Veteran Nollywood actor, Alex Usifo, shot into prominence playing the tough-talking and fire-spitting Talab Abass in Zeb Ejiro’s defunct soap, Ripples, in 1988.It was a character people loved to hate. The soap ran for five years uninterrupted on The Nigerian Television Authority before it was rested in 1993. Known for his villain roles, the actor who recently bagged a PhD at 63 shows no signs of slowing down just yet. He opened up on his unfinished business at the SS Peter and Paul Seminary in Ibadan with PREMIUM TIMES in this interview.
PT: Tell us about your foray into Nollywood?
Alex: Before I became an actor, I worked as an Operations Assistant at NTA Benin then known as Midwest Television. I sold insurance policies with Crusader Insurance in the early 1980s. My acting career kicked off in 1984 when I played a major role in the tele-movie ‘The Return of the Native’, produced by Ray Yusuf for NTA, Ilorin. After then, I played lead roles in ‘Natas’ and ‘Two People’ on LTV 8 produced by Baba Babs Fashina. I partook in NTA, weekly series ‘At Your Service’. I was also a part of NTA productions: ‘Echoes of Life’, and ‘Turning Wheel’. All of these took place between 1984 and 1987.
PT: You are best known for playing villain roles. Did this happen by chance?
Alex: I wouldn’t say my very first role was a tough one. The late uncle Jab Adu invited to star in his production, Turning Wheel. That particular role was Vendetta. So, I played the villain. That was the first bad role and it inspired me before I landed the role of Talab Abass in Ripples.
PT: Not much has been heard about you lately.
Alex: As you grow in your career, you have to be sure of any production or project you are involved in. Then of course I have also had to disagree with the fees I am being offered. At the end of the day the producer opts for someone who he can pay lesser.
PT: Have you starred in any projects lately?
Alex: I have starred in some projects like a a web series titled Dust to Dawn. I have also featured in quite a number of films that are yet to be released. What they (producers) do these days is that we the actors only know about the working titles. So by the time they are release the movie it’s a different title altogether. The producers believe that they have paid you and you have played your part so whatever they do with the movie is their business.
PT: Some of your colleagues have shot their own films. Have you thought along that line?
Alex: The thing is that I actually took a break to go back to school, I am surprised that a lot of people are not aware of this. Perhaps, it is because I am not crazy about publicity. Unfortunately, my profession doesn’t permit that but when it comes to my private life, I love to keep it private. I went to Babcock University where I studied for a PhD in Information Resources Management and I was there for five years. I graduated in 2016.
PT: Why did you decide to go study for a PhD?
Alex: Education is a necessity and knowledge is something you must keep seeking. So when people ask me why I studied for a PHD I just wonder why people ask that kind of questions. I studied English at Ambrose Ali University (1st Degree), and bagged a Masters in Social Work at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho. The whole idea is to make me a better human being and I didn’t study for a PhD to intimidate anybody.
PT: Did you take on any movie roles while in school?
Alex: Yes, I took some jobs but shied away from roles that would take a lot of my time and affect my studies. This is why I starred in few movies. I also had to assist some people in directing their films in the capacity of an assistant director.
PT: Will you ever lecture?
Alex: Yes, I have the tendency to teach except that I don’t want to be a full-time lecturer because it can’t pay me. I like to be a responsible lecturer because I don’t want to be a lecturer who will be shooting a film when I am supposed to be in class.
PT: What are your thoug
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