Kalu Ikeagwu
Posted To The Web: Wednesday,
May 24, 2006 -
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Kalu Ikeagwu
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Kalu Ikeagwu started acting as a student at the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he studied
English. According to him, his father who was a
lecturer at the University usually encouraged him to
read. He soon developed a passion for Literature
which ignited his interest in acting.
Kalu who features as Jeny, a loving and very
supportive husband to Ada in the TVsoap Domino,
currently showing on AIT every Sunday, came into the
country from England less than a year ago. Hear him:
"A friend of mine who is a banker here in Nigeria
encouraged me to come home and get involved in
Nollywood.
So, I planned to come to Nigeria just for two weeks
to network and arrange for my final home coming."
Ever since he arrived the country, Nigerian
producers have been inviting him to feature in their
movies. Following his debut movie, For Real by Emem
Isong, in less than one year, the debonair actor has
established his presence in the movie industry.
Beaming smiles, the talented actor says he would
love to be appreciated not just for his good looks
but his potentials.
He also spoke about his acting career, his fees,
coping with female fans, the future of Nollywood and
much more in this interview.
Background
My name is Kalu Ikeagwu. I was born in England. I
returned to Nigeria when I was nine years old
because my father wanted me to get closer to my
culture. I had my primary education in England and
Zambia and my secondary school and University here
at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka before I
returned to England.
My father, who died two years ago, was a lecturer
and a very good man. He was very strict too. Being a
very academic man, he used to encourage us to read.
My mother lives in England at the moment with the
rest of the family. We are seven in number - two
girls and five boys. I am the third child and the
first son of my parents.
I read English and graduated in 1991.
Acting career
My father had wanted me to study Medicine but I
couldn’t do it because I wasn’t very good in the
sciences. I developed the love for Literature and
when it was time to go to the University, I chose
Literature much to his disappointment.
In my first year at the University, we had a drama
to present. I was not really interested in it, I
just wanted to go there and play about. Later a man
came and made me read the script and before I knew
it, he told me to pick up the role. It was hard work
for me but I just found out that I enjoyed it. And
ever since then, I have never looked back. I
continued to act on stage throughout my stay at the
university so much so that people thought I was a
Dramatic Arts student. That was where it started
from.
I came into the country last year and featured in
three home movies before I was invited to take part
in Domino. The first one was For Real by Emem Isong;
the second one was Darkest Night, but the third
movie is not yet out.
Picking the roles
A friend of mine who is a banker here in Nigeria
encouraged me to come home and get roles in
Nollywood. So I planned to come to Nigeria just for
two weeks to network. So when I arrived, I did not
know they had already fixed me up with an agent who
linked me with Emem Isong. So I went to see her, she
asked me to read something for her. That was how she
gave me the role.
For the role in Domino, I went for another
auditioning at the National Theatre, the then
producer of Domino, Biodun Aleja, just saw me and
told me that they were actually looking for new
faces. So that was how I got the role.
Most challenging role
So far, the most challenging is the role I play in
Domino. Moreso because I am usually more comfortable
as a bad guy. But it is difficult acting a good
person, you have to be disciplined enough in order
not to overact.
However, I really don’t want to fit into any role, I
want to be as flexible as I can. As an actor, I
think my responsibility is to express everything a
human being can express to an audience, so I should
be able to handle any role that is given to me.
Acting in England and Nigeria
In England things are a bit easier above all, more
time is given to interpret roles which was quite a
challenge. On arrival, I think that is the major
difference. I also saw it here that they are not
expression oriented. In England, the main thing is
to make it as real as possible, it is more
internalized – the way you talk, your eyes, body
language, those are the things that are considered
more important. I think we will still fit in, it is
just that if we can have more time to do our work,
it would be a lot better. Because our movie
producers are in a bit of a hurry. Another thing I
have observed is that the Nigerian movie industry is
after quick profit.
Nigerian movie industry
In terms of recognition, Nigerian movie industry is
rated high. Concerning quality, we have a lot of
potentials. We are doing very well but we need to
get rid of the short-term profit syndrome. I think
that is what is affecting us at the moment.
Initially I thought we were nowhere. But working in
the industry, I have seen many directors who want to
bring out quality work. Also our Nigerian audience
are very critical of what they see.
Nigerian movies abroad
It is funny because we have a much larger market
outside than we have here. But the strongest factor
is that of nostalgia. People rush out to buy
Nigerian films just to have an impression about the
country. For instance, Osuofia in London, people
watched it over and over again and they liked it.
Africans and West Indians in London watch Nigerians
movies because of the content. We should start
gearing towards international recognition where our
films can be shown at international festivals. If on
the other hand we refuse to do that, we’ll crash out
of reckoning.
Role models
One of the people I look up to in the industry is
Kate Henshaw. She is a very humble person, and
highly intelligent. As for RMD and Segun Arinze,
when they read their scripts, it just sticks. I do
not know how they do it. I like Stella Damascus-Aboderin.
I have not worked with Stella but I have worked with
the other people.
Myself
I am idealistic. I love having fun. I love God
because he has done so much for me. I love people,
but sometimes I do not have much patience. I can be
moody sometimes. I am not that kind of nice person
that people think Jerry in Domino is. I do not have
Jerry’s patience. I like singing, but I also like to
write.
How I unwind
I like to read and travel. I love driving but not in
Lagos. I don’t like driving in Lagos.
Most enabling moment
I have never had stage fright. But there was this
day I was on stage, at a point there was black out.
But it was not my first time on stage. The first
time I acted, it went smoothly. I was on stage
playing Ezeulu, the Chief Priest in Arrow of God. I
have been rehearsing on a much smaller stage. I have
never been on the big stage before. So when I came
out, the stage was so huge that I did not know how
to go about my movements. I just stood there frozen.
I just saw a whole sea of faces staring at me.
Honestly, I do not know how I managed to get through
that.
Aspirations
I would love to work in Nigeria and overseas as an
actor. I don’t ever want to see myself as a good
actor. I want to see myself as someone aspiring to
be better. That for me will be a tremendous success.
At the right time, I would love to produce my own
movies and make an impact on what I think about
life.
Relationship
Yes, I am engaged. I have a fiancee who lives in
Kaduna. She is from Abia State and a wonderful lady
at that. There’s nothing for my female fans who may
want to take it beyond being fans. If they come
close to me, they would realise that I am not that
much of a catch.
My fees
Well, it could be better. At the stage that I am, I
believe that it could be better. But actors in
Nigeria are still poorly paid compared to other
countries.
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