How I balance religion, showbiz career – Alex Ekubo
Weekend Magazine: You are a Law graduate but you ventured into the entertainment industry. How easy was it for you to make the switch? Alex Ekubo: I started off studying Law and while I was in school I found out that I was more into the arts and did a better job in art related […]
Weekend Magazine: You are a Law graduate but you ventured into the entertainment industry. How easy was it for you to make the switch?
Alex Ekubo: I started off studying Law and while I was in school I found out that I was more into the arts and did a better job in art related issues. I was always geared towards acting and as they say man proposes and God disposes.
WM: You also model. Was modelling a part of your dream while growing up?
Ekubo: One thing I know was that I never said I wanted to be a model while growing up. I think modelling found me. I remember going to take a picture in a studio and an agent walked up to me and asked me if I was a model and I said no. Then he said he had been watching me for a while and he thought I had the looks and the persona and he showed me pictures of a couple of personalities after he had identified himself as an agent and invited me over to the agency. He asked if I could give it a try and that was how I started working as a model.
WM: So you were into acting before modelling?
Ekubo: I would say yes. I get asked this question a lot, I don’t know I if I am actor turned model or a model turned actor. I just know that in 2004 I was privileged to do a very short film that was directed and produced by Lancelot. That was my first chance at acting. I acted alongside late Justice Esiri, Empress Njamah and after that I forgot all about it and focused on school. Later on after school, I started acting professionally but I am a trained actor.
WM: You are seen and regarded as a religious person and have remained scandal-free. How have you been able to blend your religious beliefs with the vices of your career?
Ekubo: The Bible says train your child in the way of the lord and the way he should grow so that when he grows he will not depart from it. At a very tender age I had been very religious and been part of a very religious family and always had a very religious upbringing. Growing up like that I am used to being honest and straight forward in all my doings and that is the only way I have grown to live and know. This has been my way of life, I did not just wake up and say today I want to be religious or do good; it has always been a part of me. I will always remain that way no matter what.
WM: The entertainment industry comes with a lot of criticisms. How have you been able to handle criticism in your career?
Ekubo: Like Tuface will say, if no one talks about you then you are nobody, so you know if you are growing people will talk about you and if you are not then no one will say a thing about you. So talking about criticisms, I have learnt to grow a tough skin and just brush it off my shoulders. Jesus Christ healed the sick and raised the dead and he was still criticised, I have not done half of that in my life and I am being criticised why should I complain? Criticism comes with the job. If you are trying to get into the business, you should learn to understand that people will always criticise whatever you do. As an ordinary person people talk, not to talk of when you are in the entertainment industry, the stakes are higher and people that talk about you are more. For me at the end of the day a clear conscience is everything. As long as I did not do whatever they might claim I did, I’m good to go.
WM: You talked about growing a tough skin to some of these criticisms. What is that one impression that if given a second chance to do you will love to change?
Ekubo: To the glory of God there is really nothing I will want to change. Everything I have done, said and not said, worked on has made me the man that I am today and has taken to the point where I am in my career. So if I alter anything in my past I might change my destiny, so at this point as long as I am still alive and still breathing I do not want to change anything about my past and myself. Everything that has happened to me, the people I have met on a day to day basis, all played a role in who I am today
WM: Male models in Nigeria sure come under a lot of pressure, what are some of the challenges a male model faces?
Ekubo: Challenges are the same thing everywhere irrespective of where you find yourself. The male model faces the same challenges everyone faces in the industry in Nigeria, which is finance, lack of support and encouragement by the stakeholders. This is not particular to the male models, it affects everybody in the industry it affects both the female and male models. It all boils down to dealing with people professionally in the industry.
WM: People generally term male models as gay; do such challenges still exist in the industry?
Ekubo: There is no such thing to the best of my knowledge and I doubt if this is particular to male models or modelling. I don’t like to stigmatise any industry. People work in the bank, courts, political offices and their bosses harass them. People work in various offices and segments of the economy and have their bosses or colleagues harass them, so why should it be particular to the entertainment industry? It all boils down to how you carry yourself and handle the situation if it ever arises. The standard you have set for yourself is what differentiates you from the other person.
WM: People regard you as the fittest among male models, what is the secret to your being physically fit?
Ekubo: I eat healthy and I am not a ‘gym rat,’ meaning I do not go to the gym on a daily basis. That does not mean that every other person should be like me because what works for me might not work for the other person.
WM: How do you handle female fans?
Ekubo: I appreciate them and I am very humble while doing so. I am very grateful to them because they are always ready to support, encourage and vote for me. I appreciate them and nothing more; I do not need to be rude or pompous to them. They are my fans and I am thankful for them.
WM: What has a fan ever done to you that embarrassed you?
Ekubo: They have done quite a lot but I do not see any of the moments as embarrassing. We need to understand that whatever they do is borne out of love. I get requests to sign autographs on papers, pictures and parts of their bodies. It’s normal and do not see it as an embarrassment but rather as love for me. All I can do in return is to appreciate their love for wanting to be a part of my life.
WM: What is next for you?
Ekubo: I have a couple of projects lined up for this year and the year coming. I urge my fans to look out and watch it unfold in the coming months.
WM: In three words describe Alex Ekubo?
Ekubo: God fearing, talented and blessed
WM: Do you have plans to practice law someday?
Ekubo: You never can tell; my life is just a decision by God, if God decides that I go into the law practice tomorrow, why not! But in the meantime my name is Alex Ekubo and I am an actor.
WM: As a model, where would you rather put your money, local or foreign designers?
Ekubo: Everybody knows me by now that I am all the way for Nigerian designers. Everything I wear, my native attires and suits are all made by Nigerian designers. So that is a yes question for the local designers, I am all the way for Nigerian designers. I am very passionate about Nigeria and believe Nigeria can get better. I am very passionate about their works and their industry. I am for Nigeria all the way, so I am going to stick my money with Nigerian designers.
WM: Do we see you more on the modelling or acting radar?
Ekubo: I am an actor so I will be more on the acting radar.