She has
done about 13 movies in her three to four years of acting
experience. Some of her hit movies include
Life’s incidence, Lord of marriage, evil project and Heart of
a slave. In this chat with Aramide Pius she speaks on her
career, her love life and her greatest wish for the moment.
She has bee
privileged to work with top artists like Van Vicker, Jackie Appiah, Jim
Iyke, Nonso Diobi and lots more. Enjoy:
How is the going?
Fine,
everything is going on well.
How is
the acting profession treating you?
Acting
profession is okay, no problem, we thank God but we pray for better
things to come this year.
How
long have you been acting?
I have
been acting for three years going to four years.
How
many movies do you have to your credit?
I have
about 13 movies now but some are yet to be released.
Why
acting of every career in life?
I have
always wanted to be on TV ever since I was a kid. . I Thought I will
end up a TV presenter or a broadcaster but in my third year in the
University, I was watching a movie and I was like, I can do this thing,
then I got a number from somebody and I called and the person I called
happened to be a family friend and he is also a director and that was
how he introduced me to other people and I started going for auditions
Who is
that person?
Iyke
Odife.
Which
was your very first?
My
first movie was Royal Destiny ,but Lord of marriage came out before it
but I shot Royal Destiny before it.
Was it
a lead?
Royal Destiny was not a lead role, it was a sub lead.
What was the experience like acting for the first time alongside professionals?I was so tensed although, I have done other jobs before then but I did them on stage. You know while in school, I used to go for school production and I act with the Theater Arts student but this time it is doing it in front of the camera, so I was tensed. But somehow, I did the first one and the in the first one I did, my heart was actually in my mouth. I was breathing very hard but finally I guessed that one turned out better than expected, not so good though ,but it was better than what I thought it would be. I did the first scene, the second scene and then the third and that was it.
Were
you a theater art student?
No, I
am not; I only did a certificate programme in creative arts, so that
was how I had that experience and that was how I started mixing up with
them, even when I left to go for my degree programe in Imo State
University, I was still in contact with them and whenever they have
anything to do, I still go there and work with them.
Which of the professionals did you work with?
I
worked with uncle Olu Jacobs, Mike Ezuruonye, Chiwetalu Agu and a host
of them like that.
How did
you find working with those of older generation, was it fun?
Yes, it
was fun and they were very supportive and they knew I was new and they
were ready to help. They made me know that I could do it, and
if they saw somewhere I could do not very well, they were there to
correct me; I really loved working with all of them.
What is
your perception of the Nigeria movie industry, do you think we are
going places?
To me,
we are doing very well.we are doing very fine.
What do
you think could be the hindrance to Nollywood not catching up with
Hollywood?
Fund is
one of the major reasons we are not catching up. We need more
funds because if we can get more funds, we will be able to do more than
we are doing now. We get the movie produced with almost
nothing so I feel fund is the first hindrance we are having to
actualizing that goal. If we can get fund then every other
thing can come.
Why do
you think the fund is not coming, could it be piracy?
I
really think piracy has a role to play, but if the government and the
industries can come into the industry and help us with funds, we will
go places.
Have
you ever been sexually harassed?
No, I
have never been sexually harassed
But is
it real in the industry?
I would
not know because I have not had a personal experience on that, so I can
not say.
How far
do you intend to go in the acting field?
I
intend to go very far with it by the graced of God and with him (God),
all things are possible.
How do
you prepare for your roles to fit in to the character you are to play?
I look at the script, I meditate on the script and I try my best possible to bring out the point of the director and what the writer of the story want from the character I am to play. I make an image of it, create that image and out it around me. I work on it and I pray about it first because God is the one that gives inspiration for you to carry out anything at all.
So it
is about praying first of all, then looking at my scripts very well,
day in, day out; I don’t ever get tired of working on my
script. I can look at my script, just stand in front of my
mirror, work on it for like four to five hours at ago and not doing any
other thing, I just keep working on it till I start shooting.
What do
you not like about acting?
Every
profession has its own disadvantages and acting is also like every
other job that has their demerits. What I don’t
like is that your private life is not yours anymore you find it hard to
do things that you used to do before. A lot of people are
watching you without your knowing but it still feels good to know that
you have fans that wish you well.
How
supportive were your parents the day you made your choice of acting
known to them?
At
first, they had their reservations but at the time my first and second
movies came out, they had no choice than to support me. They are my
highest critics and my highest fans…may be when I am not
doing something right or when my make up is not properly done, they are
the first to call me and tell me ‘ah! what is that I saw on
your face, that make up is not good or you should have done this or
done that’. They are my highest fans and my highest
critics.
Having
tasted the stage and the home video, as a professional, which of them
will you prefer?
The
stage is that you have to bring out everything at once, everybody is
there; there is nothing like editing, you know you are giving out your
best at once. You are kind of more conscious on stage compared to
camera but to make a choice between the two? The two of them are okay,
camera is also good. I find it difficult to make a
choice. I love both of them.
What was growing up like for you?
My
growing up was simple, it was not rough, I was just like every other
kid on block with my parents and all that. Growing up was
fun, it was okay. I had a lot of dreams of which this is one
of them. Because being on the television was one of my dreams
and I am actualizing that now.
What
did you study is school?
I read
public administration.
Who is
that special man in your life right now?
I have
a very good friend, someone I am very close to, but I don’t
have a boyfriend.
Why
don’t you have a boyfriend amidst all the male advances that
come your way?
Of course, they come in droves but it is not about having toasters ,but it is about getting what you want, so may be I am yet to get the right person for me.
So who
is your kind of man?
My kind of man has to be God fearing and he has to be a man to the core, he has to know what to do at the right time, he has to be able to give me security, although God is the one that gives security but when it comes to man made security, my man should be able to give me the security that I need. You know when ever I have something to think about or something that bothers me, and I remember him,
I will
be like ah! my man is there.
What if
your guy to be compels you to make a choice between him and your
career, what will be your choice?
I don’t pray for such because any man that comes my way now should love the kind of job I am into so he shouldn’t tell me to choose between him and my job. If anyone tells me to chose between him and my job, I don’t think such a man wishes me well.
If
I am to stop my job for any reason tomorrow, it should be because I
want to, not because my man stopped me. Any man that loves me
now will not want to stop me from doing what I know how to do best.
For a
hundred million dollars will you play nude?
For a
billion dollars, I will not play nude.
Why?
My
culture does not allow it, my faith does not allow it, and besides I am
a Christian, I can’t do that.
How
religious are you?
I am
religious.
Very
religious?
I am
religious, I don’t know about very but all I know is that I
am religious.
As a woman, what is it you don’t like about yourself?
Nothing.
Do you
have a role model?
Yes, I
have people I look up to home and abroad. I love Jennifer
Lopez, she is an actress and a musician, I love her very
much. Here in Nigeria, I love Genevieve Nnaji and I love
people like Dora Akunyili, Ndi Okereke and every woman that is
contributing positively in the society. The fact that they
are able to impact positively on the society is what trips me and I
aspire to be like them.
How
romantic are you?
I
should not be the right person to know, when I get married, my husband
will tell if I am romantic or not.
Can you
have an affair in the industry?
It
depends on who the person is. It is allowed... . If I like
you and want to date you, I can, there is nothing wrong with
it. There is nothing wrong with dating anybody in the
industry. I am not saying I am dating anybody in the industry
but there is nothing wrong with it.
Apart
from acting, what other things do you do?
Yes, I script write, those are the two things I do full time