Talent Alone Won’t Sustain You In Nollywood – Linda Ejiofor

Nollywood actress and AMVCA winner Linda Ejiofor has said humility and patience are needed to thrive in the Nigerian film industry. She recently had his say during an interview with FAITH AJAYI, and fans have been reacting.

Stressing that her early days as an actress taught her resilience, Linda noted that she learned very quickly that talent alone isn’t enough to make it in Nollywood.

The moviestar added that discipline and a willingness to learn are two important qualities that have kept her afloat as an actress.

Her words, “My early days taught me resilience. I simply wanted to become a better actress with every role. I learnt very quickly that talent alone isn’t enough.

You need discipline, humility, patience, and a willingness to keep learning. Every set, every director, and every role contributed to my growth. Those experiences shaped the actress I am today.

Like many actors, I experienced seasons when opportunities didn’t come as often as I had hoped. There were moments when I wondered if I was doing enough or if I was on the right path.

The uncertainty can be difficult because so much of this industry is outside your control. But, I learnt to focus on what I could control, which include my preparation, professionalism, and commitment to the craft.

Faith, integrity, consistency, and gratitude. Faith has kept me grounded, integrity has guided my decisions, consistency has sustained me, and gratitude has helped me appreciate every stage of the journey.

Those values influence not just my career but my life as a whole.”

WOW.

Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject to several controversies.

The origin of the term “Nollywood” remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in the New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema.

Charles Igwe noted that Norimitsu Onishi also used the name in a September 2002 article he wrote for the New York Times. The term continues to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later assumed to be a portmanteau of the words “Nigeria” and “Hollywood”, the American major film hub.

Film-making in Nigeria is divided largely along regional, and marginally ethnic and religious lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents. However, there is the English-language film industry which is a melting pot for filmmaking and filmmakers from most of the regional industries.