From a demanding corporate career and multiple business interests to producing films and taking on leading roles, Big Jovi is pursuing a long-held ambition, with the upcoming epic Kulende emerging as a major part of his journey.
For Big Jovi, becoming an actor is about more than entering a new industry. It is an opportunity to revisit a childhood dream that once seemed out of reach.
Born John Olamide Victor in Lagos and raised in Shomolu, the filmmaker and actor says his interest in acting began long before his recent return to the screen. However, his ambition was discouraged while he was growing up, as his mother did not consider theatre arts a worthwhile career path.
With a different set of responsibilities and priorities as an adult, Big Jovi eventually found himself in a position to pursue what he had once put aside.
“I’ve always wanted to be an actor,” he explained, reflecting on the ambition that has now developed into a growing involvement in filmmaking.
Before his return to the industry, Big Jovi had already established himself in business. His interests include hospitality, apartments, lounges and a five-a-side football facility. He also maintains a corporate career in clearing and forwarding, which he describes as his family’s primary source of livelihood.
Balancing these commitments with filmmaking has not been straightforward. Nevertheless, he has continued to pursue the ambition, taking on responsibilities both in front of and behind the camera.
A Family Decision That Became a Personal Journey :
Big Jovi’s initial return to film production was driven partly by his desire to support his daughter, Raquel Oyinkansola John, who is also pursuing acting under the stage name Rich Kid Actor.
He says his first intention was to produce a film that would showcase his daughter’s talent without necessarily returning to acting himself. That project was Contract Marriage, which he says has been sold to DStv and is awaiting broadcast.
His involvement subsequently expanded after conversations with people in the industry, including Lola Smart and Azeez Ijaduade, also known as King Zeez. Their encouragement helped him reconsider his own ambitions.
What began as an effort to create opportunities for his daughter gradually developed into a more personal commitment to filmmaking.
Over approximately two months, Big Jovi says he has been involved in around seven productions, working across different genres and taking on leading roles in some of them.
The projects he mentions include Dunwo, The Game, Live Drama, Tife Baku, Ajibelorun and Abimbisu, alongside Kulende, the epic production he hopes will introduce him more firmly to audiences.
For Big Jovi, building a body of work is part of establishing his identity as an actor. Rather than relying on a single production, he wants audiences to encounter him in different roles, from romantic characters to gangsters and performers in family dramas and epic films.
Kulende – A Bigger Ambition :
Among his recent projects, Kulende occupies a particularly important place.
Initially intended for a YouTube release, the film’s plans have evolved as production progressed. Big Jovi says its budget is substantially larger than those of his other recent productions, prompting the team to consider pitching and aired on Prime Video.
The film features established Yoruba screen actors, including Ibrahim Chatta, Odunlade Adekola, Kolawole Ajeyemi and Yinka Quadri, alongside other performers. Big Jovi plays the lead character, a compassionate hunter who is framed and banished from his community. His journey subsequently takes him towards captivity, preparation for war and a confrontation with the villain.
The production involved 16 days of filming at Ibrahim Chatta’s film village in Oyo State. Big Jovi says the team also brought in cinematographer Biola Ladipo to help achieve the visual quality they wanted for the project.
The ambition is to deliver an epic film whose production and post-production can compete with the standards audiences expect from major screen productions.
Yet the experience has also challenged him as a performer.
Although born and raised in Lagos, Big Jovi is from Auchi in Edo State. He says he had always considered himself proficient in Yoruba, but working on Kulende revealed the difference between everyday conversational Yoruba and the more traditional language required for an epic film.
Expressions commonly used in Lagos could be unsuitable for the dialogue and cultural setting of the production. Learning to recognise and correct those differences became an important part of his experience on set.
For him, the challenge reinforced the demands of acting and the need to keep learning, regardless of how confident a performer may initially feel about a skill.
Finding Balance Beyond The Set :
The demands of filmmaking extend beyond learning lines and performing scenes. As a producer, Big Jovi has to coordinate the people and practical arrangements that make each project possible.
He says the 16-day shoot for Kulende required him to leave Lagos and temporarily step away from the physical supervision of his other businesses. That experience highlighted the difficulty of combining filmmaking with his existing professional responsibilities.
He distinguishes between producing his own projects, which require his involvement throughout the process, and appearing in another filmmaker’s production as a hired actor.
His wife has also played an important role in supporting the family’s involvement in the industry, helping coordinate activities and accompanying him on productions. He credits her understanding and support as important to his ability to pursue the new direction.
His ambitions extend beyond his own career. He is also keen to help his daughter develop as an actress while ensuring that her education remains a priority.
For Big Jovi, the journey is still developing. He is entering a demanding industry while learning its expectations, building relationships and working to establish a recognisable identity.
With several productions behind him and Kulende representing a particularly ambitious undertaking, his next challenge will be turning that activity into sustained progress as an actor and filmmaker.
The childhood dream that once appeared impractical has now become a serious pursuit. Whether Kulende becomes the breakthrough he hopes for remains to be seen, but it represents a significant step in his effort to build a lasting place for himself in the Yoruba film industry.
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Instagram : BigJovi01
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