When he landed a lead role in Teco Benson’s film, State of Emergency in 2000, Nollywood actor, Joe Tamuno-Bididamaa Tom West, popularly called JT Tom West, wasn’t a stranger to Nollywood.The ponytail-loving and smooth-talking actor held sway in Nollywood in the late 90s and early 2000s.
However, his roles in other films like “The Captor”, “The Price Weekend”, “She-Devil”, and “Gangster Paradise” made him the toast of filmmakers and further boosted his career in Nigeria’s fledgling film industry.He had just completed a late-night film shoot with two colleagues when the incident occurred.
He said: “Later in 2000 when I was planning to shoot the State of Emergency, I invited JT over and reminded him of my earlier promise. I told him the only problem starring us in the face is his ponytail hairstyle. I told him that if he must play this role, he must cut this hair, and I told him that the role would change his destiny for good.