Dynamic actor and ace movie producer, Emeka Ossai, has undoubtedly etched his name in the hearts of many a Nigerian. Through his contributions in film industry, he has made a number of promising actors and actresses.
This urbane and handsome actor told us his story.

  Emeka Ossai

Could you tell us about yourself and early career life?
I am from Delta State. I hail from Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State, a place called Kwale Utagbu-Uno. I am the first born of several children. My parents are Chief Felix Ossai and Mrs. Gladys Ossai. I am a graduate of Food Technology from both the Yaba College of Technology, where I did my National Diploma and the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, where I did my degree programme in the same course.

I was a long-standing model, who was in the modelling field for a very long time. I rose to the peak, to the pinnacle of my profession at that time as a model, before I was invited into acting. I was invited, first, to the NTA, where we were doing a TV series called The Third Eye. I was acting along side Olu Jacobs. And that was before the birth of Nollywood, as we know it to be today. From there, I was invited to do my first film, Circle of Doom, which was the second attempt at making films in Nollywood.

You know there is this controversy that they have been making movies before ‘Living in Bondage.’ Well, I agree. But Nollywood, as we know it today, started with Living in Bondage because the films that were done prior to that time were sectional films! They were done in either Igbo or Yoruba or in the Hausa language. That was not Nollywood. And then, people had also done celluloid films, prior to home videos. The Nollywood that we actually refer to these days is the home video industry. But there was the celluloid. Going by the history of Nollywood as a home video industry, I did my first film at the second attempt in film making, which was, Circle of Doom.

What would you say are qualities you got from your parents?
Well, I want to believe that I got the positive qualities I have from my parents. I mean, I do not think that my good qualities came from the abstract. But I must have developed some other qualities to the level that I am using them to function in the modern world. But I got the primary seed of those qualities from my parents. So I will say that all the qualities that I have, I have got from my parents.

How did your parents see your entry into acting?
My mum did not have any problem with it. But my dad had his reservations initially. He thought that a lot of people who are in entertainment end up not faring properly. He also saw me as a spendthrift, because most of the things I needed to function effectively as entertainer, my dad looked upon them as being extravagant. Like at the point of buying my first car, my dad felt that it was not time for me to do that. But I needed it to enhance my personality in entertainment. But he did not understand that. And I did not really bother. When I was also moving into my first house, when I was moving in finally to start on my own as a man, he thought I was starting very big. And he did not quite like that. Those are some of the things that I had as reservations from my dad. Eventually, he found out that I had a reason to do all that and he helped me to grow very fast. He was happy.

How did it start?
I am one of those who will say that they were lucky. I did not go through the stress of several auditions and rejections. No. I had modelled for a very long time. And these were the times when models were celebrated. Not actors! Nobody really reckoned with actors. A lot of people saw acting as a never-do-well profession. So we were much more respected as models. I was a runway model, a fashion model, and for that reason, I had access to a lot of important people in society. So, that also rubbed off on our own carriage and our own perception.

Models were the ones they put in the newspapers; we were the ones to be published in magazines. We were the ones who were reported on network news. So I was already a star as a model. And luckily, I was at the top of the modelling thing. I was invited first by the late Lai Arasomi, who was the director of the Third Eye film. He invited me to take part in acting for the first time, and then, I continued for a while. As at that time, it was just for the interest, not that I wanted to keep it as a profession. But it ended up the way it is today. You know, all these happened while I was in school.

From my National Diploma days to my university days, I was just doing all of these on the side in order to make some extra cash for myself. From there, I got an invitation by Okechukwu Ogunjofor, the producer of the Circle of Doom, so that I could take part in it. Circle of Doom was an Igbo film, but I do not speak Igbo. I was cast along side Liz Benson, but that film was also Liz Benson’s first film ever. So both of us were cast for our personalities and we spoke a little English in the few places that we were in. I found out later that what I got was higher than what the lead character in the film had got. I have been very lucky. That was how I started.

What was your experience the first time before the camera?
Well, because I was used to people watching me on television, when I was modelling, I was much more comfortable before the camera than a lot of other people who started the first time. But then, I still had my little greenhorn effect, which Akim Olu actually helped me to take care of. He gave me a pep talk the first time, because I was a little bit rigid. By the time they finished talking to me for about five minutes, I got back and I was doing it. My first appearance in Third Eye happened to be so successful that it was shown severally on the screen and it gave me more confidence.

How much do you earn to act in a film?
I can tell you that for Third Eye, I was paid N150. And it was paid at that time with the Central Bank cheque. The highest earning artiste then, Akim Olu, got around N500 or N600. We were being paid with the Central Bank cheque and all that. But when I was doing Third Eye, I was not even particular about the money. It was more of actualizing myself that I could act.

How would you describe your acting career?
As I told you, when I started, it was not for the money. It was mainly for the fun of it. But by the time I was appearing in home videos, and I was just about graduating at that time, what I was earning, even though it was still nothing compared to the pay in modelling, still was better than what a lot of other actors earned as at the time. You know, it was okay by me. And then, I was not even thinking that I was going to end up as an actor.

I thought that by the time I will be graduating, and within that period I would be looking for a job, I will just be acting, just to keep body and soul together and to while away time. I thought that by the time I got a job, it would be bye, bye to acting. I think the industry grew so fast and the remuneration for actors grew along with it. By the time I realized the money was probably much more than what I would earn if I were to pick up a job, I just said, okay why won’t I continue.

After all, I was enjoying myself and making money out of it. So I continued. But barely few years after I got into the industry, I produced my first film. That was in 1996. I co-produced with my late wife, Jennifer. And it was a very resounding success. From that point, I just stopped thinking about ever getting a job.

I was even planning that after my graduation from school, I would stay a while and then travel abroad to live outside of the country. When I saw that things were working out for me, I asked myself what was I travelling abroad to do? Here, I am a king and I am a star. If I had gone to America, I would have been hidden there. Then, why will I travel? So, I stayed back here.

How did you see the kidnapping of Pete Edoche?
I believe that by and large, a film will be done about his capture. I think nobody has brought up a story about the event because the industry itself is in deep waters at the time. Not a lot is happening at the moment. You know, if it were in the period when there was dynamism in film making, I am sure that different aspects of this story would have been told.

The point is that we are going through a period of re-organization of the film industry, especially as it has to do with distribution. You cannot just push a film into the market when distribution is not efficient enough to guarantee your returns in quick time. That is what we are trying to do. So we are not doing a whole lot of films. I am not doing any film. I am not thinking of making any film. I have not done a film in the past year. But I have done TV series and all that.

Would you then say that Edoche’s kidnap was a blessing in disguise for film producers?
Oh, yes! It is a normal thing. Events that come up from time to time in society form the inspiration for stories that are written for film. There is no place in the world where you watch a film that the story is abstract. Film stories come from what is happening in the larger society. And Nigeria is so dynamic and there are a lot of things we should write about. Look at this thing about the banking sector.

If the industry were still virile, as it used to be in the past, I am sure by now they would have done films on the banking issue. I remember that Living in Bondage was talking about the issue of rituals. I am sure that if the industry were still active, a lot of stories would have come from different angles showcasing these national events.

Now that actors are being kidnapped, it is believed that some of your colleagues want to quit. Is this true?
No, no. A lot of people have been targetted. You know, the issue of kidnapping has become so ridiculous that people in different facets of human endeavours in Nigeria have been kidnapped. Children have been kidnapped; men in politics have been kidnapped; private individuals have been kidnapped; now, it is getting to actors.

I mean, if you are going to be kidnapped, you will be kidnapped from wherever you are. You may just be in your room and they will come to kidnap you, if they think that it will make any difference in their lives. I just think it is terrible. It is terrible that kidnapping is even happening at all. And it is degenerating to the kidnapping of artistes, those who are helping to re-mould and re-fashion the society. I really don’t know what those people were thinking when they kidnapped Uncle Pete. But from what he said, they kidnapped him so that the government will listen to their plight; so that the government will listen to the reason they are kidnapping.

They wanted the government to look into their frustration. Like what Uncle Pete said in the press conference, the idea of those people who kidnapped him was that if somebody as Pete was kidnapped, he will say their grievances to the people and the government will realize the reason they are doing that. So they used Uncle Pete as an avenue to get across to government and the general public. That is probably, the only positive side of the event, but it can never be justified that a human being should go through that experience. There are several other ways in which you can get your message across, but they chose that.

What other thing would you have done if you were not a actor/producer?
I would have been a doctor. That was what I dreamt to be all my life, to end up becoming a medical doctor! And I did not have any inhibitions from my intellectual capacity to achieve that. But it just happened that sometimes in life, you plan to do one thing and you end up doing another.

I believe that God wanted it to end up this way. Because, for example, when I finished my secondary education, I was supposed to travel abroad immediately after that. For that reason, even though I came out with a very good result that could take me into a university, I did not even pick the JAMB form. I was not going to write the exam. By the time I realized the trip would not work out, it was already too late to obtain the JAMB form. So what I did was to obtain an application form for Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. I wasn’t supposed to go to Yaba Tech. I was supposed to go straight to the university, by my result.

How do you relax?
It is just unfortunate that these days people do not even have time to relax. I come to my office here from Monday to Saturday. Then for Sunday, which is the only day I should have for rest, I try to relax at home. But once in a while, I have some functions, both public and private, that I go to. Then once in a year, at least, my wife ensures that we travel out of the country to relax for at least two weeks.

Could you tell us about your family?
I am married. I met my wife at a social function. It was hosted by my very good friend, Chike Ejiro. He was celebrating the son’s christening or the son’s first birthday. I think it was child’s dedication. So I went and I attended the church service. It was at the reception that I met her. She happened to be Chiko’s landlord’s daughter. That was how we met.

How many movies have you starred in?
I can’t even remember. And they have all come with their individual burdens to bear. It is very difficult to say that any particular one was more tasking than the other. But I know that there are some that I will always remember for a very long time to come. Dead End, for instance, was a film produced by Chiko Ejiro in 1996 or thereabout.

It was a very wonderful film. And that was the film that actually launched me out properly, as an actor and into the minds and hearts of Nigerians. I will forever remember that. There is another one called ‘Slave.’ It was also done by Chiko Ejiro. He made me look like a demon in the Slave film. That was the first time I was removed from my fine boy roles and brought into looking very haggard. I had to shave my hair and I looked more like Mr. Tee. There is another film called, Amina. It was a story that was told as a bridge between the North and the South.

It was a very interesting experience and it was shot in Ogwashi Ukwu and Jos. It was in the days when we were making very wonderful films. I won’t forget my first production, which launched me as a producer and that was, Thorns of Rose. That was the film that brought people, like Omotola Jalade to the fore. That was the first film ever for Shan George. I actually brought her into the film industry and that was the film that also brought Jelake Asuegbu to the fore. I will forever remember that as part of my little contributions to the industry – bringing people into acting and making them better actors.

What are you doing now?
I have two soaps that I have made. There is Cross Roads, which is running and it has been on since April 2009. There is also, Comfort Zone, which I have just shot its 26th episode. But it is not yet out. It is going to start showing from this year. Those are the two TV series that I have done on the DSTV and on other cable networks. As an actor, I am in Clinic Matters. It is running too. I am also in My Comfort Zone. They are too numerous to mention. I have done quite a number of soaps.

What does it cost to do a movie?
It depends mostly on the kind of story you are telling. The story actually invites the different input. The inputs also determine how much you are going to spend: your casts, your locations, the time frame and others. But if you are making a film, I am sure that with N45million, you should be able to make a film.

What awards have you won?
I won AMAA award for the best actor in supporting roles in 2008. When I got this award, I was on set, shooting in Delta State. So I could not attend the event. A friend of mine had to receive it on my behalf in Abuja. There are other recognitions. And not too long ago, there was an induction of prominent actors into the Movie Makers Hall of Fame.

Have you ever thought of your retirement?
It is very difficult to really say something about retirement. Nobody knows where life will take him or her. But acting is a profession that so long as you have the strength, you really don’t need to retire. At every stage, you will have a film character of that age that you will fit naturally into. So you can keep acting until you die. Except one wants to retire just for the sake of it.

You must have many admirers. How do you handle this?
I must tell you that it is a very challenging situation. As much as you will want to handle it diplomatically, sometimes, it is difficult. It is a very big challenge that my colleagues and I do face in most of the time. But so far, we are getting by. So long as we are not getting into trouble, it means that we are carefully handling such difficult situations.

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