Charles Inojie is one of the most creative talents in Nollywood today. He has his hands in acting mostly comic roles, directing, screen writing and also a producer. He speaks about his passion for acting in this interview with Samuel Onyekwere.
You’re a movie director, President, Screen Writers Guild, a producer and an actor, all rolled into one. Where is your comfort zone in all these?
Well, I don’t know about comfort zone. We are just trying to leverage on the opportunity our training as thespians have given us. As a thespian, I am trained to master the art of drama or film making including all aspects. But, if I choose to follow an aspect that does not mean that I cannot function in other areas. What happened in my case is that haven’t been trained as a thespian, I entered the industry as an assistant to Lancelot Imaseun, a movie director. I was also into script writing. It got to a point that the actor in me could no longer be suppressed by what providence was making me to do.
The actor in me needed an opportunity to demonstrate the gift in me and this happened. So people saw that I could do it too, and that was how the interest grew, but all of them did not start at the same time. Each came up one after the other and none was willing to give up for the other.
You are mostly noted for your comic roles. How do you transform from being a comedian to a director on the same set? Do they take you serious?
Let them not take me serious; they will all lose their jobs (general laughter).Saying I am a comedian is an argument you may not be able to win. I always want to see myself as an actor who probably had handle his comic roles well, otherwise nobody is trained to be a comedian. The challenge I always want to throw to people like you is that I want you to give me any serious role and see if I will not do it well.
But you’ve been stereotyped as a comedian by your colleagues with the roles they give you?
No. It’s just that people like you will rather see me play the comic role and there is nothing bad in being a comedian. Those who know me, especially my back room staff, know that I am always serious with my job. I always tell the ones that joined me newly, not to see me from the point of the character I play on screen or they will have problems with me. What this means is that I might be talking to you and you think I am joking and there will be issues. For me, work is work, and I don’t joke when I am working. Charles the director is different from Charles the actor.
So how do you handle your fans when they react to you based on your role in a movie?
For those ones there is nothing I can do about them. Some of them have not seen the other side of me even when I am serious. I have met people who saw me and asked, ‘who give you fine clothes to wear’, ‘this foolish man, so you they drive motor’. My brother those are part of the compliments from the fans. It was difficult initially, but I have gotten used to it. Even before they will ask, I will say yes, I will say,’ I am that Idiot’. I will first abuse myself before they do.
So people don’t take you serious anymore?
People don’t even believe that I can actually be serious. I anchored a wedding in Port Harcourt and the then deputy governor was the chairman of the occasion. I could notice the way the woman was looking at me. Later, she asked one of the ushers’ to call me. She then asked, ‘’ you look so much like one of those comedians I watch on television, and I told her I was the one. She was surprised and said the man she was talking about cannot make a complete sentence or speak good English. And she was like, ‘you mean you can speak good English and wear good clothes?
You are the president of Screen writers’ guild. What’s the difference in the role of a screen writer and a director?
The script is to every production what a foundation is to a building. Without the script there cannot be a production. If the foundation is faulty, the building will collapse. That’s why we insist on getting the script right and going extra miles to get the right hands for the production. The screen writer puts the story together for the screen and the director breathes life into it. The screen writer plans the dialogue, and the director breathes life into it. Somebody has written the script but you cannot watch it until somebody interprets it.
Does the absence of an artistic director affect the quality of artistes and their role interpretation?
There is no law that says a director must have an artistic director. It’s only those half baked graduates from some of these training schools for movie directing, who don’t know much about drama that may need artistic director. Otherwise, a director that knows his job is the ultimate determinant of the destination of the movies. The director directs everybody: camera, costume, set designers, make- up and actors’ e.t.c. The director in the theater parlance is the’ alpha and omega’. When a director tells you to jump, you don’t ask why, but how high.
What have you given back to the industry with all you have achieved?
I have people that I mentor every year and I make sure I always improve the quality of my production. I believe that there are talented actors that don’t have opportunity to exhibit their talents and so I give some of them this opportunity. Whenever I am on any project, I make sure I give the green horns the opportunity to realize their dreams. I also want to improve the structure of the industry better than we met.
Which project are you working on now?
The Johnsons on DSTV. This is my seventh year on the project as an actor. It’s a soap opera and it runs every day. I started directing the soap four years ago. I have not done any movie lately. Once you become a director of a daily show, you can’t possibly do as many productions as you want to do, though I still do other jobs too. We do 260 episodes every year. It’s difficult to act and direct at the same time. However, my contract does not permit me to talk much about this project in the media.
