In an interview, she asserted that no producer or director can claim to have slept with her, attributing her success to her strong upbringing, focus on mastering her craft, and trust in God.
Thelma Chukwunwem, a veteran actress, voice-over artist, and preacher, has opened up about her journey in the Nigerian film industry, highlighting how she has maintained her integrity throughout her 31-year career without compromising her values.
In an interview, she asserted that no producer or director can claim to have slept with her, attributing her success to her strong upbringing, focus on mastering her craft, and trust in God.
With a career spanning 31 years, Thelma has established herself as a role model for young actresses, showing that success can be achieved without compromising one’s values.
Thelma recounted instances where producers and directors made advances at her, but she stood her ground and refused to compromise her values. She attributed her ability to resist temptation to her strong upbringing, focus on mastering her craft, and trust in God. The actress emphasized the importance of mastering one’s craft and trusting in God, rather than relying on shortcuts or compromising relationships.
Her words: “I started out as a pretty young lady in Nollywood. I shot my first movie when I was 20. Were there temptations? Yes, there were temptations. But for me, maybe it was because of the way I was raised, the kind of mindset I had, and the kind of schools I attended. I had cases when I was coming up in the industry, where a lot of directors and producers made passes at me. I was very young and also very pretty. I stood my ground. I remember there was this particular director who invited me to his office after an audition and started making advances at me. I told him if he thought I must get down with him before giving me the role, he might as well keep his script. People then saw me as an arrogant person, but I wasn’t. This is my 31 years in Nollywood, I have never had anything to do with a director or producer.
“I had another horrible experience when a director made the same offer and I returned his script. He said to me, ‘madam you are just starting, if you continue like this, you won’t go far.’ I responded: ‘I’m going to go very far by the grace of God. It doesn’t have to be through effort. One day, we would meet again, and you would realize that where you are seeing me today is not where I would be when we finally meet again’. I dropped the script and walked away. I knew I had lost the job. Did I cry? Yes I cried because it was a big job and I wanted to be part of it. Interestingly, many years later in 2017, we met at a red carpet of a movie premiere. I greeted him and he looked at me and said ‘stubborn girl’. I replied: ‘years have passed, God has helped me. I wasn’t that little girl again. I have moved from where I was before”.
Career highlights
She combines her acting career, voice-over with preaching, seeing it as a responsibility to share the word of God with others.
According to her, “Acting is a passion for me. It’s something I have always loved to do since childhood. I studied Theatre Arts and bagged a BA degree majoring in directing. I joined the industry in 1994. After graduating from the university, I continued with my acting career. Being a voice-over artist is something I started doing along the line. I started voicing in Igbo and pidgin English. And that was how voicing started for me. When you described me as a preacher, I don’t own a church or any ministry. But preaching is something I see as a responsibility. This is because for everyone who is a born again Christian, there’s a mandate that Christ gave us when He was through with his ministry on earth. He told us to go into the uppermost part of the earth to preach the gospel of salvation. I just see it as a mandate, as an obligation for every child of God to be able to share the word of God .You don’t need to stand behind the pulpit or to own a ministry to do that. It’s a day to day activity.”
Advice to young actresses
Thelma advises young actresses to focus on mastering their craft and trusting in God, rather than resorting to compromising their values. For her, the importance of prayer and hard work in achieving success in the industry is immeasurable.
She said, “I try to caution the young ladies whom I mentored against trading their bodies for movie roles. The only thing is that you should pray very well, know your craft and master it. When you know what you are doing, even if somebody said I am not going to give you a job because you refused to sleep with me, that producer or director cannot deny the fact that you know your job. He might not give you that job, but another opportunity will present itself and he might still be on that panel and you will stand out. I always tell every young actor, whenever you have an opportunity to do any job, no matter how tough that job is, kill it.
A message of hope
Thelma’s story serves as a beacon of hope for young actresses, showing that success is possible without sacrificing one’s integrity. Her example empowers women to stand firm in the face of adversity and to prioritize their values and craft.
