Jim Iyke added that a lot of his colleagues suffer stagnation because they lack the foresight to evolve or know when to exit the stage.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Movie star James Ikechukwu Esomugha, better known as Jim Iyke, has revealed that he deliberately rebranded to a ‘gentleman’ role from the ‘bad boy’ image the movie industry gave him, saying many Nigerian celebrities don’t know when to exit the stage or evolve.
The Nollywood actor made this known while speaking in a recent interview with media personality Joey Akan.
According to Jim Iyke, external forces influenced him into taking up the ‘bad boy’ image, but he rebranded when he realised that it was no longer serviceable.
He further claimed that a lot of his colleagues suffer stagnation because they lack the foresight to evolve or know when to exit the stage.
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He also emphasised that it is important for entertainers to know when to rebrand to maintain relevance.
Addressing his evolution in Nollywood on the show, Jim Iyke said: “External forces play a great part in who you become in the entertainment industry.
“At every point in time something is serviceable. We can all agree the ‘bad boy’ image was serviceable then. But then, as you advance in life, you meet important people that your ‘bad boy’ persona is anathema to how they live.
“Not knowing when to exit the stage is a problem a lot of us are having in entertainment. Let’s just say I knew when to exit.
“The ‘bad boy’ image served its purpose but I had to ditch it when it was no longer serviceable to move forward in life.”
