Nollywood actor Uzor Arukwe revealed that his attempt to break into the industry was met with failure, leaving him jobless from November 2012 to November 2013 without a single movie role offer. When he finally started landing roles, the pay was meager, ranging from N1,000 to N10,000, and even a humiliating "thank you for coming" at one point.

Arukwe shared his struggles, saying, "I worked in various industries, including telecoms, retail, and sports. However, I was fired from Etisalat in 2012, a fact I haven't even shared with my mother. As the team leader, I took the fall for a departmental mishap. Five years later, when I hoped to become a manager, I was instead demoted to a specialist role."

He continued, "I tried to transition into film in 2012, but progress was slow. Between November 2012 and December 2013, I only landed a single stage drama gig, courtesy of Seyi Babatope. For an entire year, I was jobless and received no film offers. It was a bleak period."

Arukwe added, "I considered returning to my previous career, dusted off my certificate, and eventually secured another job. I spent five more years in the corporate world before deciding to pursue acting full-time in April 2018. My first gig with Iroko came on August 28, 2018, a time when I was broke and struggling. It was so dire that I found myself saying prayers at noon."