Ernest Obi: I Used to Be Very Temperamental, Emotional Before I Met My Wife

Super Saturday

Veteran in every sense of the word aptly fits Ernest Obi as an actor, director and producer in the world of film and theatre. For over 30 years, Ernest has been doing what he knows how to do best on stage and screen, and it is no surprise that he has outlived his craft in that he cuts across both the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ Nollywood. Growing up Ernest was addicted to film and television so much that he was intrigued by the art itself. Little wonder he describes his entire life as film. He shares more in this conversation with Ferdinand Ekechukwu, talking about his craft, family, and career as he sets out on a location

What set are you currently on?

It’s a Rok movie, produced by one of their top producers. The location is in Enugu, it’s a family story; a very emotional family story. It’s about strife and pain, and as usual the resolution at the end of the day, good. Our people don’t like tragedy, so you must resolve it well. Africans are not very good in handling tragedy, that’s starts from the beginning and end.

Enugu, Asaba appear quite a veritable space for you to operate from; you don’t quite seem to consider much of Lagos anymore?

The thing about it is that you work where you can express yourself better. Lagos has now become the home for many and most of the movies shot in Lagos are basically maybe conventional stories of love and all that, which we also film in the east. So, it’s not just Asaba, Enugu, Owerri, and that axis. So if I want to do like a real village story, or an epic story, I can’t do that in Lagos because there’s no space for that in Lagos. I like to tell a lot of traditional stories, not necessarily epic but I do a lot of traditional stories, family stories that have a background of the local community. So I think that’s why the east is viable. The last movie I shot anyway was in Ibadan. That’s Yemoja, I shot Yemoja in Ibadan. So it’s not just about the east. I can film anywhere. But the work space has to match the story I have.

Looking at your works; they are not often seen on the big screen. And to some people who only follow Nollywood via the cinemas, your name rarely pops-up and it now appear as if you have been off the screen for a while?

Let me put it this way; I have been doing this since about 30 years plus. And the very dedicated filmmakers or film watchers or viewers know what I do. And in comparison, the percentage of people who do cinema and the percentage of people who watch the original home video is like 70-80% compared to cinema. If you ask yourself where’s the bulk of the cinema? It’s in Lagos, maybe one or two in Port Harcourt. Enugu is not really a very key place to do cinema. And some other places, maybe Abuja. So, but Lagos, concentration is on Lagos. Maybe if you say they don’t know, I don’t know if I will agree with that (laughs). But I don’t do cinema if it’s not necessary. And again story matters for me. I like to do or shoot movies that will challenge me. I don’t want to film for film sake. I have gotten one or two scripts and I wasn’t too comfortable with the stories. They were slap. And I told them, I said ‘I can’t go to the cinema with something like this just because I want to add my name in the cinema. So, maybe when the time comes. But I have done or two that were aired in cinemas in the UK… That was a year ago or so.

Let’s talk about your career trajectory. You set out studying Dramatic Arts?

Yes I did.

And by that at that point you already defined a career path for yourself. Was there any second thought along the line of your career, maybe from your parents, that you ought to have been doing something else instead of acting?

Not just my parents, my entire family (laughing). My entire family! Everybody felt I should be doing something else. They thought I should be doing something else and not film. Growing up I was addicted to film, I was addicted to the television. I was intrigued by the art itself. And my family knew that. And so when the transition into acting came, they were not shocked. But it wasn’t something they initially supported. But when they saw the growth, even when I went into the University to study Dramatic Arts at OAU, they felt I could do better. So they keep saying ‘oh you are very intelligent’. And I said this is what I want to do. At a point they let me. And then when I started with television, I did stage for a long time, did television for some time. Then I went into full stream acting on television with… There was this series then ‘Fortunes’. So I went on Fortunes; they were impressed but you know there was no money then it was not about money but passion you give it all… Gradually I think they adapted so to speak. And so right now, every member of my family think it’s a great thing for me to have done and they are proud to say ‘this is my brother’, ‘this is my cousin’ and all that. So it’s a good thing.

At that point, was there a particular career they felt you ought to have been doing this?

Erm not necessarily…but you know I’m from Nnewi South in Anambra and the thing there is 70% of all of us (Nnewi men) back then you have to learn trade and because that’s where the money is. Back then, it wasn’t really about getting too much education. My family likes education. I had sisters who were all educated; I have five sisters. But everybody felt that the best way to go is trade. ‘If you want money we give you money, go and do business’, because the money for film or acting was not there then there was no money at all (laughing). This was early 90’s there about. . . Instead you will put your money.

You are famous as an actor, producer, and director. Is there any other job title one can add to these?

My life is film; my entire life is film. Each time I’m asked this question ‘if you were not doing film what else would you be doing?’ I said I don’t know. I have never given it a second thought. But outside film I do business, I do some small, small business by the side. I have a wife who is also a business minded person. I think she handles most of it. Because she knows my entire concentration is on film. So if there’s any other business we need to do she will just step in and handle it.

And you have been able to manage your home and career so well?

Well the truth is no marriage is perfect. You stay married because you want to be married. Once you stopped being happy in that marriage space then it all ended. So, you need to create that space for happiness. As much as I’m passionate about film, my family comes first in everything. If I feel that at a certain point this business of mine would shot down my family, then I would that’s the only reason that would make me stop filming. That’s the only thing in this world that would make me just shot down filming if I feel it will affect my family in anyway. So I always make out time for my family. What I do most times is if I’m away maybe for 2-3-4 weeks filming, the next thing my wife has to come wherever I am. With the kids if they are not in school. So it’s an important thing. Or I go back home. Without your family you are nothing. I’m not getting younger. I’m not ready to start building another family. She has been with me for about 20 years where will I start from again? It’s not possible.

Let’s talk about you Ernest Obi in comparison to character roles you play in films and your works? Can you draw a distinction between both?

In films, you are allowed to interpret roles of varying characters. In life you need to come to terms with who you are. I’m an extremely emotional person. I used to be very temperamental before I met my wife. I’m a very strict person. I try to be extremely prim and proper. I’m a very religious person. I’m a traditional person. My traditional background reflects in my productions. I’m very emotional I don’t like people being cheated. I don’t like being cheated too… So basically I think that’s it.

People believe that the Nigerian film industry is not living up to expectation as regards using movies to address social ills. Do you think so?

Okay anybody who is a filmmaker wants to sell stories that will change the society basically. Everybody is bent on doing that. But the question is, how many copies of that film will you sell? Who would want to watch it? What does the audience want to see? You want to portray the police in good light but have they actually been or is that the picture of what the police is? Now if you portray the police in the right light, of the government in the right light, the Censors Board will stop your movie and say no that you cannot show this. You go to Censors Board and somebody tells you ‘I’m not comfortable with this’. It’s not about you been comfortable; is what they are saying the truth? Or is it an interpretation? A director has the right to tell a story. A filmmaker has the right to tell a story from his own perspective. People tell stories about Heaven that does not mean they have ever been to Heaven. People compare Heaven, people compare Hell. But the question is who has ever been to Hell or Heaven? But it’s allowed because we have this very religious tilt to our nature.

But since you are talking about societal ills when you tell stories about the police, the politician, maybe I take a story of, say this Abba Kyari now and I want to make it into a movie it will be stopped! A member of ours, he’s late now shot a movie about the ‘Apo Six’. That movie was stopped by the Censors Board. That movie was held down for years by the Censors Board and it was never released. So when you say ‘oh tell the stories of the things going on in the society and all that’, yes it’s a good thing. But what you are told is you must promote Nigeria in everything you do. Now when I know that this thing is not what is going on, there is no truth to it, then there’s a problem. People are being given compensation for the shooting at Lekki Tollgate. Abi?! But I bet you if you shoot a movie about the Lekki Tollgate the Censors Board will never pass it. They will tell you that you are trying to incite a civil disobedience.

So there’s a lot of restriction. So it’s not about us saying we want to tell stories to change the society. You can’t change a society that does not give you room to change it. So if we are asking ourselves why our scope of filmmaking has not been expanded or explored, there are so many things restricting us. There’s so much we can talk about but I’m tired of complaining. So I would swim the tide and do my own thing in my own little way, and tell my stories and establish myself as a filmmaker with my own genre that I’m good at. But I will not come and shoot a movie where I will praise the politician or praise the system where I know it’s not functional.

Unlike you, a good number of person s who are into acting never went to film institutes or through the training or studied any course related to acting…

It’s actually not necessary if you know what you are doing. There’s somebody I always use as an example, maybe because he has talent. He’s a foreign filmmaker, director, Quenton Tarantino. Quenton didn’t go to film school. But he is one of the most recognized filmmakers in Hollywood. I think beyond going to film school, if you do not have the passion forget it. You might go to film school for ten years and you are not passionate about it. Maybe you come into it because you heard that you can make money, they have fine girls or I like this actor so I want to be working with him. That’s for the wrong reasons; let me put it that way. You would have issues. So it’s not about that. I have met people when I was really doing stage then there’s this great director, Bayo Oduneye. And Uncle B brought a young man who came for his audition he had his Post Graduate in Theatre Arts… a PhD and he could not act to save his own life. He could not act but he was so educated but he could not fit in. And Uncle B then said ‘I will use you as a masquerade’ because that’s the only thing he can because his face will be covered and he will stand in one spot and be ‘crooning’. So it’s not about how educated as you are in drama or film school or what your degrees are. It’s applicable in every field if you are not passionate.

You are one of the main stars of the blockbuster Nollywood movie Glamour Girls. There’s been a remake of that movie at the moment and you weren’t part of it right? I just want to have your opinion on the remake of these old Nollywood film?

No, I wasn’t part of it. I basically have no problem with anybody remaking any old film that did very well. I have no problem with that. So, I wasn’t invited for the remake of Glamour Girls. I would not say I was not invited. It doesn’t take anything away from the fact that I was in the original and I’m happy for them. I’m in my 50s and you ask yourself would I still be able to play what I played then? No. Except they have something like a cameo appearance that’s the only way I could have come into the picture. Same thing happened in Rattle Snake. I was in the old Rattle Snake. The owners didn’t feel it was necessary. So I have no problem with that. The only problem I have with the remakes is that it’s not giving room for other fresh projects. They have done the first remake ‘Living in Bondage’ which was beautiful. They have done ‘Nneka The Pretty Serpent’, they have done ‘Rattle Snake’, they are doing ‘Glamour Girls. Maybe that’s the path of the company; maybe they want to be doing remake. I think they should diversify into fresh movies because at a point it gets tiring. So it’s sort of indictment on filmmakers now like there are no new stories that can hold sway. It’s an indictment on the writers we have now. So I think at a certain point they should do new stories, fresh stories and work on promoting it and spend the kind of money they spend.

Some of the chaps you mentored, for instance Swanky Jerry, are doing pretty well. What would you like to tell budding creative who have interest in acting?

First and foremost I would say is this what you really want to do? That’s the first question. Its not be strong, believe in yourself, no. I tell people film (acting) is a profession. It’s not a hobby. Don’t tell me I’m a lawyer, I have always act liking so; I just want to be doing acting by the side, no. It’s what we do for a living. So you need to be sure that this is really what I want to do and you are going to dedicate your life to doing it. And then look in the mirror and tell yourself the truth, ask yourself ‘do I have what it takes to be an actor or can I be a crew member?’ Everybody must not appear in front of the camera. It’s not about being beautiful. You might be beautiful and your intellect is low. Do you have the power of the craft? So an actor would have passion for the craft. So if you don’t have the passion you are wasting your time.

You roam around. I know a lot of people who have gone round in circles for over 15, 20 years and they just like being around filmmakers and when you ask them they would say ‘nobody has given them the opportunity, people are demanding for ridiculous things’. That brings me to when people tell you ‘oh they tell you they want to sleep with me’. It’s not always like that. We have a few idiots who do that, male and female. So let’s not look at it from the angle that it’s only male producers and film directors. People get harassed by male and female filmmakers. But it is not enough you need to tell yourself that it is not a must that you sleep with anybody and then you become a star.