Veteran Nollywood actor Zack Orji has revealed that his marriage was deeply affected by his role in the 1990s hit film ‘Glamour Girls,’ which featured a nude scene with fellow star Eucharia Anunobi.
Orji shared that the provocative scene led to widespread rumors and negative stories being fed to his wife, ultimately resulting in his suspension from his church by his pastor.
Speaking on the podcast ‘Nollywood Hardcore: The Legend’s Untold Story,’ Orji recounted the fallout from the 1994 two-part film, which depicted independent single women navigating Nigeria’s patriarchal society through escorting and prostitution. Directed by Chika Onukwufor, the film included a controversial bathtub scene between Orji and Anunobi.
Reflecting on the impact of the film on his personal life, Orji told host Emmanuel Ehumadu, also known as Labista, that the scene took a significant toll on his marriage. He explained that his pastor had called him due to the numerous disturbing reports he had received and intended to suspend him privately, though the news later leaked to the media.
Orji recalled, “Back then, we were talking about the 90s before the 2000s. I was married, yes.”
When asked if the film caused issues with his wife, he confirmed, “I did. Even though she’s an actress, they were putting a lot of things in her mind. I remember after the movie was released, my pastor invited me and said that he had been receiving too many calls. (He said) How can Zack go and do this kind of thing? He said he called me because he wanted to suspend me. But he wanted to inform me first of all before suspending me. And he said well, he was not going to tell anybody that it was just between us.”
Orji added that while he was on another film set in Ikeja GRA, a journalist approached him to confirm the suspension rumors.
“There was this guy called Alex who was very well-known in the industry back then. He worked with Punch Newspapers. He came to the set where I was filming and said, ‘I just want to confirm from you before going to the press: is it true that you have been suspended by your church?’ I said, ‘Who told you that?’”
