Interview with
Remy Ohajianya
By
NNOROM AZUONYE
Chief Dr. Remy Ohajianya’s first acting role in Nollywood was as Papa Peter in Rattlesnake in 1994. Since then he has gone on to work as an actor in such films as “Last Warning”, “Ifeonye Metalu”, “Sleeping with the Enemy”, “Gods of Liberation” and “My Kingdom Come” among others. He was a two-term Executive Chairman of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (Lagos Chapter), and a founding member of the Congress for the Advancement of Creative Arts (CASA).
Nnorom: I understand you were once a teacher. Where and what did you teach?
Remy: I was a teacher at the Federal Polytechnic Staff School in Bauchi State. I taught General Studies to primary five and six pupils.
Nnorom: A good teacher is associated with vision, discipline, patience and a sense of organisation. Could you confidently attribute these to yourself? How have these been reflected in your working life and associations?
Remy: The virtues of a good teacher as mentioned in your question are already part and parcel of me, hence it has helped me in other endeavours of my professional life, as a good organizer, a good counsellor, a good leader and so on.
Nnorom: You also had a stint as a motor spare parts dealer. Why would that have any attraction to a teacher?
Remy: There is an adage that you leave one thing for another hence the quest for want and greater fortune. There is the attraction that you can leave what is not earning you much money for that which will meet the demand of your family to a reasonable extent.
Nnorom: Kindly tell me how you made the transition from motor spare parts dealer to acting.
Remy: I was a talent untapped until the advert publication of NEK VIDEO link came up after “Living in Bondage”. I followed it up and during the audition, I was shortlisted for a role and that was it. I took up acting and left the former business.
Nnorom: In an interview on the Internet, speaking about landing roles in movies you said; “…if your luck shines better than the other people, they will give you a role.” Is it your belief that luck rather than talent, skill, and work ethic is what you need to land a film role?
Remy: It is rather not my belief that luck plays a bigger role in getting a role in a movie than talent, skill and ethics, but the same luck will not be ruled out because when you have all other good qualities what follows is luck, especially when people competing are many.
Nnorom: When a director offers you a role in his film, what are the factors you will consider before accepting it?
Remy: If a director offers me a role to play I will consider the story line, the money that will follow and the things I would not want to play with in my role.
Nnorom: What kind of role you will refuse to accept and why?
Remy: I will not play a role that has to do with snakes, dog and climbing high heights.
Nnorom: Why not?
Remy: Naturally I don’t like dogs. If I visit a home where dogs are not chained, I will not go there again. I feel the same way about snakes. I hate seeing snakes, and would not touch one dead or alive. I also have a phobia for heights although this phobia does not extend to travelling in aeroplanes.
Nnorom: It is 2009. Do you believe that the Nigerian film-viewing public is fully capable of separating the roles actors play in films from their real lives?
Remy: In Nigeria viewers will not be capable of separating the roles actors play in films from their real live because here in Nigeria the moment they see you playing a bad character they conclude that, that is your way of life. When they see you on the street they will hoot at you or they see you ride in an expensive car in a movie and probably you don’t have a car they ask you of the one in the movie and why you ‘re trekking.
Nnorom: You have been in some Igbo language films including of course “Rattlesnake” and “Ifeonye Metalu”. What is the reason people are no longer bothering to make Igbo Language films?
Remy: The reason why people are not making Igbo films is that they want to make more money. If they make it, it will be restricted to Igbo buyers alone.
Nnorom: But certainly the films could be subtitled like Edo and Yoruba film-makers constantly do.
Remy: The issue of subtitling is generally diminishes the profit margin of the producer or marketer as the case may be. All I know is that many people tried it and did not find it profitable, so they dropped the idea.
Nnorom: Do you share the belief that actors are generally better when the play roles in their indigenous languages?
Remy: I don’t believe that people do better in their language films than they do in English language films. My belief is that if you are good, you are good no doubt about that. At the same time I will like to see more films in Nollywood made in local dialects and English.
Nnorom: How do you see Nollywood performing in 2009 and beyond?
Remy: I pray things get better in Nollywood this 2009. Things are not where they need to be. There has been crisis in Nollywood, especially in making of films. The industry has died a natural death. We are only praying for restoration of the industry. Our major investors, the marketers did not invest any money in the industry last year because that of 2007 did not pay them. To me I look forward to the government initiative and proposed improvements to the distribution framework. If it can indeed make the changes that will certainly put smiles on people’s faces.
Nnorom: Nigerian films are going international more and more every day. In your opinion what must Nigerian actors contribute to their films to make them more marketable beyond African shores?
Remy: It is not ACTORS that will make their films to sell beyond Africa. It is the work of the marketer, distributors of the producers and the government as the case may be. An actor is on contract. After acting he has no business with the films except where royalty sets in.
Nnorom: I was secretly expecting you to tell me that actors must raise the bar in their performances, be more articulate, improve their image and brand values, as their names will be used in marketing the films. Don't you agree?
Remy: All over the world, nobody would like to work without getting paid. If the actors would raise the bar as brands on the contracts of the film owner, that will be fine. But where nobody bothers, here in Nigeria what is in vogue is massive ego. I have the money, I employed you to act in or direct a film for me, after that all is over. When Producers, Directors and Marketers understand that film production is team work we will grow more than we are today.
Nnorom: You have observed elsewhere that there are too many people chasing few jobs in Nollywood. What do actors in Nollywood need to know, and what qualities do they need to possess to keep the roles coming?
Remy: The law of economics comes along. Too many people chasing a few jobs spells out inflation in a country. For an actor to make it and to continue to work, he has to work harder. To improve on the things you have done before, be able to accept correction when given. The actor must now assume that he knows everything. He must be willing to take to retraining when he has the opportunity.
Nnorom: A ThisdayOnline article November 2004 by Eyitayo Aloh quotes an anonymous actor who suggests some actresses in Nollywood would sleep with a director for a role. Is this a talkdown on women or is it the practice in Nollywood?
Remy: When I was the Commander-in–Chief of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter for many years, there was never a time anybody came to me reporting that a certain director or producer wanted to sleep with her before giving her a role to play. To me, I don’t think that such things happen, but if it does may be in the secret and never made public. Eyitayo Aloh of ThisDay having not quoted the person’s name we will not believe him. It is a shameful talkdown on women. In most cases when a man fails to get the attention of a lady he will call her names.
Nnorom: Is it your opinion that the Actors Guild of Nigeria has improved the welfare of actors in Nigeria?
Remy: When I was the Chairman, Commander-in-Chief of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Lagos State and the Chairman, Conference of Actors Guild of Nigeria, I was able to give a name to the Guild, relocating them to the befitting environment of the National Theatre as office or contact point. I gave the budding ones trying to improve their standard some guidance. We organized workshops and seminars for them on how to expand to other businesses in case acting fails. We stand in between them and producers.
Nnorom: In 2006, you were at the centre of the Ejike Asiegbu impeachment drive saga. Word out there is that he is a rather good and dependable National President of the AGN. Do you stand by the action you and the other AGN State Chairmen took against Asiegbu?
Remy: I don’t want to talk about Ejike Asiegbu! I still stand by my actions in the past, whether he is dependable or not, let’s wait and see his end for those he stand for. Posterity is the best judge. We can only manage bad characters not bad reputation. We will talk about him separately on full column.
Nnorom: Would you say that the problem you had with Ejike Asiegbu is a perfect example of the disunity you have spoken about in Nollywood? What can be done to create harmony among key players in Nollywood?
Remy: You are right to say that my problem with Ejike is a perfect example of disunity we have in Nollywood. A place were one single person stood to dissolve a democratically elected government and nobody challenged him. A place where one was alleged to have embezzled money without proof and every body believed him. Before harmony, love and unity will exist among the key players, they must realize who they are, what they are, and where they are going and as well as knowing what belongs to them collectively. Up till now most of them don’t belong to any department of Nollywood as long as they make their money and go away.
Nnorom: Apart from disunity, what other problems are impeding the growth of the film industry in Nigeria?
Remy: The major problem that is impeding the growth of movie industry is finance. Let the multinationals cooperate with film-makers for better growth.
Nnorom: Tell me a little about the Congress for the Advancement of Creative Arts?
Remy: Congress for the Advancement of Creative Arts is an organisation formed to promote creative Arts, to support creativity, to explore talents and market to the creative community all over the world. The strong man behind this idea is Dr Chris Nwaokobia Jnr.
Nnorom: Have you worked in any other capacity in Nollywood apart from acting and the political side of things?
Remy: Apart from acting and administration in Nollywood I have also worked as a producer.
Nnorom: What films have you produced?
Remy: I have produced films like “Gift from the Grave”, “Bleeding Rose”, “Red Neck Cartel” and “Unimaginable”
Nnorom: In the fifteen years or so that you have been a part of the Nollywood story what have been the high points and the low points for you. If you could change anything in the period, what would it be?
Remy: My high point in Nollywood was in 2003, 2004, when there was enough work and I made money and in 2005 I had my Doctorate degree Award in communication as a public administrator from the Institute of Journalism and Management Education Enugu listed by America. My low point was when I was embarrassed out of office by Ejike Asiegbu, but that was not my end. If I am to make any change, it will be to bring back the lost glory of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.
Nnorom: If the history of Nollywood is visited in a hundred years time, how would you like to be remembered?
Remy: I thank God for enabling me to do the things I have done. I will say so far so good. It is not only in a hundred years to come that I will be remembered for the good or little contributions I have made to Nollywood and what I am yet to do. Right now people who planned evil against me during my tenure in office as Executive Chairman of the Actors Guild, Lagos, are confessing that I actually did nothing wrong. There is a clear difference between my regime and the present one. In all I would like to be remembered for the good things I have done.
Nnorom: Thank you for your time Chief Ohajianya.
Remy: Thank you very much I remain yours Chief Dr. Remy Ohajianya, the National President of Dominion Players Club of Nigeria.
©2008-2009 Nnorom Azuonye. All rights reserved.
