“Filmmaking and Medicine are both serious business serving the role of informing people…”- Dr. Jide ‘JBlaze’ Oyegbile

Dr. Jide Oyegbile – popularly known as ‘JBlaze’ – who is currently making waves in the entertainment industry as an actor and filmmaker while being a medical doctor, granted the Medical Mirror (MM) team an interview.

During this enlightening discussion with him, he shared his thoughts and experiences on how medicine and audio-visual content creation intercept and impact lives. He also took us through his process of juggling Medicine, Movies, and Music (the 3Ms) successfully. Below are excerpts from his interview…

MM correspondent – Dr Tobi Ogunlade 

MM: Can you please introduce yourself and what you do?

JBlaze: Hello, my name is Dr. Jide ‘JBlaze’ Oyegbile. I always introduce or write my name like this to avoid a long discussion because of what I do. Presently I’m an actor and a filmmaker. Filmmaker, being that I also direct, I write screenplays, I produce and I shoot. This also involves other things like editing and most importantly, I do private consultations. Recently though, I get to work in hospitals, once in a while.

MM: Okay, so nowadays, when we hear JBlaze, the first thing that comes to mind is entertainment. But then you trained as a doctor. What was the motivation to put in for MB; BS back then in the first place?

JBlaze: Most definitely I am a doctor because I love it, and I never felt influenced to do it. I wanted to be one, and I’m still one and the thrill of saving lives is one important factor for me, the thrill of giving people a second opportunity to life, and as much as possible try to impact life. That’s also why I pretty much feel like medicine and entertainment go hand in hand because audio-visual content creation also impacts life. So, apart from that, is the fact that my dad is also a doctor, and I grew up around medicine and it was quite interesting to see the white coat and the respect for the white coat. I think though, that respect isn’t what it is anymore, as it’s quite funny how doctors are being treated nowadays.

MM: How was your medical school experience? Any highlights?

JBlaze: For me, med school was brilliant, and it was beautiful. I had my degree from Bowen University, where I bagged a BSc in Anatomy and a MB; BS. I mean, medicine was supposed to be around six years but due to accreditation and the other issues, we had to do an intercalated program, that is Anatomy and Medicine for me, and which meant that I was in school between 2008 and 2016. So, it was a long period but it was one of the best periods of my life because I got to explore and discover myself and yeah, I was involved in quite several things, being the Social Director, and in my final year, the President of the Students’ Association and at the same time being the West African Regional Coordinator for the Federation of African Medical Students Association (FAMSA) and I was also involved in some IFMSA (International Federation Of Medical Students) activities. It was so much fun and in fact, I produced my first film while I was in school, directed, and also acted in it. I think it was when I was in 500l. So yeah, school for me was fun, and most importantly, it provided an outlet for me to discover myself in music, acting, filmmaking, and medicine.

MM: In light of what you said, how do you think a medic can discover him/herself and find other sides to them, away from Medicine, seeing that medical school in itself is already choked and stressful. Basically, how did you find out yourself and also create that balance?

JBlaze: I started most of these things before medical school, so I think that for everyone, there’s something they like, something they call their hobby. It could be writing or any other thing. I mean things that genuinely makes one happy as a person, are what I think should be discovered and done, and most importantly, the person should not be afraid to take it head-on. I found myself in the drama group in church and although it was because of a girl then that I liked who was there already, maybe we can even say God used her to help me find my calling, in his miraculous way. But anyway, I got in and discovered I enjoyed playing a character, being someone else, and sending a message. So, everyone has what they like, what they call a hobby, and things they feel may not even be possible to do by others. Everyone has this, and I’m very sure can be discovered. For me, during my housemanship, siting lines was one of my hobbies and I can set one anywhere and at any time. I worked at University College Hospital Ibadan, and even in the SCBU where it was supposed to be a difficult thing, I enjoyed doing it. Everyone can pretty much discover themselves, and in creating a balance, for me, one important thing I did, was to know when to read and when to do other stuff. I didn’t joke with my studies, and even a couple of times when I didn’t pass outrightly at first sitting and had to resit, I shut down every other thing because I knew then that the most important thing for me was to pass my resit. I read the whole textbook, and not just my notes or the PowerPoint slides given. I read everything then in Hematology, and in Morbid Anatomy because I needed to get the confidence that there wasn’t anything that I would be asked that won’t be in the textbook. So yeah, I worked hard and I played hard. Creating a balance is different for everyone but you’d have to know your strength and know how you can read to pass. Some people know how to cram, which is a no-no for me because I believe everything in life is more about understanding, so in medicine, I try to understand the topic, and in understanding, it becomes easy to write in exams. After you figure this out, then you’d know how to add other things. The golden rule however is, when you have to read, you have to read.

MM: Back to entertainment. Was this something you’ve always done while growing up or was there a circumstantial event?

JBlaze: Yeah, entertainment for me involves music and filmmaking, and those two, I do brilliantly. As I said, I’ve been doing these things even before medical school. I’ve been acting since I was like 7 years old, from the stage. I mean everybody starts somewhere, and mine was church, and that’s where the motivation started from and I liked the thrill of being somebody else, putting myself in another person’s shoes, and becoming a character. That intrigued me back then, and it felt like it was a hobby but then, I’m grateful because all of those stages helped me become who I am today. Then, I was involved in some Mount Zion Productions in school, which opened my eyes to screen, and my first screen experience was on “Fiwajomi” which was directed by Damilola Mike-Bamiloye, who is a friend and I have known since secondary school. I was also involved in “Abobaku” and yeah, that was it for me, and then I decided to develop that side of me, and then I also had music, and in my 200l, I had like 5 songs already but it is difficult to push music in Nigeria, as it takes a lot of money to produce it, and not talking about the video, the radio and all that. But all of this started from school, and yeah, is something I’ve always wanted to do. To act, to make film, and to sing. You know, from the thrill of seeing others do this on TV, and I’m like, this is what I want to do, and not just Nollywood but then Hollywood and make an impact around the world.

MM: Interesting to hear that there’s an MZM background. Do you think you would still consider accepting a role in a Christian Movie?

JBlaze: I don’t think it is anything to consider, because I mean if it comes, it comes. The first set of scripts I wrote in my life, I wrote in a book and it was a gospel movie which I pitched to Damilola Bamiloye. I haven’t shot till now and should be somewhere, still in hard copies. It was difficult for Mount Zion to pick it up then because such ideas only fly from people who have attended their school or are a part of their body, and I was still in school at that point. But yeah, I’m open to working in the gospel film industry.

MM: People are more acquainted with JBlaze than Dr. Oyegbile, right from time. So, how did you come about the name JBlaze?

JBlaze: I mean, obviously, JBlaze came from music, and that was from 200l, and J in JBlaze is obviously from Jide, my first name Olajide, Jide, and Blaze simply means fire, setting a place ablaze. So literally, it meant Jide is here to set the place on fire, and although it felt more for music, when the acting came, JBlaze had already stuck, and people in school were already calling me that. And at that time, I had also won the Student Artiste of the year at the TUSH awards, which was beyond Bowen and involved all Universities. JBlaze was already working and opening doors, and of course, it came before ‘’doctor’’. But then, I think I am known to different sets of people, as some call me Jide, some call me JBlaze, and people who call me Dr. Oyegbile. These people came into my life at different points in time, as people that call me Jide are my real Gees and know my story, while those that use Dr. Oyegbile met me as a doctor, meeting the refined product, and may not know my struggle.

MM: It was a delight to see you as part of the cast in KOB 2. How did you feel when you learned you’d be a part of the industry’s best? By the way, you killed your character.

JBlaze: Right, King Of Boys 2. I think KOB 2 is the biggest series/film of my career out there yet, and I mean I was excited to know I’d be a part of it because it came after a difficult process. The audition process was crazy, as people had to send videos, up to more than a thousand video entries, and to realize that I got the win and to also be a part of the series acknowledged the fact that I am here for this and I am here to stay. I mean, winning the KOB challenge got me a role in the film and also got me the Malta Guinness contract for that year, so it was a huge one for my career and it was an affirmation that I was doing the right thing and that I am not here to joke, and that my energy is different because I’m like “Yo guys, I’m from medicine and I’m different”, and when I’m doing this, I get to do it differently.

A lot of questions arise on set like “hey, why are you here and not doing medicine” and as such I’d need to be able to convince them by showing that “Yo this is what I also do and I can be equally good at this”. KOB was great for me, and I am happy that everyone loved my character. I got tons of messages, my DMs were full, and I’m so glad that I got to deliver it appropriately and I didn’t disappoint in it. I’m also grateful to Kemi Adetiba, she’s been a strong support system, and even after KOB, she’s remained supportive with a couple of things I’ve been doing and we still have a lot of projects to work on together, of which I’m excited. We have another series titled “Den of snakes”, where I’d be playing a sub-lead also, and I can’t wait for people to see that.

MM: Talking about the industry, how would you describe the atmosphere in Nollywood? Where it used to be and where it is now.

JBlaze: Concerning the atmosphere in Nollywood, I think things are getting better and worse at the same time. Better, in terms of the fact that we are beginning to get great deals from outside the country.  We have Netflix, Amazon, and a whole lot more foreign streaming media coming into the country which means more money, and more opportunities. But when I say worse, it is in terms of storytelling. I mean, yeah it is a subjective opinion, but I feel that storytelling has reduced drastically, and it is not what it used to be, and also the ingenuity of a story is no longer how it used to be. I’d watch a couple of films presently and I’d be like “Yo, what’s going on? This can be way better”. I think we just have to pay more attention to story-telling, as I believe we are beginning to have more talents to deliver appropriately, and also nowadays, there are phones, there are social media, so it’s easier to access talents. Unlike previously, where it was much more difficult where talents would have to walk from audition to audition and even before one gets to find out about the audition, as there weren’t social media, one would need to be called or would hear the gist from somewhere else. It used to be pretty difficult and as such I give kudos to the predecessors too because it wasn’t easy for them.

MM: How can this storytelling be improved, match the quality of the screenplay and all? Also, what do you think about Yoru-Nolly, because it’s quite popular, and do you see yourself playing a role in that industry?

JBlaze: About improving storytelling, what should be at the back of the mind of the writer is to have an understanding that it could take time. One would need to block loopholes, make research especially if it is a professional script requiring a professional touch. Sometimes, a script conference is needed as nowadays people are beginning to understand that their audience is intelligent and you can’t just give them rubbish but rather value for their money. Improving storytelling also involves watching films, and understanding why one film is different from another and why one has a different rating from the other. Most importantly, agreeing that no man is an island, then, means you’d have to learn how to work with people and share with people who have done these before, who would give expert, honest opinions.

Working in Yoru-Nolly is also exciting because my Yoruba is very good. I have done a couple of Yoruba short films, and I have directed a series that is currently showing on StarTimes titled ‘’Okirika’’, and it is the biggest series presently in Nigeria, with the most A-list actors and I also acted in it. It had names like Ini Edo, Jide Kosoko, Brodda Shaggi, Muka Ray, Macaroni, Yvonne Jegede, Small Doctor. It had the biggest names and remains my most challenging series to have directed, and it is going to be aired on StarTimes for a long time.

MM: Nollywood has in the past couple of years improved in its quality but it’s not eureka yet, especially in medical scenes. Medics have continually cried foul on how poor medical roles are being played.

JBlaze: This is vital because I’ve seen it happen before where they are going to put the IV line and the direction it is been placed suggests that it is in the artery and not in the vein, and I get irritated and disgusted myself. I try correcting as much as I can but then I get to the point where I feel “you all need to go do your research, and if you want to get me on the job, then you get to pay me to do it also’’. Because I don’t think it is a big deal to get a professional to help supervise your project. I mean, if you are making a film that has a medical scene, contact a doctor. Let a doctor be on set, and even if he or she can’t be, take pictures, or make a recording and send it to the doctor and let him or her approve it, show areas that are right or wrong. And this doesn’t apply to just medicine, but to all other fields, where getting a professional and doing proper research is needed. I think that the other way we can change it is not about talking alone, but it is also about doing and as such, I’ve started writing a couple of medical series, and I hope I get to produce them. Some are budget-friendly and some are not, and you know medical drama has to be as realistic as much as possible and to do this is going to cost a lot, and most times one is not certain that hospitals are going to be receptive enough to filmmaking because a lot of people, especially the older ones believe that filmmaking is all fun and play and on the other hand medicine is serious business, which it is actually. But the truth is, they are both serious and serve the role of informing people.

Community Medicine is involved in informing people, so it is vital that the medical community and every other professional accept filmmaking as a serious business and also understand that information is key. Imagine how difficult it would be to approach a teaching hospital, for example, to be used for filmmaking and be willing to provide support. They’d most likely go “Nah, this is going to interfere with what we do”, which yeah, is true but I feel that is also part of why I am there, and if they understand that part of the people at the helm of affairs of the filmmaking is a doctor, they’d pretty much understand that he knows what’s up, how to organize people, handling of patients while filming, etc. So, I think we are going to get there, but I think it is a collective effort, as one tree cannot make a forest. We need more people but what is important is I think all filmmakers should do their research and try to contact professionals when curating a scene that needs a professional touch.

MM: How’s your music career coming? Any projects for us to look forward to?

JBlaze: As I said, music is quite difficult and expensive to fund, but I’m still going to do music. It’s not like I stopped but presently I am doing a lot with film, acting, directing, screenwriting, and producing. I’m also doing a bit of shooting and editing, and definitely, part of why I want to do music again is because, in film post-production, you might need to score the film, that is, put music in it and you’d want to do that intelligently. But yeah, music is not by the way yet, it is still there and although it’s going to take time, I will still do it anytime, any day.

MM: Medicine, Movies, and Music. 3Ms or should I say “MMM” for JBlaze. What’s the intersection for you? How do you wiggle in between?

JBlaze: The most important thing in these 3Ms for me is enjoyment. I need to be able to live my life and I need my friends to be able to call me and say “Guy, are you free tomorrow, let’s go and ball, let’s go to South Africa, or Italy, or Spain” and I’m not thinking that I am caged up somewhere and I cannot move, which is part of what medicine does in Nigeria. I mean, after NYSC, I got to work somewhere and there, it was in shifts and when I had a film set to be in, I just had to tell the other doctor to cover up for me. But working in centers where there are just like 2 doctors, and the other doctor is tired, or is not available, then I’d need to get a locum doctor because ofcourse, a doctor is a doctor, and this was going smoothly until most of my patients got attached to me, and whenever they come to the hospital, they would specifically request for me, and that became a problem for me and the Medical Director of the hospital who wasn’t satisfied and wanted more. And since patients needed me, it meant I needed to be available, and then I’d also need to be on a film set. It got to a point that because of funds and needing to pay my bills, I focused more on medicine, but by the time KOB came, and the film started to pay for the bills, and I was working at an establishment that wasn’t paying well and on time for medicine, it became an easy decision to make the switch. What I also did was, for all the patients who needed me or were looking for me all the time, it became a private consultation arrangement wherein who needed me would then call me, pay and then I’d come see or I refer to a hospital where I could come make an assessment. For music, it was quite easy as it was mostly about going to the studio in my free time, which is what I do. So, most times, I just juggle the three of them, and it’s all fun for me because it is something I like to do.

MM: What would be your advice for medics who would also want to cut their teeth in entertainment and how they’d go about it?

JBlaze: It is okay for medics to be interested in entertainment but the most important thing I’d say is “first and foremost try and finish school”. Succeed and pass because the truth is, if you find it difficult to graduate as a doctor, you most likely would find it difficult to succeed in entertainment because it is equally as difficult.

Why I have gotten this far is because I have applied some of the training I got in medical school in film. Most times as a doctor you’re required to always be punctual, to be always on your toes, and to be extra attentive. Hence, whenever I am told arrival time on set is 8 am, I’m probably there by 7 am, and because of this, most of these producers get to trust me and then they refer me for more jobs and speak good of my punctuality.

Another thing is, in medical school you’d get to read a lot of books, and the same is when you’d need to read a lot of scripts, understand it and deliver in like 5 minutes, and there won’t be much time that you can even cram, of which as a doctor, it is also not about cramming but about understanding. So, you’d be able to apply yourself and do a lot of research, including learning online. Most of the things I know about filming today, I learned online, and I learned on the job. There isn’t a film school in Nigeria per se, and hence it takes a whole lot of work because you’re also diving into a field that you’re not exactly trained for, and whatever you know is probably what you learned around, like from church, or from friends but is not exactly what professionals do, and is all about ideas. Also, it is important to know that it is very possible, as long as you’re committed to it. You’d also need a lot of family support as you’d go hungry a lot, people would question what you are doing a lot, question your sanity, and sometimes you may get to question yourself too. But you’d need to stand firm and say “you know what, this is what I want to do, and this is it”. You’d also need to be content with what you have, don’t compare yourself with other people in the industry, and don’t try to be like others. You could get role models that could guide you, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are trying to be like them at the same time. So yeah, it’s all fun but then it’s going to take a lot of hard work, as well as a lot of prayers. Also, I’d reiterate that you’d need support, and it may not come from your immediate family, it could come from your cousins, your siblings and it could just be words of encouragement from them to keep pushing you, and yeah obviously, you need to know the right people to connect with. Search by yourself and don’t ask questions that are on google. That’s one thing that I learned early, and that’s my response to people who say “mentor me, mentor me”. It’s not like I have a problem with mentoring, but I hate answering what I’d call stupid questions or spoon-feeding. So, you have to work, because I did the work myself. If the answers to your questions are on google, don’t ask me. You can only ask me questions that are not on Google or what is not well explained therein. Always remember, there is Google, and there’s YouTube.

MM: Asides ‘’MMM’’, what other things are you involved in? How do you unwind?

JBlaze: I mean I do a lot, and like I said, unwinding for me means having fun, and my job literally to me is fun, to be honest. Apart from that, I don’t go to clubs, at least not anymore as I used to when I was in school, but most times I also like to go to the beach, enjoy the serene environment, try to process things. Sometimes I go to sets that I’m not acting or doing anything on, just to observe and see what’s going on, and that’s fun for me. Of course, I also go to the cinemas, but as much as this is about to catch fun, it’s also a learning process. I also watch films on Netflix, and I get to hang out with friends, get to do “crazy” things and other things outside the box.

MM: You dabbled into politics in school, as you were the President of your local Medical Students’ Association, and also at the national level. Are we going to see JBlaze in mainstream politics any time soon?

JBlaze: Mainstream politics, for now, I don’t think so. Part of why I got into politics was to make a difference, to try and fix things and let people know that’s possible. it’s a bit difficult in mainstream politics because there’s godfatherism, and the truth is, to change something, you’d need to be a part of them first, and no matter what your history is like. It also doesn’t feel safe, but who knows, we can never say, and anything could happen. Like if I become a figure in what I do, it could help with every other thing, and to be honest, one can make a difference without even being in politics.

MM: Your Instagram profile reads about 50k followers. That’s boss levels. How do handle fan love and the fame that comes with being a celebrity?

JBlaze: Right. Most importantly I like to let people know that IG and social media, in general, is different from real life. It got so bad that sometimes I felt like I needed someone to handle my Instagram for me because people have expectations of you on IG. They see you smiling in your pictures and think you’re smiling in real life. The truth is also that IG is a brand, a business, and as an actor and filmmaker when you’re on IG, you’ve pretty much become a brand, and you’re global, which is business as I said.

Most fans don’t understand that there are limits to things, and don’t understand that you’re human and also like them. But what I do is to try as much as possible to reply to everybody, and the ones I don’t like replying to are those who go “Hey, Hi”. Like, am I supposed to say “hello” back at them, and then next thing is “good afternoon” and then goes on to become a series of one-worded conversations, and I have tons of other unread messages. It’s interesting anyway because it shows that they appreciate what I do, they stream my stuff and then I love them back too. I try my best to ensure I don’t snap or rant or beat anyone up (laughs). But it is what it is, I try as much as possible to be focused at work and not get distracted.

MM: Can you tell us your favourite moment as a Medic, and also your favorite moment as an entertainer?

JBlaze: My favourite moment as a medic… Hmmm, there is quite a number. One is becoming the President of the association, another is becoming the West African Regional Coordinator for the Federation of African Medical Students Association (FAMSA), traveling with my friends to FAMSA events-Ghana and the rest. Having my friends together was a favourite moment too because my set had 23 people, 10 guys plus 13 girls and we were close for a very long time. I’m grateful for my lecturers, my school – Bowen University. Also, the first time assisting on a surgery, playing soccer, and making an impact in the association are other worthy mentions. As an entertainer, I think my favourite moment at this time was winning KOB. I have done so many other things, but winning KOB was big, and it was pretty much an affirmation for me, and it was everywhere, and it was my Netflix original series and of course, the first Netflix original from Nigeria, so yeah, I’m grateful for it.

MM: Lastly, has your qualification as a doctor opened doors for you in the entertainment space, or MBBS is just overrated? Also, let us know your upcoming movie projects so we can anticipate and follow through.

JBlaze: I mean obviously, it has opened doors and it has closed doors for me. It has closed doors being that when people hear that I’m from medicine, there’s this stereotype that “oh, this person is not a serious person” and doesn’t know what entertainment is about. But it has also helped because while expectations are quite low, they get amazed and wonder “why is this person different from others, why is he committed, why is he punctual?” I mean everybody is playing but I’m sitting focused and reading and trying to perfect my lines and character. Then they get to realize that I’m a doctor, and they are like “no wonder” and for me, it gives me the “no excuses” mentality, because if I fail, questions would pop up like “but you studied medicine, why you con de waste your time for here”. It has also opened doors because now I get to write a medical series as I mentioned earlier, and one I hope to produce and direct also, and it’s going well and working for me because I’m a doctor. People write stuff but write rubbish without doing proper research but here I’m doing the writing and the research myself and it’s quite easier.

As a doctor too, people respect me a lot, like there was a time I was on a set, a big project set, and there was a fire outbreak, and someone lost consciousness, she was asthmatic, and I usually have my medical kit in my car, and on the spot, I had to turn from actor to doctor on the set, and to be honest, I don’t know what could have happened because where we were filming was literally in the bush. But when it came to opening doors per se, I can’t exactly talk about one now but medicine has been really vital and important in my growth as a filmmaker and an actor.

The projects to look forward to, there’s one with Jade Osiberu, titled “Everything scatter”, and I can’t wait for you all to see that. There’s also the series with Kemi Adetiba titled “Den of Snakes”, and there’s a series I wrote and acted in titled “Laces” which is going to be a web series, and there is a series titled “What is that”, another is titled “Skido’s wahala”. There’s a Netflix film “Blackout” produced by Dacore and directed by Seyi Babatope. There’s a lot really, and I want you all to see these works and let it speak for themselves. My iMDB credit is growing and yeah Hollywood is calling.

MM: Someone after reading this interview might just want to check out some of your previous movie projects. Can you list a couple of them? Also, kindly mention your social media handles.

JBlaze: King Of Boys by Kemi Adetiba (Netflix), Riona by James Omokwe (Africa Magic), Househelps by JJC Skillz (Youtube), Skido wahala (youtube), Everything Scatter by Jade Osiberu (Not yet disclosed), Den of Snakes by Kemi Adetiba (Not yet disclosed), Hustle (Africa Magic), Black Monday (Youtube), Silenced (Iroko), What is that? (Not yet disclosed) and Okirika (Startimes). My handle on IG/Twitter is @itsjblaze

MM: Thank you so much for your time. Have a blistering career!