I Lost Movie Role for Not Sleeping With Marketer — Ruby Ojiakor
Background
I come from a family of six children in Imo State. However, one of us has passed on. Three boys and two girls are alive now. My mum is alive, but my dad is late. I live in Asaba, Delta State.
Education
I studied at the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu. My primary and secondary school education I had in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Challenges
I am having challenges with being given smaller roles. Sometimes, when I ask why some persons are playing certain roles and why they are not playing the other roles, I get responses like, “They want to use the person’s car in the movie. So, that is why she has to play the role’. And, my car might not befit that role. Meanwhile, the actor might not want to release their car if they are not given the bigger role. It is a big challenge for me, and that is how I have been managing it for some time now.
Achievements
God has been faithful. I have got so many endorsements deals. Sometimes when I go out, people appreciate me. It is not easy and it is not everyone that people recognise. I have been nominated for some awards too.
Qualities
The first quality that brought me this far is humility. For some movie producers to remember to feature me in their works is humbling. I am not the only one in Nollywood. There are many good actors other there too. To be called for jobs, it means there are some things the producers are seeing in me.
Success
A woman will always be a woman; whether she is an actress or not. It is not only in Nollywood that one can find some women who are more successful than men. This is based on the fact that women are attractive. We have everything that men need. Some male fans also appreciate us, and one does not need to be involved (romantically) with them, before they are nice to one. At times, some of my male fans simply say that they love the way I act. Some of these men might not give their fellow men money because they see themselves as ‘hustlers’. But, some of these men see women as weaker vessels. The case is the same outside Nollywood. It is because we are visible in the public eye and people can easily have access to us.
Sacrifices
When I initially started my career, I did not depend on the pay. I have done so many free jobs just to prove a point and attain a height in the industry. If one puts money first in one’s career, producers might run away from that person. Some of them might say that they have not seen what the actress has to offer, yet she is talking about money. Doing free jobs was a sacrifice I had to make for my career.
Also, I pray a lot because my job requires one to be spiritually strong. Many things happen in this industry, and one must not lose one’s guard. I don’t joke with fasting and prayers.
Roles
I can never be caught acting nude or showing off vital parts of my body.
Memories
I remember when I was called for a job in Enugu and we shot it for two days. I was supposed to be the female lead character in the movie. The marketer that owned the job wanted to ‘get down’ with me. But, I told him I could not do such a thing. I thought that since I had started shooting some scenes in the movie, nothing could be done to me and he cannot cancel my scenes, which I shot with Ghanaian actor, Majid Michel, then.
I also felt Majid would not want to re-act the scenes he had done before. Those factors made me think that the producer’s decision to change me would be fruitless. But to my surprise, I was not called to continue my scenes. When I challenged the production manager, he said I should not be angry because someone else had been called to play the role. I was not given any reason for being removed from that project.
I asked if Majid agreed to re-shoot those scenes, and I was told he was paid extra money to do so. That was how I lost a movie role because I refused to sleep with the owner of the movie. The scenes I had already shot were wiped out from that movie. That was a painful experience, but I have moved on.
Solution
I don’t think anything can be done to stop sexual advances from filmmakers. Some people have tried to report them, but it has not yielded any positive result. When an actress reports an offender, she is practically setting herself up for a fall. The offenders know themselves, and if one person reports any of them, they would gang up against that actress in the industry, and she would not be getting movie roles.
It is just like a cartel. The best thing is to train oneself and be firm that even if others are doing it, one will not do it. That was what I did.
Professionalism
It is good when an actress is talented and knows what she is doing. Many of the girls that prefer to sleep with filmmakers are not that good at what they do. They are just desperate, want to become overnight stars.
If one is not desperate and one keeps praying to God, one will get movie roles, even if one does not sleep with filmmakers. The filmmakers will not have any option in such a case because the person is good.
It is important for actresses to always work on themselves. Once they do so, they will always get jobs. I still get calls despite turning down sexual advances from producers.
Curves
Having a curvy body can help one to appear in a movie, but it may not be able to sustain a career with more movie roles. However, if one is curvy and talented; that is better.
Stress
Acting is stressful. Sometimes, I return home from a movie location by 2am or even 6am. There are times we shoot from morning till the next. This might be due to the fact that the producer is trying to meet up with a deadline. Or perhaps, the person’s money has finished, and they are trying to reduce the cost of making the movie cost. However, it is the actors who suffer it the most, because there is no time to rest. At times, we have to change costumes about 30 times. It is not easy. Sometimes, there is no time to eat because the producer is trying to manage time and shoot 20 scenes a day. At times, we work under the rain, especially when we are doing epic movies. We also stay under the scorching sun to shoot some of these movies.
Fashion
My favourite fashion item is the wristwatch.
Cheerleaders
My mum is my number one cheerleader. She is my biggest fan. My fans on social media encourage me a lot too. They tell me that I am doing well.
Interests
I like business. I had done one in the past but because of the nature of my job, I could not concentrate. If I have capable hands in the future, I can start my clothing business all over.
Relaxation
I unwind by travelling and staying away from home for a week. That way, I am able to cool my head.
SOURCE: The Punch
