Nigerian Movie Star Profile
Segun Arinze
The actor who is often identified for playing bad guy roles speaks several Nigerian languages fluently. Born in Onitsha, Anambra state, his early education was at Victory College of Commerce in Illorin and Taba Commercial College, Kaduna. Arinze received his dramatic training at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife, Nigeria. Segun’s screen credits include “The Silent Night”, “Church in Crisis”, “Darkest Night”, “Battle of Love”. “Atlanta” and the popular TV soap operas Mega Fortune and Ripples. Segun also hosts the popular AIT talk show “No Holds Barred”.
Background
Am from Badagry, Lagos state. My mum is Igbo and my dad Yoruba, though he’s late. The name came as a result of my then music label, premier records who felt Segun Aina sounded jujuish or should in I say fujiish, and they wanted curiosity and controversy to the name because they were creating a pop singer. Well the name stuck! SEGUN ARINZE! www.nigeriamovies.net
It started some 20
years ago when I met a friend way back in Ilorin, Kwara State his name, Ayo
Orowale. He introduced me to the theatre and we formed a playgroup called
Palm Players. Ever since there has been no going back! I knew I loved acting
and I was going to be an actor so when the opportunity came I went on to
read drama at Unife, now Obafemi Awolowo university. I thank God for
blessing me with so much talent sometimes am bawled over by it all. I mean I
can sing, act, write copies and scripts, do voice over, produce and direct
sometimes do PR work when I find the time.
www.nigeriamovies.net
Movie Roles
Playing villain
doesn’t make me one and I don’t let it get to me. I consider myself a
professional, doing his job, I see myself as a ‘method actor’ I can play ten
bad boy roles in ten different ways. Most Nigerian directors and producers
like stereotypes because they are lazy and don’t want stress. They want the
easy way out because they shoot for 7 days, no time to work on any greenhorn
so they try to mould what is professionally known in theatre as ‘stock
character’ in common parlance its called ‘stereotype’. I am not a typecast.
They should be more daring and look for, and work on new talents.
www.nigeriamovies.net
All roles are challenging. Depends on how you as the actor approach the
role. For me KG in Kingsley Ogoro`s THE RETURN was hectic and tedious, we
shot for close to 5 years, things kept on changing and we had to adapt to
these challenges, both human and unforeseen and we lost 4 souls in the
course of the movie, but it paid off in the end we got 17 nominations, 11
awards, I won best actor at the 2004 Reel Awards, even though some people
disagreed because they felt the character was a psycho and mean but hey! Who
cares! Denzel won an Oscar for playing a bad cop in Training Day. People are
used to seeing good and romantic boys win, acting is an art.
Music Career
I had my first album
in 1992 called DREAMS under premier music, before then I had done quite a
number of jingles and soundtracks. I also co wrote and performed the theme
song for the maiden edition of the Nigerian music awards in 1991/92 as well
as the fame music awards of the same year.
I needed to make an inroad into acting. Now am in the mood to sing again my
new single is currently enjoying good airplay on radio and the reception has
been tremendous. Tuface Idibia and Sunny Nneji featured on a track called
“Power to say no’ while Mike Aremu plays soprano sax on the ballad “Love me
tonight” The full album will be out April 2006.www.nigeriamovies.net
Tel:571-247-2679 email:contact@nigeriamovies.net
