You are in the studio. Is it for another movie?

No. It’s the Real Star, Real Woman Maggi programme.How did you come about it?

I came to pick my friend who was shooting here, and they approached me. It is not about the money but how down to earth you are. This is the kind of thing I love doing. I’m a real person. It helps to make those looking up to you to understand that it is not all about appearing on the screen and being wild and crazy; that aside from that, we are responsible people.

Can you really cook?

Not just that, I love cooking. I cook everyday. I hardly want to eat out. I can cook at any time of the day you wake me up. It is part of me, so it is not a new thing.

What is new about Uche Ogbodo?

I believe Uche is a brand face representing so many companies. I’m an ambassador too.

For which product?

I can’t tell you the products now. But just know that I’m a brand face. I have other plans for my work and music career. For some time now, I have been keeping a hold on it. But right now, I want to really go into it full time and bring out the work I have done and kept for long.

How is your baby?

I don’t have a baby.

A love child?

Love child? How? Ah, you people would kill me. I don’t have a baby. You must be kidding.

Why should I?

I don’t have a baby. I have never been pregnant not to talk of nursing a baby.

You sound as if you are hearing it for the first time.

No. This is not the first time. I have heard people say it often, but I really didn’t think it was a serious case. It is an image-tarnishing kind of rumour. Maybe somebody is not happy with me or maybe the person went somewhere where my name was mentioned in a positive way and the person wanted to bring in something negative. You know rumour mongers. Sometimes I don’t listen to people talk about me, because I don’t care what people say about me. And whosoever must have said that does not mean well for me. I don’t have a baby and I’m not even ready to have a baby now. It is not in my agenda right now.

The gist in the industry is that ladies can’t get to the top without sleeping with maeketers, actors and producers. What is your experience?

Yes, it is true. But it is just some people. One thing about the industry is that you must have something you believe in. For me, I go to the extreme, but that extreme is God because He is the only driving force that I have. Other people could have juju or oracles they believe in, I don’t believe in all that. It is not that I’m that religious, but I know myself.

So, you are not one of those who had to do this?

No, I don’t sleep around. Honestly, I respect my body because my body is too precious to me. There is something about sleeping around at the work place. When you sleep with everybody at the work place, there won’t be any respect. And I like earning respect. This is why I keep shut most of the time but people say I’m a snob. I wouldn’t give you room to insult me. I can’t do such things. If God gives you a talent, all you have to do is to nurture it and let it grow by working hard. When you work hard, they will always find you wherever you are. There is nothing like desperation. I mean you don’t have to be desperate before they know you are a good artist.

Would you date anyone in the industry?

Well, for now, I haven’t seen anybody that I have an attraction for. It is not something that can not happen and there is nothing wrong in it. But I won’t do that.

Why?

It is still the same thing; messing around at the work place. Although when love comes, you can’t control it. But even if out of one million people, it is just a person that you have a relationship with, it is still respectable. If I love somebody, why not? I will.

We hear that you wedded secretly. Why?

(Laughs) Who dey tell una all dis thing? I did not wed secretly. Did the person that said so attend my wedding? Please, I haven’t wedded. When I want to wed, I will invite people.

But your friends...

I did not tell anybody about anything. None of my friends heard anything about wedding. I did not do any stupid wedding. I don’t know the person behind all this. Whether the person is the pastor that wedded us. But I don’t know anything about any wedding. I didn’t do it.

So you didn’t get married to Cross, your US-based boyfriend?

Nothing like that happened.

How is Cross then?

Cross is fine.

There is a rumour that your alleged marriage has crashed and that is why you...

Make una leave me o, Cross is fine. I don’t want to say anything on that matter. He is fine.

I have told you there was never a marriage anywhere. Anybody can say anything, because they always want to know about my private life but I won’t open up. It is about my private life. I take it the way I want to take it. I don’t owe anybody anything.

You are known for bitchy roles, is it a strategy?

I don’t think so, because I play other roles. Probably it is because when I make up, I look loud and my producers see these things and they know I can play it. I try to be the best I can in whatever role they give me. If they give me a bitchy role, I’ll play it to the last. So, it depends on the kind of roles they give me. If they give me sober roles I will still play them.

There is the general belief that some traces of what you act are in your real life.

No, I’m not bitchy. Rather, I’m down to earth and respectable. But if somebody brings it up, I’ll give it to him. I like bitchy roles. But people see you and judge you without knowing who you are. Things like that happen a lot, and there are some other people that will see you and appreciate what you do. I just love my role.

Why do you like it?

I like it because it is very flexible. It is easy. Dress up, make up, flaunt yourself, that is what bitchy role is all about.

Don’t you think you are being stereotyped?

No, I don’t think so, because lately, I have been playing other roles. So I can never be sterotyped. I am a versatile actress.

You dress almost nude in most of your movies. Why?

I like to experiment new things. I can wear any kind of clothe once I like it, no matter how short, brief or open. I wear what I want to wear. Don’t judge me. It is me and what I want to do. You go do what you want to do and don’t look at me. I’m not dressing for anybody’s attention. I don’t even have time for that. If any guy likes it and comes to me, fine.

But there may be people who look up to you. What lesson do you...

It is true. But they judge me wrongly. Well, I cannot say that I do not care about my fans who look up to me. All I’m saying is that this is who I am. Give me a break. I am not bad because I wear certain clothes. They are just clothes. There are many other girls that pretend by covering everywhere, but they are so rotten inside. Clothes do not determine who you are. Those people that judge me, I don’t want to know. And I don’t care what people who do not like me because of my clothes think. I bought them with my money. I don’t care.

Don’t you know that your dress sense can make people label you notorious, because of African customs and tradition?

I don’t know anything about custom and tradition. I’m a human being. Those that judge others, are they better? Is it only in dressing that our culture and tradition come to play? Do we even have a dress code? Everything we wear is being imported, so why won’t someone wear a sack if that is what suits her? I don’t care. If you want to judge me with what I wear, go ahead. It is your business, not mine.

How do you handle all this?

I keep a blind eye and blocked ears.

How do your parents feel when they see you dressed the way you do?

My parents are okay with me, I am a wonderful child, because none of those parents who think their kids dress well are better or smater than me in any way. So, why would my parents regret the way I dress? After all, I have not dragged their names in the mud.

So, can you act nude?

Well, I cannot act nude in Nollywood. But I can act nude in Holywood. if I do it here, people will misunderstand me and there won’t be anything left for me. But if I do it in Holywood, nobody wants to know. If I have a beautiful body, why won’t I flaunt it?

Why are you not bothered about people’s view of you?

That is who I am. God blessed me with that. I no send.

You mean it does not mean anything to you?

Seriously. So I must send wetin people dey talk? If dem talk bad thing about me make I send person go blow the person for face? Why you talk this thing, I no send you anything I like I do, talk your own talk, talk am for my back, no come talk am for my front o.

You mentioned your music career…

I am into music. I have an album but it is not out yet. But this year, I want to do mastering and then get it out.

When did you realise that you have a gift for singing?

Over 10 years ago. I have been singing and writing my inspirations, but there has not been much. This year, I’m going into it full time. I know you may call me jack of all trade, master of none, but what makes a successful person? You have to be jack of all trade to be a successful person. I could become a sucessful businesswoman, but I can’t stay in one place to achieve that. I want to be able to show example to people in several fields. If you call me jack of all trades, I don’t care. The money is in the bank.

How did you get into acting?

I would say that I stumbled into it because I never had it on my agenda. I never knew that those who acted in movies were Nigerians. Although I acted as a kid, I never thought of making it a profession. I think that was what my father saw and decided to introduce me to the industry. One morning, he told me to go with him and visit his actor friend and today, by the grace of God, I’m an actress.

What was your first lead role like?

My first lead role was in Another Bondage. I felt good but it was very challenging. I was paid N25,000 then, but I appreciated it because it was the biggest money I had earned in the industry then.

What inspired you?

Many things inspired me. The frustration I went through when I first came in inspired me. It was stressful. I don’t know if other people experienced it, but it was not easy waking up at 6.30 in the morning and going back to your house around 10 in the night, sometimes going and just standing there, waiting for jobs and auditions, no money. The starvation, hunger, I don’t want to go there. At a time, I wanted to drop out because of frustration. My parents gave me only N200 for transport. There was nobody to give me money. I was just suffering. I could depend on friends to give me food, but I kept working hard and praying to God.

So what made you to continue considering the frutrations you went through?

I kept on because something kept telling me that I could do it. I was like if I could go through all the stress, why couldn’t I continue? Maybe there would be light at the end of the tunnel. And see where I am today. I thank God.

What is your view about the industry?

Well, it is a very good industry. It is highly recognised. People should not judge us because they don’t know how much work we put into it. For instance, when people are supposed to be on vacation, we are at work, working day and night, trying to make people happy and earn a living. If you have an idea that can make the industry grow as an individual, you can still give it to us. It is our country and we are all working together to make it a better place. Nollywood is the best avenue to show other people in the world what we can do and what we are made of. In the next five years, we will go a few steps to be like Holywood.

How do you handle male admirers?

Well, I handle them well. They appreciate me and I appreciate them too.

Has life taught you any lesson?

Life has taught me a lot of lessons. It has taught me about being independent, about lifting my head up and walking straight.

When will you walk down the aisle with Cross?

I will tell you when the time comes.

How soon?

I don’t want to talk about my love life.

What did you study?

I read Mass Communication at the Enugu State University of Technology.