I'm not missing Nollywood -Ego Boyo

Ego Boyo, Managing Director,Temple Productions Limited was a seasoned actress who featured in such popular soaps as Checkmate and Ripples. However, for a long time now nothing has been heard about her in the industry. She tells National Life what she does now and
why she is out of the acting world.

What have you been doing since you left the acting world?

I have been running a company which produces different things like home videos, documentaries and advertisements. That is what I have been doing.

Some see their jobs as punishment; are you enjoying yours?

(Laughs) Definitely! I love my job, if not I would have stopped. It is not a punishment. It is what I enjoy most and what I have always wanted to do.

Can you reach out to some younger women who are aspiring to make it in their careers like you?

The major thing is for you to understand what success means to you. The definition of success differs from one person to another. So, I'm not going to say: Oh! look up to me because this is how I planned to succeed and that is the way it should go. Success is an individual thing. It depends on how you measure success. To some people, success is measured with the millions they have in the bank, others see it as having a successful family life while to some it is a good working experience. So, it really depends on what your own individual goals are and what you want to achieve. And the only thing I would say to that is; take goals that are realistic and do your best to achieve those goals without compromising your own principles.

You no longer act, why?

Acting was something I did at a time I had just come out of school. It was a good way to get into the industry. After a while, I discovered it wasn't really what I enjoyed. It was fine while it lasted; it wasn't as if I hated it or something.

I however, realized where my interest really was when I had the opportunity to produce. Eventually I decided to venture into directing although I haven't directed yet. I don't miss acting at all as I'm enjoying what I'm doing at the moment.

You are aging gracefully, what is the secret?

Oh, there is no secret. I exercise which is something I have come to do of late. I didn't do it when I was much younger and I guess I didn't need it then. But now I need it, so I'm exercising. It is not only about dropping a few pounds, it is also to be fit as you get older. I don't compromise on my exercises. It is something I do for 30 minutes or one hour a day or twice in a week. It is not something that I would say I love. I don't, I hate it (laughs) but what would one do?

But religiously, I do not go to bed with make-up on. I remove all the make-up with cleanser and I have come to do that with age because when I was younger, I could go to bed with make-up on because of tiredness. But now, as I'm getting older, no matter how tired I am, how late I come back, I must wash off my make-up, cleanse, exfoliate before sleeping. And if I'm not going out, I don't apply make-up on my face, if I'm staying in my house, I don't put on make-up, I just cleanse and exfoliate or mask my face. At times, I do go out with just very light make-up. On just to give my face a breathing space. I would also say I'm lucky that I have good genes. I mean it could do with good genes not really with whatever I apply. And then I don't smoke and I don't drink which also help as one grows old.

You mean you don't take alcohol?

I do occasionally. It's not that I would sit at home and say okay let me have a drink. Even when I'm out with friends, it's not all the time that I would decide to take alcohol. That goes to show that I'm not a drinker. I don't take it, if you see me taking alcohol it would probably be because I'm at a party or with friends and that is not usually very often.

How do you combine home front with your career?

It's quite easy for me because I have been lucky. I have always had good health. I have three children and I have never at any time had two babies at the same time like some people have had. My children are well spaced, which makes it easier to manage the home front.

We are trying to take the company to a new level. You know ours is a creative career, we are able to have adjustable time because you can work when you want to. I mean when I was acting and I had my first child, a boy, I worked when I wanted to. I mean I had a schedule and I had the opportunity to chose which work to accept.

Some people would have to be at work from nine to five o'clock. I remember when I was shooting Checkmate, I used to take my son with me to different locations. So, the work I do is easy enough to combine with the home front more effectively. But there are sometimes when it is a bit tedious and that is when you are shooting outside your home. And this doesn't happen all the time. So, it hasn't been a big problem, it has been easier for me to handle.

Who is your role model? Continued    Source: nigeriafilms.com - NigeriaFilms.com

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