Joseph Benjamin
Talks Family, Being A Celebrity And Two Things Most People Do Not Know About Him.
Perhaps best known
for co-hosting MTN’s Project Fame, Joseph Benjamin is actually one hardworking,
deep-thinking man. Having portrayed everyone from an entrepreneur diagnosed
with lung cancer in Married But Living Single
to an FBI agent in Murder At Prime Suites, the
award-winning actor reveals his knack for value when choosing movie roles in an
exclusive interview with twmagazine.net. And whether he’s sampling the best
music from each genre or just plain fixing or creating new things, the
om-chanting scion of Nollywood royalty maintains his gentleman persona, while
managing to achieve something that has eluded many movie folks – maturity.
On his childhood:
It was beautiful. I
actually grew up with my late step-father, who was an expatriate. I was born in
Lagos and spent my childhood around Nigeria because my family moved from state
to state. I simply had an amazing childhood.
On when and how he began
acting:
I started as an
extra in 1991. Shortly afterwards, I appeared in the television program called
Tales by Moonlight on NTA. From there, I did some photography, modeling, TV
commercials and movies for MNET. However, my big break came when I started
hosting Project Fame, West Africa. That opportunity actually gave me the
required publicity that I needed. It opened other doors and I just started
getting more acting gigs and so on.
On inspiration:
God is my biggest
inspiration. The fact that my life is also an inspiration to people matters.
Life in general, as a gift is inspiring. And having this determination that
makes me want to go on drives me every day. Despite what I have achieved in
life, I feel there is still a lot more that I can do.
On his selection process
when it comes to choosing movie roles:
To set the record
straight…what informs my decision is value. I am all about value. Is a certain
role inspiring? I also look at the script. What value would viewers take away
from it? I consider how I am able to deliver the role and how lives can be meaningfully
impacted. This is a major component that informs my decision. If a movie adds
the right value to the system, then I want to do it. If the script is good,
then why not? Some actors do a lot of movies, but how much value do you get
from it? At the end of the day, I am about quality and not quantity.
On the easiest part of being
a celebrity:
Right from the
start, I made a conscious decision to be true to myself. We are in a society
that is quick to create an illusion for you. Personally, I try as much as
possible to create a balance for myself. Again, the easiest thing about being a
celebrity is to be true to who I really am. That way, I don’t conform to any
kind of standards.
On two things most people do
not know about him:
I am a major lover
of music and I am also a geek. In other words, I am very techie.
On the advice he would give
his teenage self just coming of age, if he could travel back in time:
Make better choices.
Be patient and do not be in a hurry to make decisions
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