despite competition from emerging stars. The actress first came to limelight when she played Madam V-Booth in the rested NTA soap entitled Ripples, a popular TV drama in the 1980s. Her strides on the Nigerian TV continued in several other productions including Fuji House of Commotion where she featured for seven years. Recently, she was on the set of Elechi Amadi’s The Calabar Woman, a novel, which was adapted for screen. The actress took time off to share her career with Daily Sun.
On set of The Calabar Woman
When I first got the script, I was a bit sceptical until I read it. At first, I thought it was the usual love story but something kept tugging me to continue reading it. And by the time I was through, I was really impressed with the level of professionalism and hardwork that had gone into it. So far, it’s been nice working with a vibrant producer such as Victoria Emamouzo Ajayi. I will advise her to keep up the good work and remain focused and not get carried away by the success of this production. I am confident of the success of the work because she has worked with a good cast.
My role
I played the role of Akrika’s wife. The woman has a dislike for women of Calabar extraction. This is not unconnected to a sad event when her only brother fell in love with a Calabar woman but tragically lost his life soon afterwards. This informed her hatred for women from Calabar despite the fact that her closest friend is from the same region. Infact, as far as she was concerned the only good thing about Calabar women is her friend. She became very apprehensive when her only son, Eme was posted to serve in Calabar. She did her best to dissuade Eme from going to Calabar fearing that a similar fate to that of her late brother will befall him. However, against her wish, Eme fell in love with an attractive Calabar lady. The twist there is that it turns out that the lady is the daughter of her best friend.
Other movies
Apart from this project, I have been in the movies and cinemas but people tend to see me as strictly a TV Soap person having seen my face in Fuji House of Commotion for seven years. What many people don’t know is that I started out from the stage and I am still very much part of the stage. In all, I am still very much in the entertainment scene.
My role as Madam VBoot in Ripples brought me out. Before Ripples, featured in Mind Bending. I have come a long way.
Background
I started acting when I was in primary school uptill when I got into secondary school. We were touring states doing stage shows. It was from there that I got to know about the Royal Theatre School where I attended for two years. Acting is in my blood, I have been doing this all my life and I can’t stop it. I late returned to Lagos where I was raised. I returned to Lagos as a model not an actress but one thing led to another and here I am today. That was in 1984 and by God’s grace, I am 27 years old in the industry.
Between stage, TV and movies
They all have their audiences. I started out as a stage actor for a long time. I give kudos to my colleagues because stage was actually where one’s acting skills were tested. On the stage, one can’t afford to make mistakes because it is a live performance. One just has to get it right but on TV, one can make mistakes and escape being noticed. There are lots of TV actors who can’t do stage acting. Apart from this, stage also places high demand on one’s command of the language unlike TV where it is all about punctuation. It is not difficult to identify good stage actors because they are always outstanding in all the platforms.
On Nollywood crisis
This is something I don’t want to talk about because the issues affecting Nollywood are obvious for us all to see. We have been having crises here and there, however we are trying to proffer solutions. Rome, they say, was not built in one day. To make something good out of mashed potato, it takes time because one has to first destroy it before one can pick the nutritious ingredients in it.
What entertainment cost me
I am sorry to announce that, I drink it, breathe it and sleep it. Entertainment is my love. If entertainment could deny me my marriage, what else am I living for? I believe in what I do even though when I felt discouraged and tried dabbling into other things, I still returned to the entertainment world. I believe that is what I am cut out for, that is where I am and that is where I am going to be. I can’t count my credits. The number of accolades and awards goes to show how far I have come. Recently, I was honoured with a Life Achievers Award as the Best Cross-over Artiste having featured in movies in English, Yoruba and Igbo. If I have excelled in these areas, I don’t think there is noting else I can’t excel in.
Actresses and failed marriages
There is no doubt that female actors face a lot of challenges from their men. This is because they believe it is not possible for us to be in the entertainment industry and not have extra-marital affairs. Men can’t really comprehend this and before you know what is happening, the marriage begins to have problems. Interestingly, actors or even journalists who are married to people in the same industry refuse to understand their celebrity partners. I can’t explain this because if within the same industry we can’t trust one another, how can outsiders trust us? This is not fair. Our women need to be encouraged because the industry is a make-believe world. All that is needed is mutual understanding and trust between both parties. In the same vein, the woman should also not let work get into the way of her duty as a wife.
Regrets
I don’t have any regrets being in entertainment even though it has cost me my marriage. I believe that what happens to a man will not happen if it is not God’s doing. I also believe that everything has a purpose in life. It might be, I am not destined to be that man’s wife or the relationship won’t last if we remain married. Oh yes, it hurts I must confess because it was something we both thought will last forever. Suddenly, I became a star and he grew uncomfortable with it. This was the genesis of our quarrel. He wasn’t at home with the attention I was getting and he would complain until he grew tired. If I reincarnate, I will choose this profession again. Of course, I still plan to get married again but this time it will be someone who understands me and my work.
Remaining relevant
What has kept me going is faith in God. I believe the father is up there watching and guiding me. Man can only try but they can’t do anything. I have always held the positive belief that the future will be better for me. I never knew I would get this far, it was never like this before. We paved the way for what the younger actors are enjoying today. Then you would serve a master for a long time touring and acting on stage without getting paid. I remember in those days when we queued-up at NTA for auditions and we were paid N100 each. Tax would be deducted from this fee and we would spend whatever was left on transportation yet we kept acting. They used to take us to act in the bush under strict conditions yet we enjoyed it and continued with it. We hoped that we would get our big break one day and the suffering would stop. I really thank God for where I am now. Acting pays my bills and I am comfortable.