Actress Mary Lazarus has revealed that she joined the movie industry for the purpose of making money and not for popularity.
The actress said this in an Instagram post on Friday, while recounting some of the challenges she faced from her former jobs before joining Nollywood. She also added that she was not happy with her former jobs because it was not her career path.
“Years ago after National Youth Service Corps, I got a job that paid N48k monthly. I wasn’t really happy. Not just because of the money, but that wasn’t the career path I wanted. I cried most times as I drove to the office and sneaked out sometimes to attend auditions. One day, I made up my mind to resign without having another job; very risky.
“I told my dad about it and he didn’t object as long as I knew what I was doing. I decided to join the movie industry. I told God that if it was his will, then let me be successful. I set a monthly target for myself to double the salary I was being paid in my former job. So I set N100,000. Amazingly, that month I got a role in a TV series. The period of shoot was three weeks and my pay was N130k. Guys, I met my target for that month.
“Oh yeah, I increase my target yearly, so I know if I’m doing well or I dust my certificate to get white-collar jobs. I didn’t join Nollywood because of fame or to be posting pictures for people to like while my mates in other sectors are cashing out. I am a pure Igbo girl. I love money,” she wrote.
The actress also advised upcoming actors to cultivate the habit of investing and saving.
“Dear up and coming actors, Nollywood money comes in bits kinda; daily, weekly, monthly. Cultivate the habit of saving/ investing. Years will pass by and you will be shocked at what you used your money to do,” she concluded.
