Photo by Marinaspix.com

He made it on our Top 10 sexiest African men list because…well he’s just too good looking NOT to be on a sexy list. He is a man with many titles. He is a model, an actor, a writer, a producer, an aspiring designer, a son, a brother, and a father. His given name is Oresiri which means God’s timing. The nickname Oris came from a photographer. He spent time in Nigeria growing up. His homebase was London until modeling took him all over the world. Hollywood has been his home for the last several years. He was shot in 1993 while protecting a rapper friend in New York. This shooting left him in a coma for a month. He came out of the coma with a new appreciation for life. A photograph of him by famous photographer Bob Carlos Clark brought in close to a million pounds at auction. And that’s just the beginning. We caught up with our sexy man Oris and he let us in on his amazing journey.

Jamati: Congratulations for being named one of our top 10 sexiest African men! It was quite a task since so many African men are worthy of the honor. How does it feel to be recognized in such a way?

I am very humbled and grateful for such a reward especially coming from my own race.

Jamati: You are Nigerian (another gripe about our list consisting of half Nigerian men but what can we do? LOL). Can you give our jamati readers some of your background and what being an African man means to you?

I was born and raised in London, England and I have also lived in my motherland Nigeria for a short period of time.

Wow African men! Responsibility, strength and power to carry on the family. Literally you are the chief, king, the farmer, bread winner, hunter and you cannot fail. Your future is also the future of the family and the continent of Africa. These are the things that were engraved in me since early years and your family name is all you’ve got like a precious plate that cannot be dropped.

Jamati: You have an interesting story. You are an African Renaissance man of sorts. You’ve worked in the music industry, modeling industry, and the film and television industry. And speaking with you, I get the sense that there are many more industries you’ll break into before it is all said and done. Is there one industry that interests you the most?

I would have to say the entertainment industry really interests me the most because there are so many branches and avenues. Such as the movie industry, music, fashion, and it is constantly changing and evolving by the second and theres always demand for it.

Jamati: You worked with some pretty big names in the fashion industry. Can you tell our readers about your days in the fashion world and how it all began?

It started out in Miami. I met a photographer by the name of Azabra(who is now one of my mentors and best friends) in the summer of 1993 who felt that I should be utilizing my looks and talent. He took a couple of test pictures of me and passed them on to modeling agencies and next thing you know I’m back home in London, Paris, Milan, and South Africa.

Since I was in acting school at the time and wanted to pursue my acting career, he felt that by getting into the modeling world it could also enhance my acting career. But honestly I did not see his vision until I found myself modeling for major designers such as Armani, Etro, Gianni Versace, Giann Franco Ferre, and Gaultier. I also worked for some advertising agencies and major photographers such as Bob Carlos Clark, Gian Palo Barberi and Nick Knight which has shot everything such as the Gucci campaigns , and the list goes on.

Three years later while shooting a commercial in Capetown, South Africa I was cast to play one of the lead roles for a action/adventure TV show by the name of Adventures of Sinbad.

Photo courtesy of Big Blue Magazine

Jamati: Do you have a favorite or most memorable campaign during those days?

Yes I do. Christian Dior who was led by the head designer late Giann Franco Ferre at that time (whom I worked for 5 consecutive summers for his spring/summer collection) was exploring the south African market. As you all know Nelson Mandela came into power and that time was a great and memorable moment for Africans.

A lot of young black south African men were on the rise politically and financially. Buyers and Christian Dior wanted someone to represent that class of young highly educated men that returned from Europe and America to uplift the country. They were looking for a black male model to lead the campaign. Since I lived between South Africa and Paris I was already in the eyes of South Africans through magazine covers and commercials. They felt that I was the right candidate and that was my highlight during that period and time.

Photo courtesy of Christian Dior

Photo courtesy of Gianfranco Ferre

Jamati: Do you still model at all?

Occasionally when the right job comes along in Europe or South Africa. I use that as my vacation time as well.

Photos by Azabraphoto.com

Jamati: With your background in the fashion industry, are there any aspirations to eventually add designer to your Renaissance man title? Would your design style be more like Sean John or Oswald Boateng?

Yes, God willing I would want to own a clothing line but all in due time. And the line would be a representative of who I am and what I usually wear.

Jamati: After modeling you broke into television and film, first in South Africa and then eventually in Hollywood. People especially remember you for playing ‘my’ (I am slightly obsessed LOL) Idris Elba’s brother in the movie Sometimes in April. That must have been an amazing time for you filming in Rwanda and bringing such an important part of African history to the big screen. You were in Nigeria when there was civil unrest when you were a child. It could not have been an easy task to be put back in such circumstances while filming. Did you draw inspiration from your childhood for the movie?

Yes, I have to admit during the character process and the making of Sometimes in April I realized how blessed I was to have witnessed the era of similar events as a child growing up in Nigeria. My role in the movie shed light on past occurrences in my life. This is every actors dream, everything was right in my spirit and from deep within.

It took me back to the koodeta and assassination and overnight takeover of different regimes in my country Nigeria. For example, in 1976 the assassination of one our military presidents by the name Murtal Ramat Mohammed who was killed on his way to the Friday prayer in broad daylight. I remember his replacement Olusgen Obasanjo coming on TV not even an hour after his assassination claiming to be the new president of Nigeria and and the whole country in fear and panic of another blood shed.

Here I was 6 years old and my first time in Nigeria watching my elders – Aunts and Uncles all panic because not even 10 years prior(1967) there was the Biafra war. A bloody civil war. A war between two tribes fighting for the future stake of Nigeria and that war was similar to the same events that occurred in Rwanda in 1994.

Jamati: It seems like a great time to be an African actor in Hollywood right now. Djimon and Idris are leading men. Caroline Chikezie, Sophie Okonedo, and Thandie Newton are holding it down for African women. Sanaa Hamri and Nnegest Likké are behind the camera directing big studio movies and stories about Africa such as The Last King of Scotland are being made for the big screen. Does it just seem like a good time for Africans in Hollywood for those of us from the outside looking in or is it a good time? Is it still an uphill battle?

I have to say it’s a great time for African actors, writers, directors, producers and all artists of African descent. Simply because the generation is a lot different from our parents generations. Our generation is more open minded and more ambitious and the western world, specially Hollywood is very curious to know about our stories thanks to movies such as The Last King of Scotland, Hotel Rwanda, and A Dry White Season. They are realizing that there is more to Africa than the slavery TV series Roots ‘Kunta-Kinte’. And with the caliber of African artists we have many stories that can be told.

Jamati: You’ve acted in two Nollywood movies, Hurricane in the Rose Garden and Friendly Enemies. Nollywood’s appeal is crossing Continents. Can you speak more on these two movies and how they came about?

As for Hurricane in the Rose Garden I got a call regarding the movie from a gentleman named Pascal Atuma who is a Nigerian writer, actor, producer (that has lived in the states for along time). And also from a first time Nigerian director by the name Ime Etuk. One of the things that intrigued me was that they were bringing the whole Nollywood experience into the Hollywood system. The story was very organic, it brought two worlds together it wasn’t just from a Nigerian perspective but also from the African-American perspective. It was comedy and not intense. And I would have to leave the rest for the audience to see. I can tell you one thing it has been getting a lot of great reviews from the film festival circuit.

And as for Friendly Enemies it’s directed by a famous Nigerian director, Lance Lot. It was the first time in the history, that major Nigerian stars are introduced on the forefronts of Hollywood. And it was an honor and pleasure working with all of them specially Zack Orji who as we all know has done a lot of films and is a major star in the continent of Africa. It is a great drama which will be released in the new years. Filmmakers like the names I have mentioned have inspired a lot of Africans and people of black descent. They have made indelible marks and therefore occupy a pride of place.

Photo by Marinaspix.com

Jamati: The African Renaissance man is also a writer and producer of course! Can you tell us about what you are working on now and what kind of writing projects you want to bring to the masses via the big screen?

I am currently working on three projects now. One is on the biography of a well known Nigerian musician, the second is a Haitian coming of age gangster pix, and the third is about a true story of four brothers who leave Nigeria and and come to America, things don’t work out the way they were expecting and all hell breaks loose.

Besides these projects, I am also working on the rights to bring a lot of major African tales that are equivalent to great epic stories of the west. And as we speak one of my partners Johnathan Glover and I are also launching an online TV network.

Jamati: Family is very important to you. It is evident when you speak about your parents and siblings. You are the oldest of seven children. Your siblings must look up to you and want to be you. Are there any up and coming musicians or actors among your siblings?

There are no up and coming actors or musicians in my family. For now but maybe in the future. I can say one thing about my family, we have a future doctor, lawyer, teacher, and activist. Everyone is different in my family and have taken a different path that they really love and believe and are content with.
Jamati: Speaking of which, how did you convince your parents that your path wasn’t every African parents dream for their children of being a Doctor or Lawyer but instead that of a model/actor?

My parents come from a different generation and thought the only way to make a decent income is to become a lawyer or a doctor. The bottom line is when they saw the checks coming in from my TV shows and the movies they realized that this was some serious business and that artists can be just like lawyers and doctors and maybe more. So now they have a different view and respect towards artists.

Jamati: You were named Father of the Year in 2004 by the National Fatherhood Initiative at the Golden Dads Awards. Again congratulations on such a huge honor! You are a single father to a 5 year old daughter. Tell us the truth, does she have you wrapped around her little finger? LOL. What does fatherhood mean to you and what are your hopes for your daughter?

It’s an honor to be a father and to have won the Golden Dads Award. As a parent, one of my duties is to raise my child the best way possible. And of course my daughter has me wrapped around her finger. After all daddy’s little girl.

Fatherhood is being the foundation for your child or children, because without a solid and stable foundation it would be difficult for them to grow and reach their goal with confidence and love, especially in this era. My hope for my daughter and all kids is their health and a very prosperous life.

Photo by Marinaspix.com

Jamati: I get the sense that you consider the world your teacher. Your work has taken you all over the globe. Is there a place in the world that you haven’t visited that you would like to visit?

Yes, a world that everyone can flow through with peace and harmony regardless of race, color, religion. That’s the perfect world I would want to travel to. I must say I am almost certain I am already living in that world. America the Great!!!

Jamati: You are so well grounded and seem so content with life. You take life as it comes and seem not to sweat the small stuff. Have you always been this way or was being in a coma a factor?

Well, I would be lying if I said I’ve always been content. The coma and the tragic events in my life definitely have affected the way I perceive things in life today. It has made me appreciative and grateful for what I have. It makes me want to work harder and to climb higher when I think of having great health, family, a beautiful daughter and great surroundings. I appreciate life even more and live it to the fullest. “Contented man can be happy with what happens to be useless” by author Hung Ke

Jamati: There are so many more questions but I will spare the readers. Thank you so much for taking time out to speak with Jamati Oris. Is there anything we didn’t cover that you would like jamati readers to know?

Thank you for choosing me as one of your top 10 sexy African men I just want to say that it would be nice to see Senator Obama come into power as the next President of the United States and do things we wish could be done.

We as artists have a huge responsibility to our audience. We have to be careful with what we put out there. I hope some young person can read about me and be inspired as I was inspired by people.

I also want to say that I have a daughter who will be a woman one day and I know for sure that WOMEN ALWAYS MAKE IT RIGHT!

Jamati: Oris, you have no argument from me on that one! Thank you again and we wish you much success with all you do.

Oris Erhuero is managed by Betty McCormack of Midwest Talent. Her email is betty@midwesttalent.com

In the UK he is represented by Evans and Reiss. His agent can reached at marcia@evansandreiss.co.uk