I was paid N35 in my first movie - Remi Surutu

Nollywood actress Remi Surutu, whose acting career started with a role in 1985 classic TV series “Village Headmaster”, talked about some unknown things she did to make money in an interview with Premium Times.

The actress who has stared in over 100 movies so far said

“I kicked off my acting career in 1985 with the classic TV series “Village Headmaster” and “Sparks”. My first paycheck as an actress was N35 for my role in the movie “Sparks.” I also earned N75 for my role in “Village Headmaster.”

I then took a break from acting to work as a mortician at the popular funeral service company, Ebony Caskets. I returned to the Nigerian film industry after a few years.”

“One of the things I am grateful for in my career is longevity and continued relevance.

“I also think the fact that my parents exposed me to the best of education has made me the woman that I am today. I always tell people that the greatest gift you can give your child is a solid education.

“If I were an illiterate, I am sure we won’t be having this interview because I will be unable to express myself. I know that a lot of people are surprised whenever they discover that I can speak good English. I don’t blame them though, I guess that because I am a Yoruba actress, some feel I may be a dropout or unable to express myself in English.”

On losing her daughter Elizabeth to sickle cell anemia, she said;

“I plan to immortalise my daughter by establishing a foundation in her honour. This is because she was always willing to impact people’s lives. I never knew I was going to lose my daughter, but she was encouraging me to go ahead to start helping people.

“Despite being hospitalised at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, my daughter insisted that I offset other patients’ medical bills.

So many doctors can attest to the fact that I was paying other patients bills. I bought drugs for countless patients and I also paid for dialysis treatment for so many patients. Some were discharged and couldn’t pay their bills and I paid for them.”