Started from the Bottom, Now She’s Here! Mercy Johnson’s Success Story may Make You Shed a Tear… or Two
Mercy Johnson is letting you know that if at
first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try
again.
The Nollywood star recently had an interview
with Saturday Tribune in which she spoke
about her journey into fame, her family, her
husband and why she is so much happier now.
Read Excerpts from the interview;
On getting to the top: “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.”
On starting out as an actress: ”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. “
On being a Mrs: “Marriage has taught me lots
of things and I’ve learnt a lot since I got married
too. I know that if I had gotten married earlier,
I wouldn’t have made most of the errors I
made. It’s good to be married to somebody who
is so organized; he brings you up the right way
and reminds you of whom you’re supposed to
be.
Marriage has been sweet for me because I have
the best husband and daughter in the world.
Being a married woman, I have learnt to
tolerate things more. It has changed my
perspective of life and the way I react to things.
When I’m not at location, I spend quality time
with my family. And guess what? My husband
has always been there for me and Purity. It’s
obvious we are his priority. He’s a loving
husband and father. He understands the nature
of my job. He’s the best thing that has
happened to me. People usually say men are not
reliable. In the case of my husband, he’s a
blessing. “
On the attraction: “What attracted him to me
was his fearless approach. You know sometimes,
you meet some guys and they get intimidated
about you, but not with him. The first time we
were supposed to have a date, he said “Let’s go
to my house so you can cook for me” and in my
mind, I was like “Seriously, this guy doesn’t
know my name.” So, I said “My name is Mercy
Johnson” and he said “Yes I know.”
On negative reports: ”A lot of untrue things
have been said about me, but I have come to
realise that it doesn’t cost people anything to
cook up lies about me. The one I remember
vividly is the one they said I stole money and
also snatched people’s husbands. I lost a deal
worth N 50 million from a telecommunication company because of that.
first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try
again.
The Nollywood star recently had an interview
with Saturday Tribune in which she spoke
about her journey into fame, her family, her
husband and why she is so much happier now.
Read Excerpts from the interview;
On getting to the top: “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.”
On starting out as an actress: ”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. “
On being a Mrs: “Marriage has taught me lots
of things and I’ve learnt a lot since I got married
too. I know that if I had gotten married earlier,
I wouldn’t have made most of the errors I
made. It’s good to be married to somebody who
is so organized; he brings you up the right way
and reminds you of whom you’re supposed to
be.
Marriage has been sweet for me because I have
the best husband and daughter in the world.
Being a married woman, I have learnt to
tolerate things more. It has changed my
perspective of life and the way I react to things.
When I’m not at location, I spend quality time
with my family. And guess what? My husband
has always been there for me and Purity. It’s
obvious we are his priority. He’s a loving
husband and father. He understands the nature
of my job. He’s the best thing that has
happened to me. People usually say men are not
reliable. In the case of my husband, he’s a
blessing. “
On the attraction: “What attracted him to me
was his fearless approach. You know sometimes,
you meet some guys and they get intimidated
about you, but not with him. The first time we
were supposed to have a date, he said “Let’s go
to my house so you can cook for me” and in my
mind, I was like “Seriously, this guy doesn’t
know my name.” So, I said “My name is Mercy
Johnson” and he said “Yes I know.”
On negative reports: ”A lot of untrue things
have been said about me, but I have come to
realise that it doesn’t cost people anything to
cook up lies about me. The one I remember
vividly is the one they said I stole money and
also snatched people’s husbands. I lost a deal
worth N 50 million from a telecommunication company because of that.
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