Special Adviser or not, I’m still an actor — RMD

Nollywood star actor, Richard Mofe Damijo who was recently appointed special adviser to the Delta state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan is learning the process well.
In this brief chat at an event in Asaba, Delta state, he speaks on how he copes with his new assignment, how he handled his female fans while he was actively acting and explains that his new appointment has not separated him from his career.


As a government official now, what is your new job like?


It is challenging, but I am learning the process. I am a fast learner, thank God for that and there are people there who are guiding me in the process of trying to understand that things are done differently here. I’m enjoying it.


What happens to your acting career?


No o ,I haven’t really left acting. I’m going to be doing a lot of local work here to build the industry here, so there’s really no leaving the art. I am going to teach, I am going to coach and I’m going to inspire, so I’m still involved in acting one way or the other.

May be not as much as I used to in front of the camera, but I’m going to be doing a lot behind the cameras for now. For instance in the month of March, we have set in motion the Delta Entertainment Summit where stakeholders in the music and movies business will gather in Warri to talk about the best ways of entrenching the right tenets of showbizness.

We expect people like Emeka Mba of the National Film and Video Censors Board, Dr Don Pedro Obaseki, and a host of others in Warri. This will reduce if not stop restiveness in the area and inspire several others to benefit from art.


Now that you have a more tasking job, how do you joggle between your family and this tasking job?
This is not more tedious. Every work is tedious, what you aim for is a balance. Every work takes you away from your family, what you do is to create a balance between your family and your job.


Make a flash back as to how your journey in the arts all started?


I think it just a childhood fantasy and I also studied Theater Arts, so I guess it was a natural calling.


Obstacles and challenges dogged your path, how did you overcome?


Making sure that I sold the idea that being an actor does not necessarily mean being intellectually berated. What I have tried to do is to give the actors some integrity that after the acting you also have some brains.


Is it true that female actresses have to sleep around with producers and directors to get roles?


I didn’t go through that experience myself, so I can’t speak for the others because I don’t think anybody that I have worked with even as a producer or as a director would have had to go through that to get any role from me. For me, merit is what matters.

Sex can only take you so far, but if you don’t have any talent, no matter how many people you sleep with, you will not make progress.

How did you or how do you handle your female fans, every one knows they are too numerous and still come in droves?


There is no written text book on how to handle them. It is by the grace of God. I try being nice to everybody and I try to put everybody in their place and I also make them know that there are limits to every thing in life including star adulation.


If you are opportuned to change anything in the Nigerian entertainment industry, what will it be?
Get rid of all the charlatans.


Who are the charlatans?


Those who give professionals bad name. Those who don’t know anything about the profession but think they must participate.

They don’t research before they write their scripts, they don’t research before they act and when they come up with their films or styles, they are not up to standard and people use that to judge professionals.


How would you describe your self?


A simple Warri boy.


Who is your role model?


I have plenty , but I’ll mention Wole Soyinka and Nelson Mandela.


What type of clothes do you wear?


I wear anything good. Mudi makes my clothes


What about shoes?


I wear anything good that suit me.