Veteran Nigerian actor, Jim Iyke, has revealed the trials he had to endure in his father’s house because he wants to pursue his dream as an actor.
In an interview with media personality, Chinasa Anukam, Jim Iyke stated that his father sent him out of the house at a very young age because of his love for acting.
According to Jim, his father wanted him to further his education and acquire a Masters Degree after completing his first degree at age 18.
Jim added that he performed so well in school and for that reason alone, his parents wanted to steer his life to fulfill the ideal picture they painted for him.
He said: “I was a straight A student. And the course was already, I mean, you know the Igbo parents, they decide your life before you are born and probably after you die if they outlive you. I was about 18 and a half when I finished my first degree. The idea was, ‘Get your MBA.’ That was the whole plan. My dad’s boss is American, so he already had a setup. And I came home one day and said, ‘I think I really want to be an actor.’
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“My dad’s fair argument then was that I’m excruciatingly shy. Now, how come you come out? A well-known introvert comes out to say, ‘You want to be an actor?’ But I think there was something—you know, call it female intuition or whatever. She (my mum) just believed, even before I did. I just saw a glimpse of something that made me believe this is what I wanted to do, but it wasn’t hard-formed.
“There was no core to it. There was no master plan. There was no road map. It was just a simple conviction. But she believed before I did. And I think that is what makes mothers as unique as they are.
Jim Iyke detailed the last conversation he had with his dad prior to his exit from home.
“It became unbearable to stay at home. So much so that one day, my dad woke up and said, ‘Listen, there can’t be two captains on this ship. You either go get this master’s going as quickly as possible. Take one year, go do whatever nonsense you want to do, come back, and then we set the course again or you leave my house.’ So I left.”
