July 25, (THEWILL) – Once upon a time, James Ikechukwu Esomugha, also known as Jim Iyke, was the toast of ladies and Nollywood producers whose movies weren’t complete without his presence on the cast. His rise to prominence was swift, ultimately earning him a tag as the ‘bad boy’ of Nollywood due to the stereotypical roles he played in the movies. With his acting skills and handsome face, many movie lovers thought he would grace the screen and rule the movie industry for many decades, but they were disappointed when he took a long break from the industry. Jim Iyke later returned to acting, appearing in a few selected movies, while also producing his own movies. With scripts coming in almost every day, he soon became one of the highest earning actors and producers started avoiding him because they could no longer afford his fees.
He joined a certain class of high-profile actors and actresses, such as Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Rita Dominic, who rarely got movie roles due to the exorbitant fees they charge. Sources claim that the actor charges up to N1 million for a major role in a movie and this is often beyond the budgets of most producers. As a result, the University of Jos graduate decided to venture into music. He launched a music label ‘Untamed Records’ and also released his first music album, Who am I, in which he featured Tuface Idibia. Now a serial entrepreneur, the talented actor has said he would gladly accept a movie role if the money is right.
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