‘I LEFT NOLLYWOOD BECUASE OF POLITICKING’ – Joy Dumkwu
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
Joy Dumkwu
• Announces Her Comeback
For quite a while, popular female Nollywood actor Joy Dumkwu had left the industry to seek greener pastures in a 9 to 5 banking job. Over the years, the female actor has gathered new experiences, noted her previous mistakes and the imperfections in the movie industry. She is back bigger, bolder and better to make impact in the industry.
In this brief interview with Oki Samson of Trek Africa Newspaper, Joy Dumkwu shared her passion for the arts and expectations in her new experiment on the screens.
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Trek Africa: Can we meet you?
Joy Dumkwu: My name is Joy Dumkwu, a Nollywood actress since 1999 till date though some years back like 2008, 2009, because of the politics in the movie industry then, I decided to get a salary job which I joined Oceanic Insurance. In 2009, there was a problem with Oceanic Insurance which was never with EcoBank so I left Oceanic and moved into UBA.
All those periods, I was still shooting, I was still with AGN, when I’m on leave sometimes I come for shooting, producers call me for shooting but three four years now, I left UBA … while I was with bank… I’m a business Person, I’m versatile when it comes to making money, I still go to work with the things I sell, during break hours I can easily go out to sell, now I’m still doing the business but I’m back, I’m making a comeback now to Nollywood. For few months now, I’ve made a couple of movies more professionally.
Joy Dumkwu, Nollywood Actress
Trek Africa: Why are you making a comeback?
Joy Dumkwu: I discovered that so many of our old producers are no longer there, we have new people but for the old ones, I don’t see why they should leave the industry, they started it, this industry is too big and wide, that’s why the new ones now do not understand what the old ones went through, they’ve invested so much to make Nollywood what it is today. For myself making a comeback, I’m making a comeback because this is what I like doing, I like acting, that is my passion, I was in the banking field, it’s also good to look for money but coming back to Nollywood, I believe it’s another progress for me because I’ve invested so much in Nollywood. I remember when we used to go from one audition to another, by 5am we’re already at the National Theater and it’s strictly by Merit. You just write your name and you must be auditioned, all the jobs I’ve done so far, everything is based on Merit even before I started working with Marketers. Those old ones, I advise that come back, this is where they started from, it shouldn’t be left for new comers, charlatans.
Trek Africa: Now that you’ve made up your mind to have a comeback, what exactly are you coming back to offer in terms of quality and experience?
Joy Dumkwu: Yes, I’m back to make a difference, to distinguish myself from the group, especially the new comers. I know what I have, I’m not boasting because we were trained as actors. I have never given anybody money to come and feature me in any movie, I’ve never sold my body to anybody to feature me in any movie. I can mention the movies I’ve done so far, go and watch them, they are old movies but they’re still on net. If I want to start with 1999, I did Sons and Daughters with Emeka Odigbo but not really a major role. I want to start from where I started starring because I did supporting leads, lead characters, I did lead in The stolen Bible that won several awards with Chinyere Nwabueze, myself, Anita Hogan Ejiro, we’re the lead characters, Kate Henshaw too. When you talk about Too strange to believe it’s another movie I featured as the supporting lead character, Passion and pain, by Elonel international, I featured there as a major character where I played Genevieve Nnaji’s friend, we shot in UNILAG, Ramsey Noah, Desmond, a lot of stars, so many people, even Chinyere Nwabueze was there as well. When you talk about the naked sin, it was also myself, Desmond Elliot, Bob Manuel, Chioma Chukwuka,a lot of us, that’s in The naked scene just to mention but few. Another movie I featured in, that is marketers movie I featured in, that is Icromax, after The Stolen Bible because Icromax is the owner of Stolen Bible, another movie I featured in Sleeping with the enemy. Too strange to believe is also owned by Icromax. We have a movie called Sleeping with the enemy, Uche Jombo, Kate Henshaw, Jude Orhorha, Saint Obi.
I’ve done recent movies, now producers started hiding names because of what has happened in the movie industry but I’ve done some couple of jobs recently which are yet to come out.
Trek Africa: If you’re paid 2 billion naira to act nude in a movie, would you play the role?
Joy Dumkwu: I’m worth more than two billion naira, so I don’t think I will go nude because of two billion naira. I still remain myself, I have my respect, I have a name to protect, I don’t see why I should do that. I’ve paid enough dues so I don’t see why I should sell myself, money is material, I know I as a person, as long as I live, can work hard to make that money so I don’t see why I should go nude becsuse of two billion naira. We saw the likes of Honourable Desmond Elliot.
First Published in Trek Africa Newspaper.
