In this edition of “Meet the Star,” a segment dedicated to spotlighting talents in Nollywood, Shamz Garuba takes us through his multifaceted career as a model and actor, how his modelling skills has helped his acting, his latest movie “A Night in 2005,” and more.
In our previous feature, we caught up with Segilola Ogidan, who talked to us through her inspiring career journey, from her directorial debut to her AMVCA nomination, and more. If you missed it, catch up here.
Every now and then, we get to have some Nollywood stars indulge us by answeing some questions about their journey and experience in the second-largest film industry in the world. (Hey, we’re not bragging—that’s the fact, and we’re just happy to share).
This industry is teeming with incredible talent, and one of its stars is Shamz Garuba. Of course, you know him.
A quick scroll through Shamz’s Instagram might make you pause—actor or model? His bio says actor, but his effortless poses, sharp angles, and appearances on the runway hint at his versatility. Oh wait, is that him in a men’s fashion lookbook? And there he is in a fragrance commercial! Do you know he also writes music and even sings? It’s giving multi-talented.
Shamz started his professional modeling career in 2016, and he credits his mother for spotting his potential two years earlier. In 2014, she encouraged him to explore modeling and even made inquiries to help him get started.
Mums really do know best, don’t they?
In our conversation with Shamz—which, trust us, was as interesting as it gets—he talked about his modelling career, his journey into Nollywood, his latest film “A Night in 2005,” his growth as an actor, and much more.
When we asked him to compare his upcoming film to a dish, Shamz described it as “classy” with a “rich, suave tech director” character at its core. His pick is mashed potatoes and creamy garlic chicken. (We’re totally sold—and now eagerly waiting for his next release)
Dive into our chat with Shamz below:
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Hi Shamz, it’s great to have you here. How are you doing today?
Hey BN, thanks for having me. I feel great today actually. I am grateful to be able to see another day and go out there and do my best.
Let’s jump right in—your latest project, “A Night in 2005,” where you play young Ope, how was that experience for you?
“A Night in 2005” is definitely one for the books and playing young Ope was fascinating and also challenging. But hey, I love a good challenge. The beautiful aspect about the project was the bonds that were formed. I met people on the set that I cherish and love now. It was a safe space to perform and exist. Shout out to Ted Abudu for such an important story that needed to be told.
You’ve played some really different roles—from Rabiu in “Crime & Justice Lagos” to Tokan in “Dear Diane”—and now you’ve made your cinema debut with “A Night in 2005”. Have you seen yourself grow as an actor through these roles?
Hmmmm actually very different roles and I love that. For me, every project served as a master class in acting since I learnt from each one and used it to get ready for the next. I have undoubtedly grown as an actor. The director of Crime and Justice Lagos, Onyinye taught me how to live in the moment, listen and connect with my environment. She held my hand all through the process and It felt like acting school. On dear Diane’s set I was surrounded with talent, from Detola to Riyo to the great Patrick Diabuah and to the very talented Toluwa Wumi, I definitely learnt a thing or two. Experience is really the best teacher and I try to immerse myself and be very present when I’m on a project.
We can’t skip over the modelling part. When did you first realise this was something you wanted to do?
People always get shocked when I say my mum was the one that actually thought I looked like a model and made enquiries on how I could start modelling in 2014. But once I started I was drawn to it and I started growing from there and started professionally in 2016.
How has your modeling career influenced your acting? Do you find that one helps the other when you’re on set?
My modelling career has greatly influenced my acting because I don’t think I would be an actor at all if I hadn’t started modelling. The reason is that I always wanted to be an actor but I watched how confident and outspoken actors were and I grew up very introverted, I still am lol. But modelling taught me how to be confident,how to handle rejections, how to talk to people, how to be presentable and how to properly brand myself as a talent. The things I know now as a model and the relationship built as a model has greatly affected my trajectory as an actor.
Besides acting and modelling, what other talents do you have? What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
Asides modelling and acting. I’m very technical. I graduated from the university of Ilorin where I majored in Civil Engineering and I practiced for a while post graduation. Regarding talents, creative work comes naturally to me. I tend to come up with great creative ideas for film, ads and other things. I write music and sing as well and I featured in a TV show coming out next year that the world will get to experience that side of me. As an actor I love that I get to showcase these talents through storytelling. Cheers to unveiling talents we don’t know we have yet.
When you’re not working—whether that’s on the runway, shooting an ad, or filming—what would we most likely find Shamz doing in his downtime?
In my downtime I am mostly just chilling. Either I am catching up with films and shows I’ve planned to see or I’m playing tennis or I’m having a good swim. I also try to put down ideas for films I would love to make. Hopefully, I get to make them.
If you could compare your next film to a dish, what dish would it be?
My next film is very classy and my character is a rich and suave tech director. So, I’ll say Mashed Potatoes and Creamy garlic chicken lol.
Let’s say someone only knows you as a model but now wants to get to know you as an actor. Which of your roles would you point them to first?
I’ll definitely point them to Dear Diane first because that is widely available and it shows my character going through a plethora of emotions. So guys, Dear Diane is still showing on RussetTv on YouTube. It’s a show that will mess with your mental health in a good way.
If you could work with any director in Nigeria, who would you love to collaborate with next? We’re sure they’d love to hear it
I’ll love to work with any director that will challenge me to be a better actor and ispassionate for great and quality work. I’ll definitely love to work with BB Sasore, Jade Osiberu, Yinka Edwards again, Blessing Uzi and lots of amazing directors. Recently I got to follow Ifeoma Chukwuogo’s work and she’s amazing. Shout out to filmmakers that ensure stories are being told and executed excellently.
So, what’s next for Shamz Garuba? What exciting projects should we be on the lookout for
I was opportune to work on a couple of amazing projects this year. So definitely, next year a lot of film projects that I’m in would be out. We should be on the look out for “Afrobeats Superstar,” “Red Circle,” “Olufemi,” “Black Game” and a couple of projects that has not been announced yet.
Thanks a lot for having me BN, chat with you soon ❤️
