BY ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM
Nollywood actress, Chinenye Ulaegbu is a passionate creative actress, producer, filmmaker, entrepreneur, fitness enthusiast and CEO Dioda fashion house. The delectable actress who started acting at the age of 23 in Enugu state in a TV series titled “Ojukwu” for RokNigeria has been breaking boundaries in her chosen career.
In an exclusive interview with her, the actress revealed that there has been a huge development and changes since she started-off acting many years ago. She told our reporter that as an upcoming actress, she has worked without pay and even been paid some paltry sum which she received with joy because of the love and passion she has for the industry.
According to her:
“The industry has been wonderful since I started off acting. I would say the difference between when I started years ago and now is quite glaring because my growth is evidently fast compared to when I started. Usually, getting featured as a new Act in the industry isn’t as easy as it seems, but I was patient enough to keep going.
“The pay was minimal; the treatment wasn’t so great and the stress was a lot more intense than it is now. As a new Act, you must learn to wait, not complain or compare yourself with others, you must understand that soon enough you will get your big break and you will be paid your worth. There were times I worked without pay, there were times I got paid 5k and 10k respectively.
“I shot a season 1&2 series for 20k which lasted for about a month per season, guess what? Even at the time, I would have done it for free, not because I didn’t need the money but because I know that I needed to be seen, I needed a platform to showcase my talent. The struggle to be seen and discovered didn’t last long as I thought. shortly after, I began to get a lot of roles, even though the pay was still small, at least it was better than what it used to be.
“By the time my movies hit the screens, I began to get a-lot of offers from other producers and from 2022 till now, I have grown so fast and so did my fee,” she concluded.
Her career skyrocketed after her first breakthrough movie when she bagged a lead role and played the character Helen in a movie titled “A Call From The Past”, produced by Uche Mbunabo in 2018.
Ever since, she has featured in over 300 movies and counting within a short space with a blossoming career.
