What was the experience like in your
first lead role?
The first film I played the lead
role is ‘Aaron My Son’. It was a new experience for me because I had to be a
different person, a naïve girl that was taken advantage of, and got pregnant.
At the end she had nowhere to go to because she was an orphan. The role was a
bit difficult because I had to cry a lot.
There was even a part when I was on
the road, carrying heavy load, heavily pregnant and crying. A guy passing by,
who didn’t know we were on set came to me and he was like ‘Madam, sorry, why
are you carrying this heavy load in your condition’. God, it was quite an
experience but fun anyway. It was challenging but I beat all the odds to
interpret the role.
What were the major obstacles you
encountered to make it as an upcoming actress?
I never did live all my life in
Lagos. I came all the way from Kaduna to Lagos, all because I wanted to be an
actress. At first, I must be honest, it was quite challenging. Then I didn’t
even know my way to locations for auditions.
At times when you go for auditions,
you would think you have done well enough to be called but for some reasons you
were never called. You would be waiting and waiting, praying and praying and
sometimes when they did call you it would be for some trivial role or
they give you the role and they don’t pay you well.
There is always the issue of people
wanting to take advantage of you, calling you up to ask you out, promising to
get you a role and all that. For me, I had to tell a lot of people ‘no’ and I
got so many disappointments.
That brings me to my next question:
have you ever encountered sexual harassment in the course of your career?
Of course, when you refuse them they
don’t give you the role. But that doesn’t mean better ones would not come your
way. At times those that demanded sex turned around to offer you jobs, if you
are really good at what you do, not minding the fact that you refused them what
they wanted of you. So, it isn’t good to give up because you meet the bad
ones, good ones too also come along.
What is the most desperate thing you
have ever done to get a role?
Well, I remember I had to dry fast
for seven days to get a particular role. That would be the most desperate thing
I have ever done. I really needed the role and I didn’t want anybody to ask me
out or get funny before they could offer me the role, so I had to do
dry-fasting for seven days to get it. Thankfully, God answered me and I got the
role. The movie is not out yet, it will be released this year.
What has been your experience with
the opposite sex?
Men are just men (laughing). It is a
normal thing for men to go after an attractive woman. I haven’t had any
abnormal experience with them. They show their admiration of me and I show them
mine.
What is the craziest thing a guy
ever did for you?
There was a guy who called me on
phone, even when we had hardly met, and threw me a birthday party. To me, that
isn’t crazy, it is a normal thing you do when you really admire someone or you
thought you are in love with someone.
What would you describe as your
unique selling point?
I have a lot of selling points. I am
tall, 5ft 9, I have sexy hips but most of the guys I have met say I have
beautiful lips. I have good physique generally, to me really, I am a total
package (laughing).
Soft porn is slowly creeping into
Nollywood movies; what is your idea of soft porn coming into Nollywood movies,
some say it makes our movies more real?
This is something that has come from
the Ghanaians, right? One thing I know is that Ghanaians are Ghanaians and
Nigerians are Nigerians, both of us have different culture, tradition and
values. There are ways we can translate sensual or sexual roles without
going naked, making the crew members see you naked. I am not comfortable with
it when it means your taking off your cloths and going naked in front of the
cameras.
They say everyone has their price,
how much will it take to make you go nude in a film?
No amount of money in the world can
make me go nude. God, I have my principles and beliefs. I can’t just do that. I
don’t think money can buy my nudity.
What is your idea of sex; should it
be before marriage or after marriage or any time?
Well, I am a traditional person. I
believe sex should be reserved for married people but we are all adults, so
everybody is entitled to his or her own decision, I am not a judgemental
person.
But you are not a virgin either?
No, I am not.
What is your mission in Nollywood,
what do you want to be known for?
I have been through a lot to get to
where I am now. So if I am given the opportunity, I would want to make sure
people coming after me don’t have to go through what I have been through.
I had so many friends who also wanted to be in acting but because of the ordeal
they went through they had to drop the idea and most of them were actually very
good actors.
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