Zombie is still on the rise
AS per Google, the flight distance from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Nigeria to Manila is 7,926 miles. From its capital, Lagos, to Manila, it takes about 18 hours.
Yet despite the geographical distance, the popular Dabarkads host Zombie Tugue (now on indefinite leave)who shared “community fame” with Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola in “Eat Bulaga’s” “Sugod Bahay Kapatid” segmentopted to pursue his nursing course in the country.
Born Daniel Oke, Zombie — undeniably a dead ringer for the late King of Reggae Blakjak — is a Nigerian and a certified nursing graduate who ended up as a content creator who became a hit this side of the world.
Through his stay here, Zombie shared how simple his roots are back in his motherland. Belonging to an average family (“sakto lang” as he terms it) as far as economic status is concerned, Zombie takes pride in having both professional parents.
His father is an accountant, while his mom is a nurse.
It was actually his mother who “insisted” he take up nursing as schools here offer medical courses that are much better, if not advanced, compared to other Asian countries.
Zombie’s passion, however, wasn’t exactly that. Even when he was younger, he already knew what he wanted to get himself into: entertainment.
It was back in 2019 when creating content for his vlogs beckoned, two years before he got his diploma in nursing. It was during his internship at a nursing school when learning how to communicate in Filipino had become nothing but a cushy thing.
On duty, Zombie would engage in Tagalog conversations with the hospital patients assigned to him. “I believe I’m a polyglot,” he says proudly of himself. Not only has Zombie been able to overcome communication barriers (also thanks to the Google translate app, which he’d always run to for help), but he has also embraced Pinoy culture. Although unconsciously, Zombie also has a lot to thank his spitting image Blakjak for. Nevertheless, he stresses that becoming an instant household name became easier. “But of course, I’d like to be known as me, myself, not behind somebody else’s shadow,” he declares.
In too short a time, from the boob tube, Zombie has made a successful crossover to the big screen as well via last year’s Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Penduko,” which stars Matteo Guidicelli. Zombie admits to having had two sleepless nights after he was offered the role of a gangster.
“I was worried about my Tagalog lines; what if I buckled? What if I couldn’t deliver what was expected of me? As in, I barely had a wink of sleep for two nights thinking about it!” Zombie opened up.
The moment he got hold of the script, “What I did was to consult Google translate para alam ko kung ano’ng ibig sabihin ng mga lines ko (to find out what my lines meant) so that I would know what particular emotion to draw from there.”
Now under the managerial wings of Viva Artists Agency, Zombie can rest assured that “Penduko” would just be the beginning of more film projects coming his way. For all we know, movies under — hold your breath — Vivamax are also right up his alley!
However, the question begging for an answer is apparently when he’s flying back to the country to take from where he left off.
It was a few days before Christmas last year when he — out of the blue — disappeared from “Eat Bulaga.” Nah, Zombie wasn’t sacked, as he simply wanted to spend the holidays with his family he sorely missed.
GUESS who?
Known for being a dipsomaniac, this fine actor (FA) isn’t all that “pasaway” (a problem) on set. Yet only one film director (FD) makes him shake in his boots.
This FD is so wellrespected in the industry that no actor who works with him would ever dare cross the line.
Once the FD engaged the services of the FA — their first time working together, actually.
At a shooting break, the FD realized there was truth to persistent talks that the FA was such an inveterate guzzler. Worse, a stubborn one.
“Aba, nahuli ko siyang tumutungga ng alak sa mismong set!” the FD informed. [“I caught him drinking on set.”]
Seeing it first hand, the FD furiously told the FA: “Tigilan mo ‘yan or else I’ll send you home!” [“You better stop that, or I will send you home!”]
Both scared and embarrassed, the FA stopped then dropped the bottle he had secretly brought in on the set.
The FA was so afraid of the FD that he never did it again.
“But in fairness, I must confess he’s such a great actor!” the FD said.