Clarion Chukwura I became a star at age 15

Clarion Nneka Oluwatoyin Folashade Chukwura is undoubtedly a role mode to many actors and actresses. Having studied acting and speech at the Department of Dramatic Arts, University of Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), she joined Tunji Oyelana’s band, ‘The Kenneries’ as a backup vocalist. She became a professional actor in 1981 with her debut movie, ‘Money Power’, which shot her into limelight. In this exclusive interview with Group Entertainment Editor, Tope Olukole, she spoke on her acting career, the problems of the Nigerian fi lm industry and her mother’s reaction when she got pregnant while in the university, among sundry issues. Excerpts:
Clarion Chukwura! The name is a household name in the Nigerian fi lm industry. Let us into more about yourself.
 I am a Nigerian, an actress, a producer and the chairperson of Clarion Chukwura Initiative West Africa. I also run an NGO and a production outfi t called JADE productions.
How did you fi nd yourself in the movie industry and what were your parents’ reactions?
Well, I lost my father when I was 11 years 1 week old, so it was only my mother that I can say reacted when I started acting.
 But she was never against my acting. I actually began acting in the university community; my mother spoke with Bayo Oduleye, then a lecturer at the University of Ibadan.
She also spoke with Yomi Shohunde. And my mother, being an educated woman, did not have problems when I began acting though she was thinking I would study Law.
I lost my father when I was 11 years, 1 week old

But the fact that I became a star early did not let me have the problem my pals were having. I became a star at 15. When I got pregnant, there was a crack between me and my mother, which any mother would react to. And as at that time, I was 17 and an undergraduate, which I believed any mother would be proud of. To her, it was her fault, having lost her husband.
She had the responsibility of looking after us so that she wouldn’t t lose any of us no ma􀄴 er what. I started acting - stage and television - in 1979, when I was 15 years and entered the Nigerian fi lm industry in 1982 with Ola Balogun’s ‘Money Power’.
 But if you want to talk about home video, I entered the home video industry in 1994, but I was the lead female character in the fi rst a􀄴 empt at home video production in Nigeria by Jimi Odumosu, which was titled, ‘Fiery Force’ in 1986. Acting has taken me to many countries like Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, Mexico, Kenya, England, France and so many counties I cannot remember now. I am a widely-traveled person; I have travelled almost all over the world.
As a young girl who became a celebrity at 15, how did you cope?
Well for me it was all excitement; you know my fi rst 15 years as an actress were full of excitement and fulfi llment.
Having to work 15 hours a day and travel a lot of distance to me were part of experience that made it an adventure. 54 SUNDAY NEWSWATCH, JANUARY 27, 2013 ENTERTAINMENT I became a star at age 15 I lost my father when I was 11 years, 1 week old Clarion Nneka Oluwatoyin Folashade Chukwura is undoubtedly a role mode to many actors and actresses. Having studied acting and speech at the Department of Dramatic Arts, University of Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), she joined Tunji Oyelana’s band, ‘The Kenneries’ as a backup vocalist.
She became a professional actor in 1981 with her debut movie, ‘Money Power’, which shot her into limelight. In this exclusive interview with Group Entertainment Editor, Tope Olukole, she spoke on her acting career, the problems of the Nigerian fi lm industry and her mother’s reaction when she got pregnant while in the university, among sundry issues. Excerpts:
Can you compare the industry of then and now?
I can’t compare. Today is fuller. Right, there are more people involved but one thing is missing; people that can take the arts to the next level are not that involved. I will give you an explanation. In my early days as an actress, every producer, every director was trained and wanted to work with serious-minded people - the professional - who wanted to take their work to the next level.
What determines you is your experience. But today, you will see a person, who is a production assistant, becoming a director. You have somebody who was a camera man five years ago becoming a D.O.P without going through any kind of training or learning the skills or going through the rudiments of what he wants to do. I think Hollywood is evolving.
The greatest challenge facing Hollywood is lack of training and experience. People are in an hurry, and they do not want to recognise the need for common training neither do they want to pass through the proper channel, and because they don’t want to do that, they don’t respect or recognise people that have done that, they find them intimidating; they will want to be bosses.
Was acting your childhood dream?
Yes, acting has been my childhood dream.
Since when I was five years old, I had been dreaming to be an actress. It actually started when I saw Michael Jackson performing
More on newswaltch