the bright side of life, no matter how difficult things get. As a grandfather, it has been a wonderful experience. Seven years ago, I had my first grandchild, and it felt like witnessing scripture being fulfilled in my life. The Bible says, ‘You will see your children and your children’s children.’ That moment struck me.

Some years back, you declared yourself a Marlian. What were the qualities that made you declare yourself a Marlian?

Very frankly, the movement may have fizzled out, but the issues he raised are still very much present. Azeez Fashola saw a weakness in the system and took advantage of it. The system is still just as weak. It was the whole Mohbad situation that caused the movement to die down, not because the issues have disappeared. I still believe I would rather have Azeez Fashola than some of these so-called leaders.

 Take, for example, that Niger Delta oil company executive, the one who fainted at the Senate hearing after spending ₦1.3 billion to build a plywood bridge. I would rather have 20 Naira Marleys than one of them because the damage that ‘gentle-looking devil’ is doing to Nigeria is far worse than anything a 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’s the leadership. At this point, I have no bias. The problems are still there, we’ve just glossed over them. We’re relieved that the person who forced us to confront our reality has faded away, but that doesn’t mean the problems have disappeared. People complain that someone doesn’t wear a belt, but the ones in suits and ties are the ones destroying Nigeria.

 The clean-shaven ones, the so-called ‘responsible’ ones, are the ones looting the country. Their children don’t have jobs, yet they are millionaires. Their children don’t work in Europe, yet they are spending dollars. Explain that to me. The real problems are still there. Let’s leave Azeez Fashola, a.k.a. Naira Marley, out of it. He only exposed what was already there, and I simply rode on that wave. Did it hurt me that he was implicated in everything that happened? That the police investigation later found him innocent? No, it didn’t surprise me. I knew from the start that it was an attack on his person. We talked, and I understood that people were just taking advantage of the situation to elevate themselves. It was a mob effect, nobody stopped to reason. If one person said, ‘Let’s go in this direction,’ the crowd followed blindly. It got so bad that three years ago, in January, I went to Ikorodu for a shoot, and some boys showed up 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 am from Delta State. What’s the connection?’ But that’s how mob mentality works.

People just repeat things they’ve heard without verifying them. Did it hurt me? Yes. It hurt me that the situation destroyed the career of someone who played an important role as the ‘negative’ part of our conscience. He made people question, ‘How did this guy attain this status?’ Funny enough, when the ruling party wanted to close their campaign, they invited him. He was the one who closed their campaign at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos. Yet, they called him irresponsible. If they didn’t believe in his influence and followership, they wouldn’t have invited him. I don’t understand why we keep living in bubbles.

You speak two languages. I want to believe it’s just two Nigerian languages.

Two Nigerian languages, but I also dabble in a few others, not as proficient, though. I grew up in Lagos, and back then, our fathers didn’t sit you down to teach you a language. They just assumed you understood it and spoke to you naturally in their native tongue because they communicated with us in those languages, we had no choice but to understand so we could respond.  Unlike this generation, if someone talks to your child, you might even call the police. Our generation was different. We just had to understand.

So, how did you get into Nollywood? How did you make your way in, and what was your entry point?

Acting has always been a part of me. I started acting in the ’90s and early 2000s. I remember being involved with the Holy Family Society. The play was based on the biblical story where Jesus asks, ‘Who is your neighbour?’ It was about a man who went on a journey, was attacked by robbers, and left beaten. A priest walked by and ignored him, a rabbi did the same, but a stranger came to his rescue.

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Funny enough, I played one of the robbers who beat the man up. On the day of the performance, I was feeling a bit under the weather, but that experience was where I can trace my interest in acting back to. I left it for a while, then got involved in church drama at New York State Baptist Church in 1992. Fortunately for me, Israel Ebo, who was also a member of the church, noticed my talent. He was the drama director and told me, Your performance is beyond just church drama. He had a project at the time, Elechi Amadi’s Concubine. He believed I had potential and gave me a role. And that was how the journey started.

In one of your past interviews, you mentioned that  you occasionally take your wife to movie sets. Has that ever been an issue for you when choosing or taking on a role?

I’m an actor. Just like a gynecologist examines a woman professionally, regardless of how his wife might feel about it, acting is my profession. When I take on a role, I have to perform it convincingly, even to the point where my wife might feel a bit jealous. That means I’ve done my job well and delivered what the director asked of me. If a script requires a certain scene, I should be able to execute it professionally. That’s why I sometimes have my wife on set, so she can see firsthand that it’s just acting. Once filming is done, I go back to being her husband, and we move on. I’m not afraid to take on roles, I’m an actor.

Going back to the beginning of your journey as an actor, you mentioned at a time that you completed your accountancy degree and earned your certificate. How did your parents react to you choosing a different path?

Funny enough, my older sister also studied accountancy, 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 outside of numbers and ledgers. When I finally told them I couldn’t continue with accountancy, my sister, in particular, was very disappointed. She had even secured a job for me at an insurance company, but I turned it down. I told her I wasn’t built for an 8-to-5 job, that if I tried it, I would wither away. During my tough times, my sister often reminded me of the opportunity I passed up. But I stayed on my path, paid my dues, and earned my stripes in the industry. Where I am today is nothing but the grace of God.

Looking at the industry now, there’s growing concern that our films should do more to promote our cultural heritage. What is your take?

Professor Sophie Oluwole once said, no matter how intelligent you are, you cannot tie sticks together without a rope. In this context, our language is that rope, it holds everything together. Yet, we’re gradually losing it.

That said, not all hope is lost. The world is evolving, and we’re moving with it. But the real question is, how are we evolving, and what do we hope to achieve by doing so?

I believe our industry has reached a plateau. Yes, we celebrate recent successes, but can we sustain them? I won’t mention specific titles, but some Yoruba films have made headlines recently. The real test will be whether they can replicate that success in the next two years.

What will truly push us forward is finding a way to incorporate technology into telling our cultural stories. The Chinese have done it. The Indians have done it.

Unlike America, where any culture can be adopted, countries like China and India have remained deeply rooted in their traditions while embracing modernisation. They continue to produce films in their native languages despite globalisation. Some argue that China and India have the population advantage, that their films can break even by selling within their own country. While that may be true, we must remember that over 140 million Yoruba people live outside Nigeria. If we leverage technology to tell our stories well, we can target them and their communities, keeping our language and heritage alive. Another challenge is funding. When the government allocates ₦10 billion for film production across various producers, what kind of films do we expect to come out of that? It’s simply not enough.

It pains me when I see people celebrating ₦1.2 billion in box office returns. At today’s exchange rate of ₦1,680 per dollar, that’s less than $715,000. That’s not even enough to make a high-risk film by global standards.

You’ve stayed on top of your game for many decades, what keeps you going?

I succeeded in staying on top of my game after many decades because I do not see myself to have achieved. So I strived to be better; every new project or assignment I take, thrice as serious as I took the last one. It is sequence to reinvent myself and make myself relevant in what I do.

Do you belong to any acting caucus?

Honestly, I have never believed in working as a team, acting is personal. I have never had somebody or caucus, no, no, I don’t believe in that. Everything I have done, I have done them by the grace of God. If you talk about role models, yes. I found some people acting very interesting. The way they are relaxed in front of the camera thrills me. One of them is Baba Lere Paimo then Baba Wande and Morgan Freeman. Yes, those are my role models.

Looking back, what would have done better in your career?

Honestly, I would have done everything the way I did it because I grew in baby steps, not in leaps and bounds and they formed the foundation for what I am today then I didn’t skip any process of growth. Talking about my acting career, I enjoyed the path. Yea, painful, tough to some extent, it back-breaking but today it is rewarding, refreshing, and satisfying.

His illustrious career began in 1994. He started off as a comedian and had his big break in the motion picture industry in 2005. Ever since, Jude Chukwuka, who most still find difficult to believe is Igbo, because of his flawless knowledge of the Yoruba culture and language, is living his dream.

Few years ago, he became an internet sensation when he effortlessly sang one of Naira Marley’s hit songs and was gifted N1m by the singer. He has featured in countless movie productions and still counting. He spoke with SAM ANOKAM on a number of  relevant issues about his career.

What inspired you to pursue a career in acting and what has kept you motivated throughout your career?                            I studied Accountancy and I was very good in the subject. After taking a course in Auditing (Fraud), I realized I am not an accountant because everything that accountancy is not supposed to be in person is what I am. An accountant doesn’t trust his shadow. If his mother gives him money 20 times a day, he will count it 20 times to confirm. Those were little qualities I discovered would either put me in trouble or kill me if I pursue a career in accountancy. At the end, I had a conversation with my pastor who counseled me. That is why counseling is also very good in the course of education when you talk to people that have seen and know better. I told her my dilemma and we had a conversation and she asked what I would love to do every time even without getting paid, I would say acting, compere, comedy and all that.  I actually started off as  a comedian. I had this show in 2006 , Family Matters – where I crack jokes about family and all that  and one of my friends, Simon Kolawole, said to me, bro Jude comedy is hard work but comedy in register is another thing because you are restricting yourself to just family. It is serious. He made me see the challenges. At that time maybe Nigerians weren’t prepared for it or anything like that because I did all I could to push it, but it didn’t, so I stepped on to MCs and all that then, eventually acting. I started in 1994. That was when I started earning money from acting. But I started acting in church as far back as 1973 when Bishop Olubunmi Okojie was just made bishop of Lagos. I was a Catholic then. He was coming to visit my parish, SS Mulumba and David Catholic church, Lawanson. So we have prepared a drama skit, The Good Samaritan. I was one of the thugs that beat up those guys. Unfortunately I didn’t act on that day. I fell sick. The bishop came with the coordinator of the Holy Family Society then to see me at home because everybody was expecting what Jude would do during the rehearsals. God bless her soul, Sister Lucy told him about me and he came to our house and my mother was like, you are a great guy. You brought the bishop to your house. Now he is 94. That was how it started.

 Which movie gave you that big break?

My big break came in 2005. All of those while, I didn’t do television. I was doing stage. And that is what I am reaping its benefits now because the stage is rigorous, compelling. You don’t have a choice; you must know it as they have written it. It helps you keep lines in your head. In May, 2005, Tunde Adeoye was going to shoot a film, directed by Sabari. Israel Eboh called to tell me that he was involved in a project and asked if I would come for an audition. Niji Akanni was the casting director. The moment he saw me, he said you are the character. He said, don’t act, just be Jude and you are that character. It was a Bill Clinton funded initiative supported by Nestle. Late Lloyd Weaver was also involved in the project. It was a huge project. I was the only character that took part in the 52 episodes. We shot over two years. That was when people started noticing me.

 Looking back at your extensive career, what would you consider as your most memorable role?

I have a lot. Everything I have done have been things I enjoy doing.  I can give you three off my heart. The Station where I played Daniel Pam. It was a TV station. It was everything that didn’t work in Nigeria. Our proprietress in the TV series is a Hausa woman and as at that time, Hausa women were not seen. It raised a lot of controversy and it had to be stopped. The second one is Castle and Castle, I played the Captain. I knew I would be toasting a younger girl in the script, I had to begin to learn how to go about it because for me, I don’t date girls. You have to be a woman. Now I am to date a girl according to the script, I started working on myself. I started learning songs to be young at heart again, so I can carry this role as I ought to. That is how the singing came about. At the end of the day I was impressed by my acting. Rarely do you find an actor say I am impressed because you would find something else that you ought to have done better. But on that set, I was acting with people who had pedigree. So it was easy for us. It was a wonderful time. Then, Ajoche. It was shot in 2018.

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What type of research or techniques do you use to get into character?

It depends on what I am doing. When I was playing a doctor, I had gone into a general hospital to sit down for two days, to watch doctors the way they play in the general ward, in their consulting rooms and after consultation, the kind of jokes they play among themselves and I realized that they are human beings afterall. We look at them as doctors, that they are uptight, disciplined and all of that. Some of them even smoke and they are medical doctors. When the time to play the role came, the director, who was not a Nigerian, was shocked and asked if I had ever been in the medical field.

When I wanted to play the role of a lawyer too, I went to the magistrate court. That is what most of our actors don’t do. They believe everything should come from imagination but you can only imagine what you have seen. Then you now begin to play with it in your imagination.

Some things won’t occur to you except there is a window through which you can now expand and play with them. Most of the time when I get an opportunity to play anything like that, I take out time to study the role.  I act for myself. I stand in front of the mirror and act. That is why it is important to give actors scripts so that they can develop their character not the lines but develop that character to the point that anything he says unconsciously is developed by that character that he has forged.

 How have you been able to adapt to changes in the industry and what advice are you going to give actors starting out?

I am already doing the acting of the future now. Most importantly acting is a collection of characters, it is not just the ability to carry lines and facial expressions. Sometimes how comfortable are you to work with instruments? Most of us cannot act when we are eating. We get distracted. Like I tell young actors, you are a good actor but can you drive? Sometimes, your role requires that you drive.  It improves your career. Do you engage in physical exercise? Like The Station I earlier talked about. There was a part that as a journalist, I fell into the thug den but they couldn’t catch me, I ran and outran young men because I am physically fit. The director had to tell me to slow down so that they can catch me. After like five takes, the young men were spent, they couldn’t catch me. I do some things that my contemporaries cannot do. I swim. These are things that add value to your acting career. And it is part of reinventing myself to be consistently relevant. An actor that can act when he eats is a good one. He has his food in his mouth and he will deliver his lines and you will understand what he is saying or he has the patience and confidence to swallow his food before he responds without losing touch. These are qualities that make you good actors.

 What would be keys to longevity in the entertainment industry?

Reinventing yourself. My mates look at me and say Jude this thing you are doing, how I wish I can do it. But they can actually do it but they see themselves as old. That becomes a barrier for them. I don’t see myself as old. I see myself as an actor. Age shouldn’t hold me down from being a good actor. Age like wine makes me a better actor, not place limitations on me.

How do you balance your career and personal life?

My family comes first before anything. Acting is a very jealous trade, it doesn’t take anything along with it. You cannot be an actor and a banker, you will fail. You must be an actor through and through. I recognise that and infuse that into my family values. Whenever acting conflicts with what I have already set as family standard, I either request for a rewrite or I take a walk. I must not do it and that has been my biggest slogan.

 What role can you not play?

I cannot have sex on set whether simulated or not. Of course I can kiss and my wife is always angry and says see as she closes her eyes. I will say, the way she closed her eyes is the way the director said she should do it, it is not that she is enjoying it and sometimes, I invite her on set.

 You said earlier that you used to be a catholic, what happened?

When we were going to do our confirmation, I had done the sign of the cross and instead of ending  it with a particular position of my hand, I made the wrong sign and the bishop gave me a heavy knock in the presence of everybody. I told him that I will never come to church again and I left. I never went back to that church again. He came to my house and pleaded. This incident happened in 1976. We met eventually in 1996, when I went to St. Peter and Paul. I had a programme there. I now saw the signage on his door, Monsignor Shomide. He was coming into his office and saw me, he froze. He thought I had come to see him. He remembered. With all the growth, beard and everything, he still remembered. That showed me that my refusal to come to church weighed heavily on his mind. You know Catholics see it as my sin is upon him. He was like, you came to church, thank you Jesus. He asked if I still worship  with the Catholic faith, I said I am a Baptist now, he said I don’t care what you are as long as you are in Christ, I am happy, Jesus thank you. That was his expression.

 What role should actors play in shaping cultural attitudes and social change?

We are very weak in that regard in this country. We have reduced culture to a social club which should be the backbone of everything we do. They have reduced our languages to subjects which should have been the authentic means of communication. There is everything wrong in the whole system. And no wonder culture itself has taken the back seat. We have reduced culture to cultural day, once in a year where our children wear our native attire but can’t speak our language. What kind of culture is that? It is insane and people are celebrating it. It is not normal, if things like things happen in America, I will say ok but in Nigeria, it is insane.

Our people believe that the less of your language you speak, the more important you are. Not knowing that our indigenous languages have more depth than English. But because of this insane mentality that the more distant you are from your culture, the more internationally acceptable you become, it is a lie. Chinese speak Mandarin and they are internationally accepted. They don’t speak English. English is a subject they can learn. Germans do not speak English but they still succeed the same with Spaniards, Koreans etc. The most literate country in the world is South Korea because everybody can read newspapers because it is written in their language. The highest grossing book is the newspaper in South Korea. Here in Nigeria, if you cannot read in English, then you cannot know what is going on internationally.

 What is this thing about Nigerians craving for South Korean movies?

It has to do with presentation. When you watch South Korean films, their storyline is as emotional as ours but the presentation is what beats us. That is why we identify with it, we are an emotional race. Most of our films before we moved into this mega movie thing had always been emotional. A guy acted a film, when the boy was 7 it was the same mother, when he grew to be 23, the mother didn’t grow old and it was the same cloth that was in the backyard when they were talking that is still there. That is why people watch these Korean films. If we can present our films like Korean movies, then our local dialect films like Korean movies, then people would be forced to watch because of the quality of presentation,

 Do you know that some people don’t believe that you are Igbo?

I am Igbo

 Do you have any plans to go into music?

I am currently working on a five track EP. I am not bound by genre. I express myself. I did one before the last election, but it didn’t sell. It is Afrobeat. I shot the video, but no TV station showed it. They said if we show this, we will lose our certificates. And I felt so demoralized but I am going to put it in the EP, you buy it then play to that point, you will listen to it. It will be released on my 60th birthday next year.

Have you ever done any Yoruba movie?

Yes, I am going for a premiere of one tomorrow. Seven Doors with Femi Adebayo, then another one will come in Easter. You go to youtube and watch Akete.