Actress and filmmaker, Uche Jombo, tells FAITH AJAYI about her career and other issues
Having spent nearly three decades in Nollywood, what do you consider the defining decisions that helped you remain relevant?
The most important decision I ever made was refusing to allow myself to be defined solely by the roles I was given. Very early on, I understood that if I was going to last in this industry, I couldn’t just sit and wait for someone to call my name. I had to keep thinking: What’s next? What can I build?
I watched a lot of incredibly talented people leave because the industry stopped needing them in the way it once did, and that taught me something crucial: talent alone doesn’t sustain a career.
The second thing is that I made a deliberate decision to invest in relationships; not networking in the hollow sense, but building genuine, long-term relationships with directors, writers, producers and crew members. Those relationships kept me in conversations that shaped the industry’s direction.
Then, there’s curiosity. I never stopped being curious about what was changing, what new platforms were doing and what audiences were beginning to want. For me, adaptation isn’t about chasing trends; it’s about understanding the deeper shifts happening beneath the surface.
You have worn different hats, including being actress, writer, producer, director and entrepreneur. Which of these roles has taught you the most about the business side of Nollywood?
