Nollywood actor, Leo Mezie hit the limelight in 2006 and has been making waves as a handsome character in most Nigerian movies. In this interview with ORUKPE NELSON, Leo and his wife Maureen dispelled the rumours about the crash of their marriage.

You have been away from the screen for a while now. Why did you leave the stage?

I discovered that I was being stereotyped. The other side of me has not been fully utilized. I am an actor not an arrogant Prince. Everywhere I went to, that became my name, because that was basically the role each producer wanted me to act. I suffered same fate between 2003 and 2007, when people thought I was an armed robber, because that was just the role producers reserved for me in almost all the movies I acted in.Also, I am a very good driver, so all the robbery driving stunt was reserved for me because I am was good at it. It was not helping my situation, so I had to come up with excuses or hike the price, so as to avoid playing that role. Secondly what really got me off was that the scripts were similar in so many ways, the lines were too close that I do not feel challenged any more, then I decided to shut down.

At that point; what was the alternative?

For me, it was time to take a break. And I remembered that I am a good motivational speaker, I counsel very well, and above all, I can handle events better. So I moved into consultancy with corporate establishments, government agencies and top ranking individuals. And last year was when I got the biggest deals but had to slow down towards the tail end of last year because of the rigours activities. But I have decided to come back to the screen this year because a fan I met in Port Harcourt encouraged me.

Some of your roles are very raunchy, how does your wife take it?

To be candid with you, when I met my wife and decided to marry her, she was working with a bank. I arranged for her to take her leave and took her to a location where I was going to shoot some scenes. Already, she knows my profession, but she didn’t know how it is done. I told my director that in every scene that I will be in, I want this woman to be allowed to watch it. She came along and saw that even the kiss, is not in a rosy mood. Because, for instance, the room where you are going to shoot a love scene is so hot because of the light that will be used. In that heat and sweat you are covered with a Duve, and your skin is touching, how comfortable do you think you can be? You want to take your role fast and leave. So the thought of getting aroused doesn’t even cross your mind.

Being a cute guy, how do you handle your female fans or cope with sexual harassment?

Most of the stories that make the round out there are not true. Nobody has ever asked me for anything to play a role. It is often said that the way you present yourself is the way you are received. Outside the industry, yes I have been harassed by a female fan that grabbed me. I felt so embarrassed but I had to smile and quietly extricate myself. She knew I was not happy and she came back to apologise. I don’t give room for such.There was a time I almost cheated on my wife in Asaba. I was getting so close to one lady. And she was so nice, friendly and supportive. My wife was in Lagos. I had stayed a whole month, going to the second month in Asaba. Before we knew it, a kind of intimacy was beginning to take place. I kissed her once. What saved me was my wife’s prayer, and secondly she is a decent lady. So when I reminded her of my marital status, she understood with me. When I got back I told my wife, she confirmed that she was actually praying that any woman who wants to take her place should die. I find it hard to cheat on my wife because it will be difficult for me to hide. She will find out and that will be bad for my marriage. I just have to respect her.

There is a story currently in the media that your marriage crashed. How true is that?

The story is completely false! I was really shocked when somebody called me that; that there was a story like that about my marriage in Entertainment Express. I was with my wife at a dinner on Saturday and somebody forwarded the link to me. It is very disappointing from whoever wrote that story. One of the items in that story that baffled me even more was that I dumped my wife because she refused to smoke, how can such a story be true? You need to see my wife! Which man will have this kind of woman as a wife and play with her? She is the most beautiful girl I have come across on the surface of this earth. Even if you slap me, I will not risk quarrelling with my wife. I want to use this medium, to say that 90% of marriages of celebrities are broken by journalists. My wife has not been happy with the situation. She is a career woman and works in an oil servicing firm and manages a department. This story is not good for her at all in the office. Since we got married, we hang out together; to events and any other gathering. We hold hands whenever we are walking together or in the public. Our marriage is about five years now and it’s been blissful all the way. So between October and December, we have been busy travelling and moving together. She was rounding up her company projects and had to put together eight different projects alone in December. So since people have been seeing us going out alone for some time now, they just assumed that we are no longer together.

Describe your style?

My style is basically casual. I love being casual. It must not be expensive or flamboyant. That is why you hardly see me in corporate event because I am not the suit and tie kind of person.

When we take a peek into your wardrobe, what kind of clothes are we likely to see?

You will see mostly jeans and T-shirts. 70% of my clothes are T-shirts and jeans and I have tried many times to change it to no avail.

What is your passion?

My passion is my wife. As I am speaking with your now, this is the second time that I am shopping for her this year. I love seeing my wife in short skirts because she has these crazy hot legs. This makes me work hard because I must meet up with her standard. She drives and keeps me happy. I love it when people see my wife they imagine who her husband is and that is always my target. So I work hard just to spoil my wife.

What are your favourite perfumes and wrist watches?

I am not a perfume or cream kind of guy. I just take my bath and wear my clothes and off I go. It is of late that my wife insists that I should use deodorant and body spray. She has been forcing me for years to use cream. It’s only when we bathe together and want to go out that I remember to use cream and all those stuff.

This question goes to your wife Maureen: how did you feel when you saw the article about the crash of your marriage?

Maureen: I was not happy about it. It is a pity some people wanted to use the false story to sell their papers. There was no credibility to what was written at all. Everything is okay with my marriage. We are doing well.

What have been the qualities your husband has that has kept the marriage waxing strong?

My husband always knows what I want.