FRANCIS Ogide Duru, ever since he won our love and attention with the singular role of Ahanna in the popular movie, Rattlesnake I, has neither relented nor faltered. The fair-skinned Mbano, Imo State indigene who trained at UNIPORT bared it all in this interview with AZUH ARINZE. Excerpts…
You read Theatre Arts. What informed your choice of course?
I read Theatre Arts quite alright, but somehow I had wanted to do Mass Communication; but one or two persons encouraged me that I have a talent in acting. So, I just went to train and refine those talents academically and became a professional. I thank God it is paying off today.
When did you get into the industry in the first place?
Which industry? You mean the home video?
Yes.
It was way back in 1992/93, at the University of Port Harcourt, when some people came all the way from Aba, Catwalk Pictures. The next thing they told me was that they wanted to do a film in Igbo language and I went there. So, Missing Mask, the title of the film, was actually my stepping stone into the movie industry and I thank God I am still doing it.
But you had been into acting before then?
Yes. Around 1989, 1 was with Tete Productions, owned by Paul Nworika. I did some stage productions and travelled to Jos for one or two productions where I had my first baptism of fire.
What do you mean by baptism of fire?
I mean camping out in the cold and performing before demanding university students. I think the play we were doing then was Ovanramwen and from the production, I got into the University of Port Harcourt. Actually, it was at the University of Port Harcourt that my acting blossomed because while there, I had the opportunity to work with professionals who have the academic qualifications that the profession demands. The likes of Prof. Ola Rotimi, Columbus Sirisuanga, Emmanuel Oga and other students I worked with who somehow refined my creativity.
For quite some time now, you haven’t appeared much in video productions. Anything the matter?
Well, it is not deliberate, but I thank God for that because the industry has a way of making one look over-used. So, I prayed to my God to give me a break. So, first and foremost, it is not a deliberate thing and secondly, my other engagements were so demanding that I really had to concentrate on that first. But it’s okay. I am not regretting anything and I thank God for the break. I think it has given me enough time to actually rethink and look at the industry from a different perspective.
From what perspective is that?
That acting can be made better and be used to project happenings in our society and address serious issues which we aren’t doing.
Are you currently part of any production?
The industry is unpredictable. Anything can happen right now that we are talking. Somebody might come and tell me: I have something for you. There are prospects, there are things lined up. We just pray to God everything comes through. I wouldn’t say I have anything now, but there are things waiting for me.
Let’s talk about your marriage and the responsibility. What’s the name of your wife and what is she into?
Adokiye Ngodiha; she is a graduate of University of Port Harcourt, Theatre Arts. Let’s leave it like that.
Alright, what was the attraction?
It’s not important. I wouldn’t want to talk about that. It’s confidential.
In a recent interview, you claimed that the industry has become counterproductive. What informed this opinion?
You see, the mentality behind bringing up a film is to really sit down and research into what is happening. We have a lot happening to address rather than just go about doing a barrage of rubbish, doing a recurring something just like the thing in vogue now which they call epic. Everybody wants to deal with epic. So, you see a situation where an actor is said not to have an epic face. I mean, it just shows how myopic our perception of the industry is. That is what I mean when I say we are now counterproductive. We have problems here and there. There are so much cult, child abandonment and social problems. I mean, we should be able to use this medium to address social problems and proffer solutions; social propaganda and political propaganda to move the nation forward, but we are here backbiting and things like that. That’s why I say it is counterproductive. I mean, I feel ashamed of this rubbish going on.
You said you started with the stage?
Yes,
So, between home video and stage which is better?
Stage gives me satisfaction, anytime, any day.
Why haven’t you been in any stage production since?
Yes, for now, like I said, the home video thing exerts so much influence on one and two, it has become the survival of the fittest, whether you like it or not. One has to survive. Stage or theatre itself has not given us that opportunity to make enough income. Even if it is through that, there are cliques here and there with a group of people deciding that this is what they want. I don’t blame them because even in the home video, there are cliques too. But with time, I have projections, I am going back to stage. That I am into home video does not mean I have left stage. Stage is the ultimate in my life. I was born on stage and I may die on stage.
You alleged that there are cliques in home video. Can you attribute the current decadence to this and also how do we move forward?
Move forward? You see, there is nothing wrong in having cliques. What is wrong is having a clique that produces the same type of rubbish. I am not saying that everything we have in the market is rubbish, but whether you like it or not, there is a mentality behind it, that is making the whole thing counterproductive. There is nothing wrong in having cliques. You can’t pull it off. In every society, there is a tendency for people to belong to a particular group, representing an ideology, ethnicity and whatever, but there should be something positive coming out of it, not running a clique that you fail to see reason in or understand that constructive criticism is one of the things that you can use to better the industry or fail to see reason that most of the things you do don’t conform with the society and to what extent it affects them so that at the end of the day, you are able to identify social problems and proffer solutions to them. Why not?
How did you feel when you had your daughter considering the fact that both of you were students then?
The best thing that ever happened to my life and I thank God for it. No regrets. No apology.
Why did you go for Adokiye in the first place?
Her quiet nature and good character. That’s all.
What’s your vision for the future?
My vision? Let me keep that in my mind for now because time changes and the society is dynamic. What I have in my mind now? Let me keep it.
What’s your view on the marketing aspect of our industry?
Our marketing scope is very narrow. We could still do better if we expand our marketing scope with the films we are doing. If we look at the total population of Nigeria, we should be able to ask ourselves how many films sell one hundred thousand copies? What does it take to expand our marketing horizon? We don’t have the technical know-how. The marketers, to be honest, can do better. There is no space in production and the marketing horizon is too low. There is no time and patience. This affects growth.
Who can you say is your role model?
In the profession, I have Olu Jacobs and Sam Loco Efe. They are good actors and real role models. In the female category, I have Joke Silva and Uche Osotule. Internationally, I have Marlon Brando because of what he has done for the industry.
What’s your favourite colour, food and car?
Colour – blue; food, anything and car, jeep.
What will you like to be remembered for?
As someone who helped to uplift the societal standard of his people.
We leant you acted in the yet to be released movie, Iva’s River?
Yes, I did.
What’s the movie all about?
It’s about a young man called Quasi who suffered for his community, but was not recognized. He lost his father, got deformed and afflicted with a scary skin disease.
Why is it that you are always playing ‘suffering roles’?
First and foremost, I don’t cast myself. Every director has an idea when it comes to a particular role, so he thinks about somebody that can interpret that idea and secondly, I derive pleasure in telling somebody’s story. Especially those people that are forgotten. I tell their stories so that others can rally round and help them. In Homeless, Rattlesnake and Dust to Dust, I told a story that is relevant to the society and can appeal to your conscience and also in this Iva’s River; but there is also the problem of people being so myopic that they say: Why can’t Francis Duru play the son of a millionaire or a millionaire? But when it comes to suffering, they say get Francis Duru. But I will keep doing it because it is the quality of the art that matters in the act.
Aside acting, what other things are you into?
For now, I am trying to set up a child health, social problems related foundation for the downtrodden.
What inspired that?
Just the need to help alleviate the condition of the Nigerian child.
What do you hope to call this foundation?
I have not decided finally, but I think it should be Francis Duru Foundation for Child Health Social Related Problems.
What do you want to say to your fans?
Try and be there for someone. A little child that has potentials. Don’t’ look down on him, whatever his position.