It’s very uncommon to find talented actors who have reached a certain level of success and fame in their careers quit for something as less glamorous as becoming clergy. The sharp contrast between the two lines of work makes it almost paradoxical. But over the last few years, some popular Nollywood actors have turned their backs on the set as they embrace the altar.
Although most actors within the industry usually retire into a quiet life at the end of their careers, the following chose to abandon theirs along the way to become pastors.
Eucharia Anunuobi
Probably one of the most scandalous Nollywood actresses of her time, Eucharia Anunuobi was the go-to bad girl of Nollywood in the ’90s and early 2000s, since coming to limelight in ‘Glamour Girls’ (where she acted as a prostitute). She was one of the finest crops of stars in the industry and is mostly remembered for her role in ‘Abuja Connection’ (2004). Anunuobi was always in the eye of the public over one controversy or the other, and when her marriage failed in 2009, she became the centre of scandalous rumours.
As time went by, she announced that she was turning a new leaf by dedicating her life to God as ‘born-again’ Christian. This sparked further controversy. She was undeterred as she went on to be anointed at the Fresh Oil Ministry in Egbeda, Lagos, where she currently serves as an evangelist.
Anunuobi lost her only 15-year-old son, Raymond, in August 2017 to complications arising from sickle cell anaemia. This rattled the actress who described him as her best friend. She has been counselling youths in her church while maintaining a low profile ever since.
Larry Koldsweat
At the pinnacle of his career, Larry Koldsweat who now prefers to be called Prophet Larry was the wise old uncle that everyone wished they had. Whether he was acting as one of the elders of the land in many Nollywood movies depicting ancient Igbo customs, or in secular roles, he was always a delight with his silvery beards.
However, in 2009, Koldsweat turned his back on Nollywood to take a mantle as a prophet and a shepherd after being ordained by Prophet Anene Nwachukwu of Rhema Deliverance Mission International. Prior to this, he disclosed that he had his first encounter with God in 2005, but chose to ignore it.
“I never wanted to be a pastor in my life. I was dodging that call,” he said in an interview with Chinyere Abaziem for Independent Newspapers in 2019.
“I ran away to Enugu from God’s call, I was shooting a movie with Alex Usifo. I locked my room but saw it open with dew all over the room, it was so much that I was lifted from my bed and I thought I was dreaming. [I] ran to Alex Usifo’s room and the voice said ‘this is your last time go and worship me’. I ran to another hotel and when I was there the same voice came to me saying ‘there is nowhere you can run to I own the earth’.”
The veteran actor interestingly decided to heed the call in 2009 and has been a Prophet for over a decade now. He is currently the General Overseer of Seed of Favour Ministries, Abuja.
Liz Benson
Elizabeth Benson, popularly known as Liz Benson was one of the most outstanding Nollywood actresses with a towering image in the first golden age of Nollywood. Her role as one of the prostitutes in Glamour Girls, alongside Eucharia Anunuobi shot her to limelight in 1994, and her subsequent movies like ‘Witches’ and ‘Diamond Ring’ established her as one of the biggest stars of that era.
Just like Anunuobi, Benson had her own fair share of controversy despite being the darling of millions of Nigerian movie fans. She married quite early to Samuel Gabriel Etim who passed away while she was in her mid-20s, leaving her with three kids. She suddenly quit acting and became a born-again Christian following her husband’s death. She began preaching the gospel and this eventually brought her in contact with Bishop Great Ameye of Freedom Family Assembly.
In 2009, she got married to Bishop Ameye in a quiet ceremony at the Rainbow Christian Assembly in Warri, Delta State. She was ordained as an evangelist afterwards and she has been involved in the ministry with her husband ever since.
Charles Okafor
Charles Okafor’s role as a pious, upright man in most of his movies never came out of nowhere. The Nollywood veteran who rarely features in movies today says his choice of roles was mostly determined by his faith. After becoming a household name in Nigeria due to his performance in the Teco-Benson directed ‘End of the Wicked’ in 1999, Okafor continued to dazzle many fans with his acting talent.
But after a remarkable career in the industry, Okafor said he had to evaluate his steps by giving priority to his Christian faith. He was subsequently ordained as a pastor after which he slowly became less involved in Nollywood movies. While he admits that he hasn’t abandoned acting entirely, his presence has been almost nonexistent.
Joy Edjeren
Not many people quite remember Joy Edjeren because she destroyed everything that links her to Nollywood after she quit the industry in 2012. Before taking the drastic decision, she was one of the rising actresses known as JJbunny who featured in relatively successful home videos like ‘Cage’, ‘The Groom’s Bride’, ‘Governor’s Gift’, ‘The Game’, among others.
Edjeren turned her back on Nollywood after she claimed to have had an encounter with God after a near-death experience in her hotel room when she went shopping for outfits and jewelries in the US for a movie she was to star in.
“I woke up around 1 or 2am and my life was leaving my body. I was struggling for my life. I started praying but my prayers were empty, it was like I was wasting my time. I quickly grabbed the phone and called my sister in Nigeria, whom I knew she was born again,” she said in an interview on Woman.ng in 2019.
She survived the night and returned to the set of the movie in Ghana. She got terribly ill while shooting the movie, and only got better after heeding the voice that told her to quit. She underwent a radical transformation by becoming a born-again Christian spreading the gospel. Since then, she has not featured in any Nollywood production.
She currently lives in Texas, US where she runs a Christian ministry, alongside her husband, Jonathan Edjeren who pastors a small church in San Antonio, Texas.
The post Leaving The Stage For The Altar: 5 Nollywood Stars Who Left Acting To Become Pastors appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
by 208headlines