‘Having a wealthy father doesn’t make one’s career easy’ – Elvina Ibru
It’s often said that success is not in what you have, but who you are.
This has probably been the underlying principle behind the success of actress and scriptwriter Elvina Ibru, daughter of late Nigerian billionaire business Michael Ibru, as she claimed that, no doubt, being the child of a prominent family certainly has its advantages, however, it hasn’t made her life a bed of roses, as many may assume.
The 47-year-old entertainer said she had to work very hard to hone her acting skills while carving out a niche for herself.
In a chat with Saturday PUNCH, Elvina said, “Being the daughter of Michael Ibru didn’t open doors for my acting career. As a matter of fact, it’s the complete opposite.”
“The important message is that people should not think that having a wealthy father makes one’s career easy. It is not easy for anybody. One has to be talented and hard-working. I know that one day people would start seeing that this is what I’m good at.”
“People think I’m acting because it’s a hobby. They don’t think that I work for a living. They also think that huge bags of money are delivered to my doorstep every week.”
Just recently, a friend told me that my name was submitted to a director for a television series but the director kicked against it saying ‘we can’t afford this one’, she said.
“It’s funny that people have illusions about me without getting to know me. Honestly, I can’t tell you that my surname has helped me at all in my acting career. When I approach people to sponsor a film that I want to produce, they laugh and ask why an Ibru should come to them for help.”
“However, that does not make me less proud of my name. I’m very proud that I’m an Ibru. If my dad had supported my acting career, I would have ended up in Hollywood Ibru also shared her thoughts on why women sometimes feel insecure about their bodies.”
She added, “Just like everything else, it’s what society dictates that is beautiful. And I think things rotate according to what we are looking at and what people are saying.
