How I Emerged From the Streets into Stardom
While in the university, he journeyed passionately, doing all he could do in his department until his third year, when by a stroke of luck, his path crossed with Eric Aghimien’s, the producer of the multiple award-winning movie, A Mile From Home.
While auditioning for the movie, which was his first opportunity to star in a film, having auditioned in some other areas, Eric had come to seek permission to use a place in the Creative Arts department for audition.
It happened that the space granted to the movie producer was where Sambasa had engaged some students in a tutorial on how to direct a movie as part of his practical in a course requirement for graduation.
“He (Eric Aghimien) saw me and then walked up to me and said, ‘will you like to be part of an audition?’ Hysterically, I said ‘yes, yes,’” he narrated.
Done with the students, he then joined in the audition process, and “read scripts and did monologue” and left. Later, he was called to play the role of “Suku”, a deadly character that fits perfectly what Eric the producer had searched for in Sangisha, Magodo, and Ketu areas of Lagos.
“A Mile From Home” turned out a great feat and was remarkable with 13 local and international awards that it was not reflect that it was a low-budget movie.
But it reminds Sambasa of the near-death experience that played out, like a scene from a thriller during the making of the movie; on his way back from location, after a late-night shoot, some security guards in the area had mistaken him and other colleagues for criminals.
They threatened to shoot them following a commotion that broke out as a colleague made to scamper. But for the timely intervention of someone around the scene that had identified them by their recording equipment.
“A Mile From Home wasn’t easy,” he said as he recounted challenges he faced. “We did it out of passion. Eric had a vision; and we had a vision of where we wanted to be. He wanted us to join our visions. Then, I was in my third year – combining acting with academic.”
The success of the movie coupled with determination and encouragements from friends spurred him on to go further. And just within a space of four years from his debut in 2013 as a rookie to date, Sambasa has featured in about 10 Nollywood movies, including: A Soldier’s Story; Road to Stardom; and Ojuju; all award-winning movies. He was also featured in Nigeria’s latest blockbuster movie, The Wedding Party, by Mo Abudu.
His outstanding performances in these movies within a short while have won him fans across the continent with positive reviews that placed him on a high pedestal in Nollywood. So far, he seems to have established himself as the contemporary Nollywood antagonist character in the eyes of movie buffs – the kind that could be likened to Hanks Anuku, Kelvin Ikaduba, Jayke Aernan, and Earnest Asuzu.
To Sambasa, it’s a notion driven by the performance in his breakthrough movie which producers and directors have connected with.
He said, “They forget that Sambasa is an actor and not a stereotype. And when you check the definition, an actor is that person that gets anything done. So for now, the job has to do with Sambasa playing the antagonist character. It is fine, it pays the bills. But that thing that has to do with passion in which I want to express my art by God’s grace has come.
“Winning Best Supporting Actor AMVCA 2016; also winning Best Supporting Actor Nigeria Entertainment Award 2016 in New York and now winning Best Actor AMVCA 2017, I think I can breathe now and express myself the way I would want to.”
As is typical of the young and talented actor, the conversation didn’t end without him giving a peek into his role in the upcoming flick, TATU The Movie. And a couple of projects he’s working on.
One is a monologue titled, No Wahala There’s Garri At Home, which is basically a reflection of the Nigerian society. The second is a musical drama coming up soon.
“Those are the things that people will see and understand that there’s no box for Sambasa to be placed in as actor,” he pointed out.
Like every young man with dreams of success growing up, Sambasa tried being a footballer and then thought of reading Business Administration. The challenge now is winning the Best Actor in Africa, which he acknowledged as the responsibility to deliver on any project.