Actor and Big Brother Africa winner, Uti
Because Uti Nwachukwu entered the
entertainment scene with a big bang, most film producers were somehow scared to engage him initially. As a winner of the Big Brother Africa reality show, he had collected a cool $200,000, after which some endorsements fell on his lap.
As a result, such producers and directors thought that though they needed his talent and profile to boost their casts, he would be too expensive to hire. It was a fear he had to help them to fight. Since then, Nwachukwu, popularly called Uti, has been a regular face in several Nollywood movies.
And he says he is really enjoying acting because it is is maiden love. Punch correspondent encountered him on the
location of Breathless, a film being directed by Charles Uwagbai. He is in action alongside other star actors that include Mike Ezuronye.
He says, "There was a time producers were scared to call me. But I tell them that is where relationships come in. First, it is true that I am not going to be cheap. But this is not to say that I am super expensive. It also depends on
the script. If I fill the role, then we can negotiate. I read the script, and see the movie is worth it. I then give it my best shot. I want people to see the movie and believe the film." And the scripts are really coming to him. The trend in the Nigerian film industry is for almost every actor to produce his film as early
as yesterday. It is a free world and there are no entry barriers. But Nwachukwu says though he is also a writer, he is not yet considering film production.
He notes that first, he does a lot of travelling and attends many gigs. So, the time may not be really there for him yet. He explains, "Man proposes and God disposes. But I know it is not yet time for me to produce my own movies. God has blessed me with acting talent, and for now I am satisfied with exploring this talent. I am not in a hurry to produce because I am getting jobs. Many are going into production because they are not getting jobs. I
am fine. It is not going to be impossible for me to get at least two calls for jobs within a short time."
He adds that last year he appeared in five movies. But how much does he charge producers? How expensive is he? All he concedes to say is, "I am affordable to the right people. I am expensive for non- professionals."
Nwachukwu gives the director of Breathless more than a pass mark. According to him, he knows what it takes to bring out the best in an actor. He says, "He is amazing. When I
watched his previous projects, I said, 'I must work with this person'. He is a risk taker. He is deep. There is just something about him."
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