Jerry Mudiaga is a Nollywood actor. He recently participated in the just concluded reality love show in Nigeria- Ultimate Love. While he was in the house, some of his actions as regards his relationship life with the partner he was paired with made a lot of tongues to wag. In this interview with TIMILEYIN ADEBANJO, he talks about his experience on the reality show and some of the challenges he has had to deal with as an actor in Nigeria.
Generally speaking, how would you describe your experience in the ultimate love reality show?
It was an awesome one for me. It was everything that I expected and I had fun. I got to discover myself better on the show. I also learnt a lot of things about relationships that I never knew before; it was a learning curve for me. I had to live with people that I wasn’t familiar with. It was an awesome experience for me all the way.
While you were in the house, you were initially paired with one of the female housemates, Sylvia but you eventually told her that you didn’t have feelings for her. When you left the house, you noticed that a lot people blasted you for embarrassing Sylvia on live TV. How did you feel about the backlash that you received?
I wanted Sylvia and me to be friends first because I wasn’t attracted to her yet at the time. I wanted it to be a gradual process.
Some people thought you let her down because she wasn’t your kind of woman?
Honestly, it is not about being my spec. I have been with people who were not my spec. I believe in taking things gradually; that was what I wanted to do with Sylvia but she wanted everything to happen instantly.
Okay, after your phase with Sylvia ended, you were paired with Meriton. When Meriton came on the show, you were all over her but after a while you became cold towards her. Is there any reason for this?
I and Meriton decided to start as friends and I appreciated that. We started as friends and as expected we had our differences. I wanted to be true to myself and not biased. Even though it was a game, I wanted to do something real. It was when we came out of the house that I realised that we even had issues. As far as I was concerned, while we were in the house we didn’t have issues at all. There were some things she wasn’t comfortable with but she never told me about them; I don’t know why she did that. It’s now that I am just noticing the loopholes that we had on the show.
Now that you are out of the house, is there any hope that your relationship with her is going to sail?
I always try to explain to people that relationship is a general term that we use when it comes to marriage and partnership. For me, we are still at the friendship stage which is the most important. We are in a good place now, we saw each other recently and we talked. It is healthier that way; compared to rushing things. It is important for us to know each other properly. Let’s see what the future holds. I have had female friends in the past and I had a cordial relationship with them. We are still friends for now.
As regards your acting career, is there anything you are currently working on?
I would love to go to film school because I want to master the craft of being an actor and a director. I am also open to different types of business.
What would you say is one major challenge that comes with being an actor?
One challenge is that other people think actors are not human; they feel we don’t have feelings. People expect too much from us as actor.
Some up-and-coming actors have complained that acting is not profitable enough for them, what do you have to say about this?
These days, many people don’t depend on one job alone. They always have multiple streams of income. As actors, we know that we cannot depend on acting alone because jobs don’t come on a weekly basis. It is only wise of you to have something on the side; it can be something you are passionate about. No matter the amount you are paid as an actor, you will always need more money. It is not easy, but we will get there with time; we just need better funding, directors and producer.
While you were on the show, some people felt you would have been a better candidate for Big Brother Naija. Do you think so too?
I have auditioned for Big Brother Naija before but I wasn’t picked so after then, I knew it would take a lot for me to audition for it again. I don’t know if I would be considered if they decide to organise a Big Brother show for celebrities in Nigeria.