Mercy Johnson Talks About Her Growing Up Poor, Before Acting Changed Her Life

Mercy Johnson-Okojie in a new touching interview with Nigerian Tribune got to talk about her humble beginning – living in an uncompleted building with lizards and her family members.

And how her brother had to take a menial job, working as a bricklayer to provide for the family.

Excerpts:

How has it been through fame and glamour?

There have been the good and bad times; there have been rumours and scandals. Sometimes when I cry in movies, it isn’t the script that makes me cry.

When I recall my humble beginning, I give thanks to God. When I remember how we moved into an uncompleted building and had to take cover whenever it rained because of the condition of the house;

how my brother did a menial job as a bricklayer to earn a living and those days when we rolled over a stick to cover the windows up till the point when I started acting and raised money to cover the roof… I recall those days we were living with lizards because the floor and the walls of the house were not plastered, or when I had scars as a result of my several falls.

So how did you start acting?

After my secondary school education, I failed the University Matriculation Examination (UME) and came back to Lagos to get a degree.

While that was on, I watched Genevieve Nnaji in a movie entitled: Sharon Stone. I later approached a friend for assistance to feature in a movie. He said I had a great body and that I would make a good actress. He later took me to the National Theatre, but a role did not come until a year later, when I had my first lead role in a film entitled: The Maid.

The Maid was my starting point and it was quite challenging to play the lead role because it was my first movie. I was fidgeting when I saw the likes of Eucharia Anunobi, whom I regarded as a screen goddess during my secondary school days. I never thought I would make it with people like that.

So, when I saw her, I was so excited and considered standing beside her as sacred.

She actually realized that and later helped me by giving me the needed courage.