{"id":273973,"date":"2011-01-14T15:57:03","date_gmt":"2011-01-14T15:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/?p=47379"},"modified":"2011-01-14T15:57:03","modified_gmt":"2011-01-14T15:57:03","slug":"liz-benson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/01\/14\/liz-benson\/","title":{"rendered":"Liz Benson"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><figure id=\"attachment_47380\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-47380\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-47380\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/01\/14\/liz-benson\/liz-benson\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-47380\" title=\"Liz Benson\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Liz-Benson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"221\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-47380\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liz Benson<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nHer appearance in the television serial, Fortunes, in 1993 changed  the course of her life. The TV soap brought her fame and fortune. At  about the time of her spectacular rise to stardom, the Home Video as a  medium of entertainment had become popular. Coming to movie prominence  with Glamour Girls in 1994, Liz Benson has appeared in so many home  videos that her face is better known than that of any other actress.  Some of the movies where she played the leading role include True  Confessions, Shame, Yesterday, Evil Men 1 and 2, Trial, Pureman, Scores  to Settle, Izaga, Chain Reaction, Sunset in Africa, Stolen Child, Burden  and many more.<br \/>\nA resolute and courageous lady, Liz lost her husband when she was in  her mid-20 and unlike some women whose world would crash after the  demise of their husband, she has faced life struggles and successfully  raised the three children all alone as a single mother. She has<br \/>\nmade a huge name for herself in acting. In this revealing interview,  which took place at the Kensington Hilton Hotel in Holland Park, West  London, Liz Benson bares it all,from her life as an actress, a widower  at a tender age, her children, her acting career, to the rumours about  her true age.<br \/>\nYou have been away from acting for a while. Why?<br \/>\nI have not really been away from acting. I am still there. What  happened is just that I haven\u2019t been playing what will be termed as a  lead role. I\u2019ve been very busy. But once a year I try to do one film.<br \/>\nGive a rough estimate of the movies you have starred in ?<br \/>\nMay be fifty and above.<br \/>\nCan you let us into your production experience in Morountodun and Banking and You?<br \/>\nOh God! Morountodun I have found a sweet thing! It was a sweet  experience. It\u2019s something I did for my association then, that\u2019s NANTAP-  National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners. The  experience was awesome. I played the role of Titubi. (She laughs) that  was the lead and it had to do with the Agbekoya\u2019s, the warrior groups. I  have done a lot of productions but that one was great.<br \/>\nTalking about Banking and You, it was a finance programme I co-  presented. It was another experience completely. The programme kept me  in tune with the corporate world. It was a totally new experience for  me.<br \/>\nHow was it when you started out in Fortune?<br \/>\nThe pilot episode was shot in 1990. And the first episode was aired (I think) on the 3rd of October 1993. It was very good.<br \/>\nWhat about your first acting role?<br \/>\nIt was Circle of Doom. But I played just a minor role. It was  produced by Paul Oke Ogunijofor, alias Paul O who acted in Living in  Bondage.<br \/>\nAfter that came Glamour Girls, which was the first major home video thing I did. That was in 1994.<br \/>\nHow and when did you interest in acting begin?<br \/>\nIt began as a child. From a time I realised who I was and people can ask me: \u201cwho are you and I could answer Elizabeth \u2018.<br \/>\nThat should be at what age?<br \/>\nI am 39 now. You could imagine when that would be. May be when I was five year old.<br \/>\nWhat is the highest money you\u2019ve ever been paid as an actress?<br \/>\nI don\u2019t think I want to discuss that?<br \/>\nDo you derive fulfillment in acting?<br \/>\nOh! Greatly. Yes, I do or else some of us wouldn\u2019t be in it.<br \/>\nWhy are we not seeing your face frequently in movies anymore?<br \/>\nBecause it gets to a certain stage in ones life you need to take a break, take stock, recoup and refocus.<br \/>\nWould you take off your clothes in front of a camera and what would it take?<br \/>\nNever.<br \/>\nGenevieve Nnaji seems to be the hottest things in the Nigerian movie industry today.Do you feel threatened by her dominance?<br \/>\nOh no! She is a wonderful actress. Like I keep telling people when I  came into the movie industry, I never felt threatened by anybody because  there were people there. That was the notion a lot of people who are  coming into the industry now need to get out of their head. The sky is  actually large enough to contain as many stars as possible. Even if we  don\u2019t have stars in Nigeria yet, she is one person that<br \/>\nis good at what she does. She is just herself. And there are just few of us like that in the industry.<br \/>\nYou have done well for yourself:did you see yourself getting here when you set out?<br \/>\nI saw myself beyond where I am now. If Nigeria were to be like  Britain, Europe or America of course, you know what would have been  happening by now.But with God\u2019s grace we are getting there gradually.<br \/>\nWhat sacrifice did you have to make to get where you are today?<br \/>\nFor me everything has been perseverance and strong will to pursue what I believe in and where my interest lies.<br \/>\nHave you bee sexually harassed or pressurised by a producer or director?<br \/>\nNo. When you know what you have and you believe in yourself I don\u2019t think you have to submit yourself to that. No I wasn\u2019t.<br \/>\nWhat are the downsides and advantage of being a celebrity?<br \/>\nWell, it brings you fame but fame without the finances is nothing and  that is what happening in Nigeria. So you have to be very focussed to  be able to gather the finances and make something out of it while the  heat is still there. Of course we enjoy good and bad press. I think it  all<br \/>\ncomes with the job. As you know everything in life comes with both the good and the bad.<br \/>\nApart from acting what else do you do?<br \/>\n(She laughs) I used to be very active in business but a Iot of things changed so I am just watching at the moment.<br \/>\nIf you were to change a specific thing about yourself; what would it be?<br \/>\nI don\u2019t trust people that easily: I don\u2019t make friends that easily,  then I would want to change the way I try to reach out to people. My  perception of civility is really not what a lot people view it to be. 1  would probably want to change that. So that when I get into a place and  somebody is talking to me, I will know where to draw the line. I am very  much into myself. But my job has made me to open up a lot more. 1 wish I  can change that, that is, go back into myself and just be me.<br \/>\nHow do you like to dress ?<br \/>\nMine comes with mood. With colours 1 am very subtle. I am not a loud  person. When it comes to dress, 1 like casuals a lot because they make  me very comfortable. I could go for a formal dinner in the State House  in my Jeans and T -Shirt, if I had my way.<br \/>\nWhat do you do when you are off set?<br \/>\nI take a walk.<br \/>\nHow do you feel about bad press?<br \/>\nIt hit me hard sometimes ago. Like 1 said earlier on, you just have  to live with certain things. That is one of the things 1 have to live  with in the industry l am in, I have taken it that for those who know  me, my family and those who call themselves my friends, they know me  better and they can draw the line about what is written about me.<br \/>\nWhat was ever written about you personally that hurt you most?<br \/>\nI think it is the perception about my age. The first time that I was hit  by bad press was when they wrote that I was 36 and was dating someone  who was 26. That wasn\u2019t correct at all. The guy was in his 30s and I was  in my 30s as well. That was long time ago.<br \/>\nWho was the guy?<br \/>\nAbbey, he used to be a musician. 1 think this misconception about my age  has to do with the role played. I remembered that in True Confession I  played the role of an elderly woman. But it seems they forget that I  also played a young woman in roles. There are so many things that have  been written about me that are untrue, about pregnancy, about marriage. 1  think a lot of people just open their mouth and say things that are not  true. There was once a story about my being dead. And of course I  wasn\u2019t dead.I am still alive, 1 think it is better to clarify things  before going to the press.<br \/>\nTake the robbery incident that happened sometimes ago.1 was taking my  mother to the church, when it happened. People were there and the  police recorded it. But surprisingly a national newspaper came up that 1  was coming from a party. Yes, I could have been coming from a party,  but this day I wasn\u2019t. This is something that happened on a Sunday  morning in Apapa between 8.00am. What the reporter needed to do was go  to the police station and get the fact. That report gave people  different view and perception about what happened. I felt really bad  about the report.<br \/>\nDid you ever perform any secret marriage with Greg (real name Mike Nwankoni) as it was once reported?<br \/>\nI never did. At this age I want to believe that if l should get married  it wouldn\u2019t be a hidden affair. There was nothing like that.<br \/>\nHow best can you describe yourself?<br \/>\nCrazy! I am crazy. I know a lot of people will be wondering what she  means by that. I am just me. I get very upset. I can be very  temperamental. I think I have been able to sort that out. My mother told  me that you should talk more when you are upset. Talk to people about  it instead of bottling it up. Before, I could bottle it up and just  avoid the person and continue with my life. These days I open up more. I  think I am a very friendly person. But because of the job I do some  people feel threatened by my presence. So you\u2019ve got to warm up to me  first or else you will find me as cold as ice.<br \/>\nAway from acting, how do you relax?<br \/>\nI like travelling. So I travel a lot because it is when I travel that I  have time to relax. I also go to the beach and stay in water. For me,  staying in the water is like a therapy. When my children are around, I  like to cook. I enjoy reading. I do a lot of films and barely have the  time to watch them but whenever I can, I watch one or two our movies.<br \/>\nWho are your close friends in acting?<br \/>\nI have none except Rosemary Ingbi.<br \/>\nWhat has been the most challenging period of your life?<br \/>\nI have many.1 view myself as a single parent. And there are times  even after so many years I could wish that I have my late husband  around, especially when I need to make decisions about the children. To  be honest, it is difficult and challenging. Trying to bring my children  up single-handedly is the most challenging period of my life. Every  other things that happened to me apart from my children I just take it  as part of life.<br \/>\nHow was it then when you became a widow in your mid 20s after the death of your husband,Samuel Gabriel Etim?<br \/>\nYou know when you are young you really don t know the weight of  certain things. You can\u2019t comprehend certain situations you find  yourself You just try to carry on with the reality. It is normal to cry.  It\u2019s normal to be cheated by in-laws, its normal for people to want to  take advantage of you, but there again if you were brought up to be  independent like I was, you stand on your feet and say no, my kids are  going to be where I am. And you can do anything you want to do for them  through me. I knew the person I was married to could help any and  everybody. He was a very open- minded person. With that I know he loved  his children so much and he loved me equally. That gave me the strength  to go on and go through every thing and be there for the children.<br \/>\nHow are the children doing now?Is it true that Roseline will be pursuing her university education in UK?<br \/>\nYes, Roseline will be studying law at the University of Essex and the  other two are in school at the Republic of Benin.I feel feel wonderful  about the children. They have been fantastic. Excellent I must say. I  don\u2019t have any regret at all. I will go to any length I to make sure  that they whatever they want in terms of education.<br \/>\nHow come you never remarried after the death of your husband?<br \/>\nMarriage is not something I want to play with. I respect the institution  very much. And I don\u2019t want to rush into any. I had a fantastic  relationship with my late husband and I don\u2019t know how I would have  handled it. Moreso, the children have been uppermost in my mind. So I  just don\u2019t want to gamble. The man will want attention, likewise the  children. But my children come first before anything.<br \/>\nAre you fulfilled as an actress?<br \/>\nYes I am.<br \/>\nAnd as a mother?<br \/>\nVery much<br \/>\nAre you in any relationship?<br \/>\nYes l am.<br \/>\nWho is he?<br \/>\nVery personal.<br \/>\nYou are 39 but it seems you are only in your late 20s,what is the secret of your looking young?<br \/>\nIt is God\u2019s grace.I exercise a lot.Without exercise I probably would  have been three times this size.I exercise not because of my weight but  to keep fit.I have a trainer and I jog round the estate three times a  week very early in the morning.My trainer wakes me up at 6 am.<br \/>\nYou will be 40 in April,what are you doing for your birthday?<br \/>\nI don\u2019t know yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Her appearance in the television serial, Fortunes, in 1993 changed the course of her life. The TV soap brought her fame and fortune. At about the time of her spectacular rise to stardom, the Home Video as a medium of entertainment had become popular. 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