Bovi, a Nigerian stand-up comedian, writer, actor and sometimes director, said he turned down some typecast jobs in the early years of his career because he was sure he would not be confined.
Comedian Bovi, who began as an actor and creator of the smash hit Nigerian comedy series “Extended Family” that debuted in 2007, was a guest on the CreativiTea podcast, where he disclosed that in the early years of his career, when he started receiving offers that entailed passive roles due to the typical rustic “warri boy” role he played in the series, he had to turn down those offers because “I knew there was more to me,” he said.
We all stood out in our own different ways, and my character was playing the traditional warri boy, the rustic country one. “I started getting offers in Nollywood but they were all tied to either being like that character, or a gate man, you know, or a passive role and I turned all of them down.
“Yeah, because I was like, I know there’s more to me, you know, I grew up watching TV, I grew up understanding how different industries work, Hollywood, Bollywood, so I was like, it’s too early for me to get stereotypical in my approach to my career.”
Bovi Ugboma, a 46-year-old from Ndokwa East, Delta State, but often identified with Warri where he grew up, was born in Benin City, and said he had since his teenage years known that he never wanted to be stereotyped, and that informed his decision to turn down some offers that came his way, and boldly confessed that he still turns down offers till date.
“So, honestly, like I said, that idea of, I don’t want to be typecast this early, is something I knew as a teenager that happens in industries. Make no mistake. There’s nothing wrong about being typecast. Especially if you are doing it as a career path where you want to earn money.
“I want to make money, I want to make money, but I know there’s more to me than to be typecast. And I still say no to roles today, and I tell them why, actually.”
The father of three said he was in his late 20s when he began to decline offers.
But when asked if he would encourage youngins to do that now, he answered, “If you know what you want, just stick to it no matter what comes your way because a lot of people would just be like, oh, I’m hungry now. “I have to take these jobs.”
In contrast, he thinks that a person might profit from being stereotyped if it is a determined career decision and “it is contingent upon the strength of the individual and where they’re coming from”.
He recommended fellow creatives to become “sugar” to attract opportunities (the “ants”) naturally.
About the Author
