{"id":273892,"date":"2011-01-13T20:10:02","date_gmt":"2011-01-13T20:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/?p=47191"},"modified":"2011-01-13T20:10:02","modified_gmt":"2011-01-13T20:10:02","slug":"genevieve-nnaji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/01\/13\/genevieve-nnaji\/","title":{"rendered":"Genevieve Nnaji"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Genevieve Nnaji<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nWhether we accept it or not, we have never seen a star like Genevieve Nnaji in Nigeria. She is the first of a new cadre of personalities Nigeria is producing, glamorous faces, icons every youngster aspires to be like. Nnaji has probably inspired more people to consider a career in acting than all the other popular Nigerian actors put together. She came across as very confident, even to the point of being impatient, but one can also argue that it is youthful exuberance. At 24, she\u2019s barely just become a woman and now has this huge responsibility thrust upon her, to be the vanguard of a new class of celebrities created solely by a larger than life screen presence.
\nShe will not talk about her daughter, aside of accepting that she has one. She believes she is protecting the girl from unnecessary media attention and speculation. Probably the sensible thing to do, considering the danger children of popular people can be exposed to in the world today.
\nShe is a tough one to interview because she gives short answers and you have to keep on probing to get more out of her, but she got across as a friendly and warm individual. Her ideas are still in the formative stages, but she knows her own mind and is not afraid to voice it. She says it as it is, not one to pull punches. After reading this interview, you will either love her more or dislike her even more. She obviously wants the world to take her on her own terms.
\nSola Osofisan: You\u2019re a very very very popular young lady. Do you know that?
\nGenevieve Nnaji: I am beginning to realize that.
\nS.O.: Let\u2019s talk about your fame. Sometimes, we ask for something, and then when we get it, we\u2019re not sure we want it anymore. Did you ask for this fame? And now that you have it, do you still want it?
\nG.N.: I didn\u2019t want the popularity. That wasn\u2019t what I set out for. I set out to act because it\u2019s something I enjoy doing. But the fame came with it. It\u2019s there, the benefits are there, but that\u2019s not what I set out for and that\u2019s not what I\u2019m doing here. I\u2019m not here for the fame. I really do love my work.
\nS.O.: But now that you have the fame, do you still want it, considering you don\u2019t have your privacy anymore?
\nG.N.: I try. I try. I try to have a bit of privacy for myself. I try.
\nS.O.: Does it ever get difficult, tiring, having to smile and say hello and greet everybody you meet on the street?
\nG.N.: No. No. Because people come up to me with different approaches and one way or the other, you just laugh at their excitement, the different expressions. But I don\u2019t fake it when I smile. It comes naturally. If you make me smile, I smile. If I don\u2019t find you funny, I don\u2019t.
\nS.O.: Your website, I\u2019ve been there a few times. Where did the idea come from to build a website?
\nG.N.: I was called by my manager, Media Business Company, Helen Prest-Ajayi \u2013 that\u2019s what she does. She builds websites. She told me about the importance. With the speed of my popularity, I needed some form of communication, some form of medium to be able to reach out to my fans. It was a good idea. It\u2019s like a portfolio for me. The idea came from her.
\nS.O.: Do you stop by your website? How many times a week do you stop by your website?
\nG.N.: It\u2019s hard because I am extremely busy, but I try at least once a week to be there and personally, since I get so many mails, I read and try to see if there\u2019s anyone different. They all have the same thing to say really, that they appreciate me and all. So I try my best to go through the ones I can and then send a general reply. I do.
\nS.O.: When I did an article on you a few weeks ago, there were just 3000 entries in the guestbook. This morning, it is over 10,000 entries. How do you respond to all these people?
\nG.N.: Yes. What I\u2019m doing is I\u2019m planning to make the best use of it, since I have so many people on my site. I\u2019m trying to make it more interesting, more like a TV show on the Internet. I\u2019m going to be running games on my show. I\u2019m going to be asking questions to find out how well they know me. There\u2019s going to be gifts. There\u2019s going to be prizes. The one thing I know they all want is to meet me.
\nAs time goes on, I intend to run a charity program which I will involve as many people as I can. I also intend to update it because it has been running as a test for the past five months since I opened it. I just wanted to know if people would react to it properly, if they would embrace it, because it\u2019s quite expensive running a website. So, I\u2019m satisfied now that people like the idea and I\u2019m encouraged. Now, I intend to update my fans on my activities, especially my work. Even outside my work. Let them know about everything I do, functions I attend, awards I receive and stuff like that.
\nIt\u2019s going to be hard because I can\u2019t do all that and be on location shooting at the same time, attending different functions and all that. What I try to do is get pictures and do a write up on different places and different events. That\u2019s what I intend to do. Just fill them in on my lifestyle
\nS.O.: So all these will happen in the next few months?
\nG.N. Oh yes. I\u2019m still running around getting pictures. Last thing I did was my trip to Sierra Leone. I made a little write up, few pictures of me and my fans over there\u2026 It\u2019s hard. I have to get my own personal photographer to really go around with me just to get the pictures. It\u2019s hard that I\u2019m doing this all by myself though.
\nS.O.: It\u2019s becoming very expensive being a star, isn\u2019t it?
\nG.N.: Yes. Yes, that\u2019s what most people don\u2019t know. They think you\u2019re getting all the money, but we\u2019re actually spending all the money to be where we are at the same time.
\nS.O.: Having to get a personal photographer\u2026And you\u2019re going to need someone to be helping update the site fairly often and all that\u2026
\nG.N.: Yes. I\u2019m already paying somebody to do that.
\nS.O.: You have a personal assistant?
\nG.N.: Em, yes, I am taking up my friend. I have someone.
\nS.O.: Do you miss your privacy at all?
\nG.N.: Yes. Of course I have to, because sometimes you just want to be normal. You just want to something, do what every other person is doing around you, especially when you\u2019re in a gathering, you\u2019re in a party and you just want to let loose. You just want to boogie the way every other person is doing, but you can\u2019t do it. You just have to act like the star, all eyes on me kind of person. So, it\u2019s hard. But I\u2019m trying not to deviate from my true self anyway.
\nS.O.: Talking about your true self, what kind of person are you really?
\nG.N.: Everybody asks me that and I say the same thing.
\nS.O.: Well, you told everybody. You didn\u2019t tell me.
\nG.N.: I\u2019m very reserved. Quite principled. I have my own view of life. I\u2019m simple. I believe I was well trained. I\u2019m resourceful. I can be nice to those who are nice to me. Generally, I\u2019m a very normal girl, just like the next-door neighbor. Nothing different.
\nS.O.: Talking about your upbringing, do you still live with your parents?
\nG.N.: Sort of. Yes, my family is very much around. And even though I have a place of my own, I still stay with my brothers and sisters. The family house is in Lagos as well and I\u2019m always there.
\nS.O.: I know you grew up in Lagos. You were born in Lagos too?
\nG.N.: Yes. Well, kind of. I was born in my mom\u2019s village and came into Lagos when I was like a month old or something.
\nS.O.: Is there any difference between the Genevieve we see in public and the one that is at home right now?
\nG.N.: Yes, definitely.
\nS.O.: What\u2019s the difference?
\nG.N.: I am myself when I\u2019m at home.
\nS.O.: Oh, you\u2019re not yourself when you\u2019re in public? (GENERAL LAUGHTER)
\nG.N.: I\u2019m very playful. I\u2019m a very playful person. I can be funny, naughty. I can be a clown, according to my friends. But I can\u2019t be all that in front of people because people won\u2019t understand. They\u2019re like \u201cyou know, she doesn\u2019t do comedy\u201d. I believe I\u2019m a different person at home.
\nS.O.: Tell me one naughty thing you have done.
\nG.N.: I don\u2019t know\u2026 Can\u2019t remember.
\nS.O.: Hopefully, we will see you do comedy.
\nG.N.: (LAUGHING) Ah, very soon. Sooner than you think.
\nS.O.: What experiences have you had with your (GSM) phone?
\nG.N.: Hm, more than enough. (LAUGHING). My friends experience them with me as well. A lot of people pick up my phone pretending to be me. Trust me, a lot. It\u2019s a good thing. It\u2019s a good thing people want to reach me and talk to me, different kinds of people from all walks of life, educated, non-educated, the housewives, the men, the professionals and all of them. It\u2019s a good thing so I get to meet a whole lot of people on the phone.
\nS.O.: Your phone number is a very precious item on the Internet.
\nG.N.: Please tell me which number it is. I don\u2019t know.
\nS.O.: How many times have you had to change your phone number?
\nG.N.: Eh, let\u2019s see\u2026 six.
\nS.O.: In the last one year?
\nG.N.: In the last one year, three times.
\nS.O.: I was talking to Fred Amata a few days ago and he was telling me how much you guys enjoyed Sierra Leone. What was it like for you?
\nG.N.: Oh, it was unbelievable. The awareness, you know, it was something else\u2026how much these people appreciate what we do. I was pleased. I was so flattered. I cried. I felt so moved. And it was touching because it was almost like the whole of Sierra Leone\u2026In fact. I believe (I may have) the whole of Sierra Leone as my fans. Very warm people. I particularly like the language.
\nS.O.: Was that the first time you met the president of a country?
\nG.N.: You could say yes. Yes, first time.
\nS.O.: What was the experience like? Some of us have never met presidents you know\u2026
\nG.N.: (LAUGHING). Don\u2019t worry, they\u2019re normal human beings like us. I\u2019m sure I know what he\u2019s going through. I\u2019m beginning to experience it.
\nS.O.: Would you say you\u2019re more popular outside Nigeria than you are in Nigeria?
\nG.N.: I know I made a statement in Sierra Leone when I was getting carried away with all the attention that a prophet is not accepted in his hometown\u2026 I don\u2019t think that is totally true because it\u2019s the same thing in Nigeria, trust me. The same thing. For crying out loud, you know how many states we have in Nigeria alone. And the kind of attention I get in Lagos where I live\u2026 In V.I. (Victoria Island) I know I\u2019m always around everyday\u2026 And my friends are like \u201cdon\u2019t they get tired of you? They see you every day, come on\u201d. I haven\u2019t been to all the states in Nigeria, but I know most of my fans in Nigeria are from either the North or the Middle Belt (you know what I mean), so I don\u2019t think so. I think it\u2019s the same thing.
\nSo they\u2019re (the Sierra Leonians) like the same with every other African outside Nigeria, every other Nigerian outside Africa, you know\u2026 They haven\u2019t seen me. That\u2019s why they\u2019re still very excited.
\nS.O.: What is the secret of your good looks? What do you do to keep yourself looking the way you are?
\nG.N.: I\u2019m a simple person. I like looking simple, and yet classy, trendy. That\u2019s me. For my looks, nothing. I don\u2019t do anything special. The products I use for my face\u2026 Clinique is what I use. My designers, different people. I don\u2019t have a particular person, no. I buy my clothes and match them myself and I come out looking the way I am. It\u2019s my own doing. So let\u2019s just say I\u2019m a very creative person when it comes to fashion.
\nS.O.: I also read on your website that you like singing. In what way do you like singing? In the bathroom or\u2026?
\nG.N.: Very interesting, I sing in public.
\nS.O.: Oh yeah? What kind of songs do you sing?
\nG.N.: I like R\u2019n\u2019B.
\nS.O.: Is there a CD in the future somewhere?
\nG.N.: Anything can happen. They\u2019re all talents given to me by God. I intend to explore each and all of them as long as I have life.
\nS.O.: When people talk about you on my website, naijarules.com and other places, they get rather emotional. Some people love you to death and some totally dislike you. Are you aware of this kind of feeling all over the place?
\nG.N.: Of course.
\nS.O.: Is there something you\u2019re doing to make them feel like that?
\nG.N.: I had a girl walk up to me sometime and she\u2019s like \u201cI don\u2019t like you because my boyfriend likes you\u201d. I think she used the words \u201cloves you\u201d. And \u201che never pays attention to me when he\u2019s watching your movie. I think I hate you for that. No offence, but that\u2019s it. Don\u2019t worry, you\u2019re good at what you do\u201d. And she just walked off. That was very brave of her, really.
\nSo, the thing is that if people don\u2019t like me, they don\u2019t like me for different reasons. For example, I don\u2019t think I like Beyonce. I don\u2019t, actually. I don\u2019t have a good reason for not liking her. I don\u2019t like her because she\u2019s so talented. I don\u2019t like her because she thinks she\u2019s all that, but she is all that. You know what I mean? She thinks she\u2019s really cute and sexy and all that, so she\u2019s so full of herself and I don\u2019t like her. But I have no right to hate her because of that. You know what I mean? Sometimes, its just beef. It\u2019s just what we call bad belle, you know? So people have different ways of expressing themselves. Trust me, if I met Beyonce now, I\u2019m sure I would love her person. You understand? It\u2019s just like they say when you see a very ripe mango and you\u2019re jumping up to catch one and you can\u2019t reach it, you\u2019re like \u201cI beg make e go, e no even sweet\u201d. You know that kind of thing? It\u2019s a loser\u2019s way of thinking. Its just frustration. Maybe some people have genuine reasons for not liking me, I don\u2019t know. Maybe I met them sometime in my life somewhere, I don\u2019t know.
\nS.O.: Some are totally unhappy that you don\u2019t reply their emails. Can you say something to those people?
\nG.N.: (LAUGHTER) Well, I\u2019m trying. I always go to the office of my managing company to reply these emails. I go there and I sit down and they show me because I\u2019m still not very good with the computer. But because I really want to be able to reply these people myself, I intend to get a laptop. And even if I\u2019m too busy, I intend to get somebody to handle my mail. I will read all of them and I\u2019ll be the one to write what I want as a reply, okay? I intend to do this. Of course I love my fans. That\u2019s just the truth. I always say I wouldn\u2019t be where I am without them, but they have to realize that it\u2019s just me against the world. I can\u2019t reply 10, 000 mails. That\u2019s what they have to understand.
\nNow, I intend to have the ballot thing \u2013 just like a draw \u2013 on my site where if you have good luck, then you get paid. I get to talk to you live. I\u2019ll be the one to call you and speak to you. Or I get to meet you and have dinner with you. So all these are things I plan on doing. So the thing is that at least that will give them hope that maybe one day someday they will be picked. What I always ask is if I sit down by myself to take all your calls, sit down by the computer to reply all your emails, when will I get to do the movies that you like to watch?
\nS.O.: I\u2019m sure a lot of people will appreciate that answer.
\nG.N.: Just let them know that I am making arrangements\u2026
\nS.O.: Okay. This question is for the benefit of all the single men out there. Is there a guy somewhere?
\nG.N.: (LAUGHING). I\u2019m meant to have to I don\u2019t yield to temptation. Yes, I have.
\nS.O.: Is it serious?
\nG.N.: Oh well, you know how it is. We have this boyfriend\/girlfriend thing. I\u2019m not engaged. I\u2019m not married. I don\u2019t know what the future has for me. I live it to God.
\nS.O.: In essence, all those men who are proposing out there, they still have hope?
\nG.N.: (LAUGHING). It would have been nice, but many of them are proposing for the wrong reasons.
\nS.O.: Hey, they\u2019ve seen you in the movies. They\u2019ve fallen in love.
\nG.N.: Exactly\u2026 For the wrong reason. They\u2019re in love with a character in the movies they watch and that\u2019s not a very good thing.
\nS.O.: What is your biggest dream right now?
\nG.N.: To have this situation under control, you know? I want to further somewhere. I want to progress in this business, with acting, as well as my education. I want to go a step higher. I need some greater challenges.
\nS.O.: I was reading on your website where you said you plan to go back to school. When do you see that happening?
\nG.N.: Not in Nigeria.
\nS.O.: Okay.
\nG.N.: Not in Nigeria. And it has to be somewhere I\u2019m going to benefit from, so, most likely\u2026 anywhere. It\u2019s up to me to decide. But of course I pray it will be in the States.
\nS.O.: Are you looking into the possibility of international productions? I know you have been working in Ghana and Sierra Leone and all that, but I\u2019m talking about America, the UK and stuff now.
\nG.N.: Yes, sure. If the opportunity comes, I will definitely seize it.
\nS.O.: But you don\u2019t have any intention of relocating, do you?
\nG.N.: I love my country. I will only go if I have something taking me there. I wouldn\u2019t want to relocate, then go there to look for a job. It just has to come first.
\nS.O.: Are you saying that I don\u2019t love Nigeria?
\nG.N.: No no, I\u2019m sure there\u2019s something keeping you there. That\u2019s what I mean.
\nS.O.: I was just teasing you. Going back to your parents briefly, how do they feel about your career?
\nG.N.: (SIGHING). They\u2019ve adjusted. They had their reservations in the beginning, but what can you do? They love me, and if they love me (it) means they love whatever I love. They\u2019ve realized that\u2019s what I love doing. They\u2019ve realized it makes me happy and they\u2019ve been able to accept that, so right now, they\u2019re only able to guide me, make sure I don\u2019t go astray, make sure I don\u2019t get carried away. They still have their daughter, so they\u2019re not losing anything. They\u2019re gaining a lot.
\nS.O.: How do you get the scripts that you do? What do you look for before deciding whether to do a script or not?
\nG.N.: I love creativity in stories. I like the story, I like the character (that\u2019s) challenging, something different from what I\u2019ve done, something different from the last thing I did. Aside from the story, I also like a very good sound screenplay. I like very fast, very swift dialogues. It\u2019s what I like. Mature writing, mature dialogue as well. The story has to make a whole lot of sense to me first. Especially now. I\u2019m really very choosy now. I reject more than I accept. If a character is strong enough, if it makes a difference in the story, cos some characters are very dormant. Take them out and you don\u2019t even realize something was taken out of the script. My character has to be very strong, has to have a role to play in the movie.
\nPeople I act with matter to me as well. Of course I can\u2019t carry every character on my own. I\u2019m not acting by myself. It\u2019s not stage. And so I need someone else. My colleague has to be able to carry me along. A good actor brings out the good actor in you.
\nWhat else? Those are the major factors. I like to know who is directing me\u2026
\nS.O.: Who is your favorite director so far?
\nG.N.: I wouldn\u2019t want to mention (a name). Trust me, people are very sensitive.
\nS.O.: Which director are you looking forward to working with?
\nG.N.: I think Amaka Igwe. Tade Ogidan, that\u2019s another person I\u2019d like to work with.
\nS.O.: One other important thing. You have done a lot of movies with Ramsey Nouah. Has it ever occurred to you that people are actually tired of seeing you with Ramsey?
\nG.N.: Has it ever occurred to people that I\u2019m probably tired of acting with him? And he is probably tired of acting with me?
\nS.O.: I know that\u2019s not within the actor\u2019s control. It\u2019s more of a director and producer\u2019s choice.
\nG.N.: Yes. It\u2019s the producer\u2019s control. The producer knows whom he wants in his movie. The director can argue that with the producer, but when their minds are made up, they go out and get the artistes they want. Although we have the right to disagree to act with a particular person and drop the script. So if they see us in a movie together, that means we\u2019re comfortable with acting with each other.
\nS.O.: In the past, many people didn\u2019t want to go into acting in Nigeria simply because of the way the society perceived actors and things like that. I know that has changed a little\u2013
\nG.N.: A whole lot. Trust me, a whole lot.
\nS.O.: When you went into acting, didn\u2019t this bother you?
\nG.N.: When I went into acting, even relatives of mine\u2026 They said I was wasting my time. They looked at actors and actresses as people with no good intentions for themselves, lazy people, maybe they didn\u2019t have anything better to do with their time. They looked at it as a non-professional job. Why don\u2019t you go and read law? Why don\u2019t you go and read engineering? Nobody took acting seriously.
\nWell, we did it. We were happy doing what we were doing and it turned out to be something else. Over the years\u2026 Maybe it\u2019s the way actresses or actors before us carried themselves outside work that gave the wrong impression, this bad image of actors and actresses lingering on. Even if you\u2019re not that and the press happens to promote the bad thing instead of the good, what people read, even if they don\u2019t know you, is what they tend to believe. And that had a whole lot of damage to do on our image. It dented a whole lot of things we took years to build. So the lingering image we tried to build with our work, hoping our people will see our work, they don\u2019t see that. They don\u2019t criticize our movies. They don\u2019t say oh she was so bad in this; she acted badly in this film, why did she wear that dress? That\u2019s criticizing our work and that\u2019s good. But not oh she has this; she\u2019s been married five times, and why is she this\u2026 It was always a negative story after another and that was not helping us. And then they say the media is our friend. That, I\u2019m telling you, is what gave the people the wrong impression they had about actors and actresses \u2013 the media. Because when we started out, we were respected people. They respected actors and actresses and they were excited every time. Even broadcasters.
\nThings have changed now, I must really confess.
\nPeople try to image how the press paints us. They just have that total image; it just sticks there in their head. And they don\u2019t see beyond what they read. So that\u2019s the fact. But when I came up, I\u2019m speaking for myself now, and Liz Benson and aunty Joke Silva and so many others, when we came up, we were\u2026 They tried that with me, trust me. The press gave me a tough time. For the fact that I never ever replied, for the fact that I never confronted them, I just felt do your job, I\u2019ll do mine, okay? And I just carried on. And maybe at they time, they thought they could make and unmake me, for some reason I don\u2019t know\u2026 I knew my God was on my side. I knew God had a purpose for me because if He wasn\u2019t in support of what I was doing, from day one, my father would never have let me. My father is very strict. I was surprised he actually gave me the liberty to do what I had to\u2026it was like a test.
\nSo, it has changed and now people are really taking us serious, especially now that people are beginning to say, \u201cIf you\u2019re being called a star, why don\u2019t you look like a star? Why don\u2019t you act like a star? Why don\u2019t you take up the challenge, it\u2019s a challenge?\u201d
\nFor me, I don\u2019t regret anything I\u2019ve done. And so far, the media has also helped cos I think they\u2019ve realized writing good things can also sell, not just scandals. Now, everybody wants to act. I get a whole lot of that. It\u2019s kind of funny because I believe people love it for the wrong reasons. They love the fame. They love the attention. But you can\u2019t get all of that except you love the acting.
\nS.O.: It\u2019s difficult to please the world when you\u2019re a very popular person, isn\u2019t it?
\nG.N.: Yes. So I\u2019ve just gone ahead to do what I feel is right. And I have very good friends who criticize what I do and they tell me when I\u2019m doing the right thing and when I\u2019m not. I trust my friends, so once I know I\u2019ve pleased these nutcases around me, these hard cracks around me, I know I\u2019ve pleased the world. And I\u2019m a big critic myself, so once I like something, and once I feel this thing would actually make me sit down and watch a movie, if it will interest me, then I\u2019m ready to do it. I know I can\u2019t please the whole world. That\u2019s why the whole world doesn\u2019t 100% love me. But I try. I try.
\nS.O.: Your closest friends, did you have them before you became so popular?
\nG.N.: Yes. Yes.
\nS.O.: So at least you know they don\u2019t have any ulterior motive or something like that\u2026
\nG.N.: No. No. And all my friends are very successful.
\nS.O.: In a few of the postings on your web site, people post urging you to get close to God. Are you close to God, as they advice?
\nG.N.: I am a Christian and I am a catholic.
\nS.O.: So they should stop saying get close to God. You are close to God.
\nG.N.: That\u2019s because these are people who still see movies as an evil act. If it bothers them so much, they should stop watching it. How do they know that I need God if they don\u2019t watch? You know what I mean? Everybody\u2019s close to God. God is the only reason we\u2019re all successful now. They should look into their own hearts and embrace their own God and ask their own God to bless the way God has blessed others. That\u2019s the prayer they need.
\nS.O.: My last question Genevieve. We all pay a price for everything we have. The problem with being popular, being famous, is that people write all kinds of things about you. Now, are there rumors out there, stories, impressions, things that people are saying about you that you would like to correct? Here\u2019s your chance to tell us your side of the story.
\nG.N.: The only place they can hit me is I should go and get education, okay? Now, what they don\u2019t realize is that I have education. I actually have a very good education. I was in school before I decided to take acting seriously, and they go on like make hay while the sun shines. And I\u2019m like, that\u2019s exactly what I am doing. This is the sun shining. I\u2019m making the hay. There\u2019s a time for everything. Some people\u2019s education will come before their work. Some people\u2019s work before their education. For me, my education and my work will come together, okay? And that\u2019s the way the Lord wants it. So many actors and actresses who left education to come into the movie industry, they didn\u2019t succeed so they went back to education. By the grace of God, that\u2019s not how it\u2019s been for me. Now, it\u2019s actually getting better because of the kind of popularity I have. It\u2019s really hard for me to say I\u2019m sitting down here in Lagos or Nigeria to go to school. I probably will pass and not read. You know what I mean? I would definitely be lured by some producers. I could be bribed to come out of school. They\u2019ve done it before. They\u2019ve succeeded and there\u2019s no doubt they will succeed again. They have a way of really pulling you out and convincing you to leave whatever it is you\u2019re doing and do their movie for them.
\nNow, it has only opened up doors. It has only opened up my mind and made me more determined to leave the country, do my education abroad. And that will also open up windows and doors for me to further my career abroad in both acting and musicals. You understand? I want them to stop worrying. Trust me, I get enough of worrying from my father. They should stop worrying about my education and just trust me, okay? I know I will in due time and I\u2019m already making plans.
\nThat and\u2026 Okay, they say that I\u2019m dating Ramsey (Nouah), I\u2019m dating (name lost in telephone static)\u2026 These are all married people. They\u2019re all married men. It\u2019s all professional. They should forget what they read. So, we\u2019re all being professional here. For me, that is it.
\nBasically, that\u2019s it. And again, they say I\u2019m a snob. I\u2019m not a snob. But you do have some people who approach you with an attitude because they\u2019re trying not to sound too excited. They try to burst your bubble and ask you if you are who they know you are. You know? I\u2019m like\u2026it will show. I am a nice person. I\u2019m a warm person. I\u2019m friendly. Be honest and I will be honest with you. I hate pretenders. I\u2019m open-minded. I like sincerity. That\u2019s me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether we accept it or not, we have never seen a star like Genevieve Nnaji in Nigeria. She is the first of a new cadre of personalities Nigeria is producing, glamorous faces, icons every youngster aspires to be like. Nnaji has probably inspired more people to consider a career in acting than all the other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-273892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nGenevieve Nnaji - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/01\/13\/genevieve-nnaji\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Genevieve Nnaji - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Whether we accept it or not, we have never seen a star like Genevieve Nnaji in Nigeria. 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