In an exlusive interview with Nollywood finest award winning Actor CHRISTIAN PAUL. He speaks to IMO-OWO UKPONG on how he began his acting career and also put more light on “Sex for role” in the Nollywood Industry. Excerpt.


May we know you?
Yea, my name is Christian Paul and I’m an actor, a model, an entrepreneur and also a preacher.

How was life growing up and did you envisage on becoming an actor?
No, I didn’t know I would end up as an actor. Growing up in the village with other kids, our ambition was to finish from school, get a good job and then become a big man and all that. But then, very early in life, I got arrested by God and my family was not a church going type. So when I got arrested by God, there was a turnaround which also affected the family which made me refocus my direction in life into ministry work which later I became a pastor. That was how I continued until in 1994 when I recorded my first gospel album and 2002 I also recorded my second album.
The first album was with Panam Percy Paul in Jos and the second one was done here in Lagos. That was how things were moving fine until 2012 when somehow some couple of friends whom we do jog in the stadium in Surulere like the likes of Fred Amata, Chidi Nwokeabia and Ricardo Agbor who kept advising me to come into the industry (Nollywood) and becoming an actor. I didn’t really buy the idea because it was not in the line with what I wanted to do for myself. But due to pressure, I was practically dragged into acting and that was how I started. In the next 2 years I did “MTN Season of Surprise” and that was how things started turning around for me.
The production houses where I went for auditions that never gave me a chance started calling me, offering me jobs here and there and before you say jack, in a couple of years I was up there. I have done so many big jobs, adverts, billboard and even on CNN, I have done a job showing back to back on CNN. I have done more than three hundred jobs in the industry excluding musical videos and advert.

What were your challenges as a musician before you journeyed into the Nollywood industry to become an actor?
Yes! The challenge then was sponsorship. You know in those days it was eight tracks for each, four this side and four the other side and when I recorded my first album titled “Cloud of Glory” I came to Lagos and went to Kennis Music. Then the likes of 2baba and co were just small small boys in the studio. I wanted Kennis Music to help me produce, sponsor and promote my music. He listened to my music and said oh, I like your music and name but sorry I don’t promote gospel music (laughs). That was how I went back to the North. I had Emma Ideal who showed interest in promoting my music but couldn’t give me the standard I wanted. So it wasn’t easy getting sponsorship, but then apart from going to churches, we were invited to churches to minister and sell cassettes, CDs and all of that and that was it.


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