You Just Can’t Go Through The Industry Without Being Sexually Harassed – Colette Orji

Colette Orji

Colette Orji came into the industry a few years ago but already she has a profile that would bedazzle any producer. Beautiful, talented and sexy but most people who have met Colette keep talking about her magnetic backside which tends to sing a song many could not help but follow. She has several claims to stardom and they include “Strength of a Woman”, “Blue Blood”, “Raindrop”, “Two Can Play That Game”, “Amaka Mustapha” and a host of others. In this interview with Showtime, the Enugu and Abuja based Thespian talked about growing up in Cameroon, her career and opened a can of worms on the happenings in the movie industry. Enjoy:
Q. Who’s Colette Orji and where is she coming from?

I am Colette Nkem Orji. Precisely from Orumba North Local Government in AnambraState. I was born in Cameroon, based in Cameroon, studied in Cameroon. Colette is a focused kind of person, very intelligent and very respectful.

Q. What do you remember most about your childhood in Cameroon?

It wasn’t even childhood, I was in Cameroon till I was 20 years old. I think I had it all in Cameroon.

Q. What was it like growing up there and your childhood fantasies?

Well, growing up, I was always thinking I was going to become a pilot. We are six in my family: five boys and I am the last and the only girl. So my childhood revolved around them and I always thought I was one of them. Whatever they did I did. When they wore blue jeans I wore my own too. When they rolled up their trousers I rolled up my own too. I think I was a boy for so long in my life. It’s not more than eight years ago I became a girl.

The industry is in a chaotic situation. I cannot even discuss some of the things going on now. It’s sinful, it’s sin at its highest order

My parents relocated back to Nigeria. At the time I was doing my final year in school. My dad was in Cameroon for close to 30 years but sometimes we came down to Nigeria once or twice a year. When we moved down, my brothers moved to the United Kingdom. So, I was the only one down here. I came for holiday in Nigeria in 2002 and I moved down permanently in 2003 and got direct admission into UNN.

Q. Being in Nigeria, what are you missing about living in Cameroon?

I missed a lot. I missed that place I really knew with all the people I knew around me. That early childhood thing that comes with you. And at the same time, I might say I am not missing much because all my friends back then have all left the city we were.
Most of them have also moved on. 80% of my friends are now in Europe. 5% is even here in Nigeria and other percentage are spread across other cities of the world. So, even if I go back to Cameroon it can never be the same again.

Q. How did you find your way into acting?

Let me say I was a star of a sort in Cameroon because I was always on top of everything I did back then. As a child, from Primary school, I represented the school in handball. When there was a quiz, I was the one to present the school as well. In swimming and virtually everything, it was Colette Orji that led the way. When I moved to Secondary school the same trend continued.
In church I did a drama series where I played the role of a Reverend Sister, that was like one of the biggest church activities for a very long time and everyone took to calling me ‘Colette, the Reverend Sister because I interpreted the role so well.

There in Cameroon we would pick up Nigerian films, the few ones we could get, and gathered in our numbers to watch the films and with so much excitements. We knew all the Nigerian actors by either their names or their stage names. Like Pete Edochie, we knew him as Don Pedro. So, you could imagine the whole of Cameroon calling him ‘Don Pedro’. So it became a burning desire in me that when I get to Nigeria I must act.

Fortunately, when I got to Nigeria I went to Enugu in my aunt’s place and there she was, having dinner with an actress, Aunty Stella Oku Egbu. When I saw her I was so overjoyed and could not contained myself. I shouted and screamed even my aunt was taken aback with my show of emotion. Before she left I made her promise to take me where they were having an audition. Fortunately too, it just happened they were having one the next day and she invited me to come along.
Before 6am I was in her house and she said “Colette, it is by 8am” and I said she should not worry that I would wait.

She took me to the audition ground and had me registered. That same day, I was given a character to play. They just gave me a role to read and when you give someone like Colette Orji a chance like that I take over. I simply took over the stage. By the time I was done reading my script everyone was clapping and they gave me the role just like that. The next day I was on set filming.

Though it was a bit role of four scenes in “Two Aside” but that gave me the confidence I needed. The movie was directed by Afam Okereke and produced by Great Movies. I guess I was so impressive they gave me a script for another role immediately.

Q. When was your first major role?

My first major role took time. My first film was in 2004 and I didn’t get my major role until 2008 but that was partly due to my going back to school full time. So, when I came back to the industry in 2008 immediately I got my first major role. In fact I got 3 scripts because the films I had done spoke for me. My first major role was in “Hidden Treasures” and since then I think I have done 16 or more major roles.

Q. So, how would you compare taking up the small roles to taking up the major roles?

You are so sure you are ready but despite all the trainings and the groomings you still find out you are not ready for the big ones. Fortunately for me, there was a film I did, an OJ Production “Bad Blood” directed by Tchidi Tchikere. In that movie two characters were involved. Ini Edo, who was playing the lead role was supposed to be a twin: Juliet and Colette. So, they said they needed someone to play backstage, so when she was playing Juliet the other person would be playing Colette. Because the character’s name was my name they called me from school to come and pick up the role.

That was the biggest training I ever had in Nollywood because I was playing a major character, I was doing everything but I was behind the camera but I had to act like I was actually the person in the movie. That movie brought Ini and I together. It was a great movie and it opened doors for me.

Q. Since 2008 till now, would you say acting has been good to you?

Oh, it has been so wonderful and sweet. It’s something you are actually enjoying. It’s something that brings fame and creates some pathways for you. Like now, I own a fashion shop and I am about to launch my own magazine and NGO.

Since I am not a type of person who works and have to settle anyone back home in my family, all I have to do is reach out to the society to help the needy. I have got cars from acting, so, I can say it has been good.

Q. So, at what point did you realise you have arrived as an actress?

I think it was that same 2008, that was when I came out of school, Enugu, IST, where I read Chemical Engineering. When I finished school, movies have moved from Enugu to Asaba. I was never in Asaba and it occurred to me that now that I am out of school if I have to go to Asaba it means I have to get a place in Asaba.

Fortunately, I called Tchidi and he said there was a character he needed me to fill up and I had to travel to Asaba. He put me in a hotel but after I finished that film the owner of the next film I got said he could not put me in a hotel because they could not pay the hotel bills.

Immediately, I called my mum and brothers and told them I needed to rent a house in Asaba. They sent me like N150,000 and right away I got a house.
Immediately I got the house, everybody was just giving me one script to the next because they realised they would not pay hotel bills for me. That’s the industry for you. The industry takes advantage of you. Since I had the house, the jobs were coming. I moved to Asaba in September of 2008 and in 3 months I knew I was taking over. Guys and girls coming to Asaba would call me on phone and asked to stay in my house. Sometimes, we got to about 18 in number in the house and nobody minded where anybody slept. Then in the morning everybody was going to shot one film or the other. My house was like a hostel. It was fun.

Q. There’s always this issue of sexual harassment in the industry. Have you ever encountered such?

I think the answer to that is yes. If somebody tells you they have never faced sexual harassment in the industry, it is either they are lying or they don’t want to open up to the press because you guys may blow it out of proportion. You just can’t go through the industry without being sexually harassed.
Nobody really comes to you to harass you but there are things you would realise you are not getting because you are not willing to play some balls. Like me, nobody pushed me around but you know this thing would be like this if you do like that. So, if you are like, I don’t want to do like this, take it and go or you are like, lets do it and see how it goes.

I’m telling you the truth. It is there. Right now as I am speaking to you, I’m praying for those coming into the industry. It’s five times worse than what it was. The industry is in a chaotic situation. I cannot even discuss some of the things going on now. It’s sinful, it’s sin at its highest order.

Q. Just how chaotic is it?

What is happening now is that marketers don’t even pay them any more. What you have to do now is probably go and screw some rich guys to get money to come and pay the marketer to feature in their films. During that time, you feed yourself, pay your own hotel bills and even costume yourself.
Before I came to Nollywood I wasn’t aware of all these things. I was very young, I didn’t know that kind of thing could be happening. But now the girls coming in know that shit happens and they are prepared for shit before coming in. Already they have the mindset for it and maybe that’s cool but for me I didn’t know.

Q. So, have you dated anyone in the industry?

Yes, I have had a relationship within the industry

Q. Can we know the person?

No. I can’t tell you the name of the person but he is not an actor. He is a person who works behind the cameras.

Q. So, what happened to the relationship?

Colette Orji

He is a really big producer and at a time I thought I couldn’t stand the competition any more. Everybody wanted him for different reasons. Sometimes we would be together and his phone would beep and it was an alert that so and so have paid money into his account for a role in his upcoming movie. The girls were really doing everything to get his attention. If he said he needed a Blackberry phone like 5 would just appear in no time.

It was too much for me. He would bring someone into a film we were about to shot and I knew for a fact that person paid him. It was too much and these people knew you knew and they would be fighting and attacking you at every chance they got. I had to let him go because everybody wanted him and they were ready to do anything to get him.

Q. So, what would attract you to a man?

I love a man that respects a woman. When I say a man that respects a woman I mean a man who isn’t too proud and too big to say simple things like “sorry”, “thank you” and “please”. It doesn’t really matter if he’s old, young, Black or White, Igbo or Yoruba. It’s like respect for women is gone these days, so if I can get a man that respect a woman, that’s okay for me.

Q. Which role would you say has been your most challenging yet?

It was a movie by Mega Movie “War Against Tradition” it was sequel to “End of the War”. The movie took everything from me. The job started like 3 days before I came into it and it was during the period Nigerians and Ghanaians were having problems. I was in Abuja and the movie was in Asaba. The crew decamped from the job due to the problem. When they needed to continue most of the people originally cast were not there.
First, it was suppose to be Ini Edo it became me. Then from Van Vicker to Emeka Ike. Nonso Diobi and Olu Jacobs. There were so much problems with the film.

Q. Did you ever have a crush on anybody before joining Nollywood?
I can’t call it a crush but I loved people like Empress Njamah, Kate Henshaw, you know those were the films we could get back in Cameroon. Then, I love Liz Benson, Omotola, Sandra Achums. We were growing up and I thought one day I would join these people.

Q. What’s your idea of sex generally?

You know what the Bible and our parents taught us and also what actually is happening out there. If you want to listen to your parents or your Bible, you can wait till you get married. As for me, I don’t want to wait (laughing). Sex is something normal. If you know you are matured and ready and you can handle it then go ahead.

Q.There was a time you and some friends visited an orphanage to donate some things. What was that all about and was it a project?

No, it wasn’t. I was in Abuja, early in the year, and I called up some friends and said we should do something for the less privileged people. Some said we should visit the sick in the hospital and some said we should visit a home, so, I said why don’t we do it in an organised manner. With some friends we organised tee-shirt and visited the homes.

Just two weeks ago I auctioned all my clothes I haven’t worn in 5 months and gave the proceeds all out on charity. Some of the girls who work with in my fashion house took it to a hospital and I didn’t even follow them instead I went for shooting of a movie. That’s me, I am always doing something for someone somewhere.

Q. What do you think should improve about Nollywood?

I like what Uche Jombo and Stephanie Okereke are doing now. I think more people should embrace it. They are working on producing better films. Our President once said the movie industry is one of our biggest export and if this reflects the image of the country I think more investment should be driven into it.

I also believe Nollywood should do more films that are message-driven to improve the image of the country. It should not all be about money, movie production should be about quality, the message and the image of the country.

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