Bukky Wright is one movie star that has waded through testing
scandals and controversies that could last her a lifetime, but she is
unruffled.
In a recent interview with Tribune, she opened up on her pains and gains of being a celebrity, among other issues.
See excerpts below:
Sometime ago you were rated as one of the most controversial
actresses in Nollywood; does controversy suit you and does it really get
to you at all?
It does not get to me. It takes the grace of God and determination to
stay in this kind of profession without going through controversies here
and there, but I have never allowed controversies to get to me. I
understand the fact that I have a price to pay for being a celebrity.
But that does not mean I should start jumping over the place because I
am a celebrity or because I want people to know I am still relevant.
Those who say I am controversial don’t know me. I am different things to
different people. I am sure you would have your own idea of who Bukky
Wright is by the time this interactive session is over.
Some people believe that you left the industry because you
were not being patronised anymore as a result of the controversies and
age, which obviously was not on your side again. Did you see things that
way?
I am a woman of many parts. When people don’t see your face in movies
for a long time, they tend to conclude that you have left the industry
or you are no more relevant. They will come up with different untrue
stories just to drag you into their world. But they have forgotten that I
am into other businesses that need my attention. A lot of people will
also tell you that Bukky has been missing in action because they could
not afford her fee.
Why should it cost much to have you in a movie?
To have Bukky Wright in a movie does not come cheap. I think I have been
able to pay my dues over the years. Let me also tell you that It is not
about being expensive. That is what a lot of people don’t understand.
They might say it is expensive to have Bukky Wright in a movie, but at
the same time, If I like your script and the people I am going to work
with, trust me, It does not have to do with the money. I do a lot of
work for people that I don’t even charge them a penny. The script and
the character I am playing might even allow me to downplay the payment. I
really admire people with courage and good working relationship.
What is it about your name that at the mention of it, you hear all sorts of things?
I think you have to explain what you mean by all sorts of things.
I mean people always have something to say about your person?
If you are talking about people’s opinions, I will say everybody is
entitled to his or her opinion. I have learnt to let people do the
talking while I do my work. Apparently, my work brings the talks. I
don’t have any problem with what people say. A lot of people who don’t
know me, and they tend to link what they see in movies to my real
person. These people have forgotten that in every movie that you see, I
am playing a character; it is not me.
So, who is the real Bukky Wright?
The real Bukky Wright is God-fearing, down to earth, but very blunt to a
large extent. The funny thing about this job is that people won’t
complain if you act in a movie where you are asked to cry from the
beginning to the end. It will surprise you to hear that some of my fans
do tell me that when I am crying in movies, they also cry. What that
tells you is that I am doing what I have to do rightly, interpreting my
roles passionately.
There is this issue of lesbianism in the industry and some
people have pointed the finger at you that you are the ring leader, but
up till this moment, you have not come out to deny the allegation…
I will say that over the years, my skin has grown so thick that I don’t
really care what people say about me. As far as I am happy within
myself, I am okay. Nobody is going to make you thick except yourself. As
long as I am happy, I don’t care whatever anybody says.
You haven’t answered my question?
The major price I have paid for being a celebrity is my privacy and it
hurts so badly. I want to be able to sit down with the people that know
me, walk on the street like any other person. I also want to stand by
the roadside to buy roasted plantain, but this job won’t allow me to do
that. I don’t have to respond to everything people say about me.
But why do you think people could have fingered you in such a thing and not somebody else?
Let me tell you something, from my very first day in the industry, the
first thing that crossed my mind was negative press. And, since the day I
decided I want to grow, I said to myself, Bukky, it is not your life
again.
Has this got to do with some of the roles you have played before?
People will always talk. They will say things that you don’t like. I
think that one of the major problems in the industry and why I have
issues with people is because I don’t mix with them. Unfortunately, many
people have misconstrued that. There are lots of people in this
industry that would say, I have not seen Bukky Wright before. That is to
tell you what I mean. Even If I am on location, I don’t talk. Those
that we have known each other for a while, we sit down to gist and after
that, we move on with our lives; it ends there.
But to some people, silence means consent?
I am not the kind of person that wants too many people on her side. I
always love to be unpredictable. I have heard a lot of things like that.
Same people will tell you Bukky Wright is a fighter; she likes to fight
and harass people, but could you please ask them, how many people have
they ever seen me fight before? How many people could come out and say
she met Bukky doing what they say I am doing or I have done?
How long are you going to remain silent about issues that are capable of ruining your career?
Everything in life has its pros and cons. If I don’t want people to talk
about me, then I will have to become irrelevant. People are talking
because I am relevant and they can relate with my person. Somebody that
has never met or seen me before would talk as though we stay together
under the same roof that is how far people could go just to talk.
So these things don’t make you feel sad?
As a human being, there are times that a false story will hit you, that
you will feel so bad about it. I am human, but what will I do? I think I
should thank God that they challenged God through me because the more
they talk, the higher I go.
How does your husband react to some of these things?
Most of the time, he does not like seeing or hearing anything about that
and he would want me to take an action that would serve as a deterrent
to others, but I will say no.
Tell us more about him?
My husband is a perfect gentleman and I thank God for his life. In fact,
some people will even use him to blackmail me when I am not taking
their scripts. I have been able to carve that little bit of privacy for
myself, husband and children. That is how far I can tell you about him.
Why do celebrities like to live fake lives?
I think it is crazy for any celebrity to paint the picture of what he or
she cannot achieve five years from now. They call it showbiz and you
have to show, but sometimes, you have to put that aside and be yourself.
I am not the kind of woman that likes to do what others do. I love to
be myself and those who know me would tell you that is Bukky for you.
Unknown
to many, Nollywood actor-cum-lawyer, Keneth Okonkwo is a trained and an
ordained evangelist with over a decade experience in God’s vineyard.
