Guardian

BEFORE now, getting an interview with Jim Iyke was usually a herculean task. If he’s not busy on locations either in Lagos or outside, then he’s abroad attending to his many business interests. Most times, all you get to read about the actor are stories of his failed relationships or squabbles with fellow entertainers.

Besides these gossips usually found on blogs, nothing much is know about the Anambra State native. However, the unveiling of his reality TV show, Jim Iyke Unscripted provided an opportunity to take on Nollywood’s bad boy.

“Things are blown out of proportion, purely for commercial reasons,” he quipped, as if he had been waiting for an opportunity to pour out his heart on his frustrations in the hands of media men, especially bloggers.

As far as Jim is concerned, it serves a lot of people’s end when a story is told in bad light.

“It doesn’t sell when the story is told the way it is; they are constantly looking for somebody that will be branded ‘bad egg’ and be used as a platform to have hits on their blogs, sell newspapers and have viewers on their channels. Everything works in the negative for the positive for them, but what about the person you are hurting? What about the opportunities and windows you are closing on him,” he quizzed, now sounding very moody.

With his tone, you begin to wonder how he feels after reading those juicy controversial reports?

“It’s an exhibition of mediocrity that they practice today and call it press. Today, anybody can wake up and become a blogger and use it for personal vendetta and people don’t know about that. They would report these stories from their own point of view, without any form of balance,” he remarked.

Lack of control, especially among bloggers and social media networks, according to Jim, has worsened the situation, as the bloggers in particular now see themselves as small gods.

“There’s no control; there’s no law. So, if I have personal issues, you can take it out there and get your bloggers to attack me. They are getting hits from it and getting paid; there’s no control,” he harped.

To the actor, the era of professionalism in the media is gradually eroding.

“There’s no sense of professionalism, so, there’s gross abuse of human right and people’s basic fundamental rights are trampled upon everyday. You can have a problem with a journalist and he will take it to the blogs and tear you apart; you can’t even take him to court. If you take the matter to court, it will stay there for years and nobody wants to go that route.”

Though the controversial reports have in a way raised his popularity, Jim Iyke, who has become a household name in the African motion picture industry, has a family name to protect.

“In truth, it serves my brand in no small measure, but we are talking about the bigger picture; we are talking about the old fashion family values. We are talking about the mother that will read this and begin to wonder what her son has become…”

“I’m from a traditional Igbo family; father mother sisters… They expect you to be the torchbearer for people to look up to and emulate. I’ve always lived by examples,” he said.

You must have had issues with your parent over taking up acting as a career?

“Oh, extreme issues,” he stressed.

“It’s not a story that my family did not support my acting career; my dad asked me at some point to leave his house and I left. I wasn’t getting my way, I wasn’t getting support; I was a terrible son because I wanted to act… I had to leave. In fact, it took me two years to come back home,” he narrated.

Leaving his family house, young Jim moved to Lagos where he squatted with friends and cousins, with the hope of achieving his dreams

“I was living with friends, and later with cousins that threw me out after two weeks, when I wasn’t coming home with money from roles. I lived with friends that, for some reasons, were harbouring me in their boy’s quarters and when their parents found out, I got kicked out. I went to hotels and live there; the day I don’t pay, I got kicked out. Those days, I wasn’t sure where my next food was going to come from.”

While the situation became indelible in his mind, it also forged the survival instinct that Jim has today as a man.

“It became the measure of the man that I am today; I’m undaunted by any pressure, I’m unperturbed by any challenges. That’s why I go after things headlong and I don’t know anything about stopping until I get it. So, I think it has forged the essence of the man that I am today.”

… And your parents?

“… You know how it is; make the pepe and all is well,” he said with laughter.

“I’m glad that my family is not like that; even when I was making big money, they were still watching to see where the money was coming from. But when I came home and they saw that the values had not change, but had bettered, it made them to accept me.”

Even at that, Jim never let his success story get into his head in the family; he remained his father’s son.

“My mother still spoke to me in a certain way, and I must listen; my father still expected a certain respect from me. Most importantly, they wanted to know the background of the money I was bringing home. In my family, you can’t just be buying big cars here and there because they will say, ‘are you sure you are not into hard drugs? Films don’t give this type of money…’ These are the kind of things you face. So, I needed to bring them into my world, give them cheques to see; I had to convince my family that movie is paying my bills,” he said, beaming with smiles.

The Jim Iyke Unscripted on AfricaMagic Entertainment exposed the glamourous yet controversial life of the popular actor. Filmed in Lagos, Abuja, Accra, Houston, Dubai, Nairobi, Amsterdam and London, the series followed Jim as he manages the demands that come with his huge popularity, busy schedule and outspoken personality.

“There’s a management team I’m signed on to; I’m the only African on the team. They are responsible for the branding of popular people like Usher and others. They came to me and said they’ve looked broadly across our divide and seen that I’m the one they felt has the international appeal to move to the next level and that would love to support my brand. I thought it was a welcome development because, at that time, I was tired of running around; it’s not just enough being the big fish in a small pond. I wanted to move forward, so, I took the offer.”

It was at this point that the producers of Jim Iyke Unscripted came into the picture.

“After a while, Oh Africa headed by Michael Joba, came onboard; he’s somebody I’ve known for a long while, a world traveler. Every time he’s in a certain country, we’ve always stayed in touch. He would ask me, ‘what are you doing here,’ and I would explain to him, ‘ok, I’m developing my clothing line, I’m doing a production, I’m attending a workshop and all that.’ And he asked me, ‘how many countries do you go to in a year?’ and I said, ‘an average of 6 to 10 countries.’ And he thought this is going to be an interesting life to capture on TV.”

Initially, Jim Iyke didn’t see any profit in a reality show, for him, starring in a blockbuster movie looks more appealing.

“I didn’t want to do it,” he revealed. “I didn’t think its something important in my development as a brand. However, everything comes together on a platform; the project was sold on my platform. They explained to me that this is an opportunity to tell my own story, an opportunity for people to know the real Jim Iyke.”

In reality, every side of the divide has told a story about the brand Jim, except the actor himself.

“For me, it was an opportunity to tell my own story, especially with the controversies back home; I thought it was a superior argument. Today, I have no regret doing this. In fact, I’ve gained a lot through this project.”

How has the experiences been?

“It’s been awesome,” he sang. “In fact, I was doing a pro bono work recently in Uganda and a huge Canadian director approached me, his name is Moshino. Actually, I went to a shopping mall and the place went crazy; everyone recognised me. He went asking small kids about me and he was surprised they all knew my name; he was amazed. I didn’t even know what he was doing, I though he was part of the contingent.”

As it turned out, a production company, which the Canadian director was working for, had acquired the biggest selling East African novel, My Life In Crime by John Kiriamiti, and were getting set to adapt the book into movie.

“Already, some huge Hollywood stars are on the project, so he wanted me to cast for the movie. Usually, when it comes to auditioning, big artistes normally shoot a small clip about them, and then send to the production crew. But I told him that I would love to fly down to Kenya for the audition. He thought I was joking, but I paid my way to Nairobi and auditioned for the role.”

Jim had only two days to learn the Kenyan ascent in a bid to impress the crew.

“I did what I could and they were impressed; they gave me the role. I was in Amsterdam doing a different job when they called me to come to Nairobi and sign the deal. Few days ago, I was in Nairobi for a press conference for the project; I will be playing the role of Jack Zolo, the lead character in the movie. This maybe the biggest project in this continent this year.”

With the production set to commence in September, Jim is already planning to relocate to Nairobi by middle of August to prepare for the role.

“It’s an awesome project; I’m surprised the press here hasn’t got hold of the story; it’s everywhere online. Again, such stories don’t sell in Nigeria; when I’m involved in an argument, you will sure read the story in the media,” he frowned.

Forget the controversies, Jim Iyke is deeper than what you see on the surface.

“My life is beyond what you see on TV; I research continually. On a daily basis, I try to enhance my personal self. People have different perspectives of Jim Iyke, but this show will give you an idea of exactly what I am.”

Having stamped his authority in the country’s motion picture industry, Jim Iyke is currently promoting his clothing line, Untained Men.

“I’ve always had a fashion propensity and I wanted to create something of my own. I worked in a shop in New York for two weeks; I had my Cote d’Ivoire friend grooming me in fashion management and stocking. A lot of people saw me there and were surprised; some didn’t really believe I was actually working there. When I put my mind on something, I don’t look back.”

So, how has the business been?

“My brother, fashion is a whole new experience. I’m glad we have a clientele; they are not loud, but they are very faithful and they love our products. We have people that recognise quality and we bring the best you can get anywhere in the world.”