Is there any reason you took a break from acting for about two years?
I went to give birth to my baby and I had to take care of the baby. Before I knew it, two years had gone by but I am back now. However, I never really left; I was not just around physically. My studio was still producing movies and they were still working with other actors. I do not have any plan of leaving Nollywood and that is why I have invested heavily in this industry via my equipment, studio and the content of my movies. I don’t intend to go anywhere.
Has it always been your dream to become an actress?
I wish I was one of those people that would say that they have always wanted to be an actress, but that was not the case with me. I would say my case was a typical example of opportunity meeting favour and also being at the right place at the right time.
I went to deliver something for somebody around a place where an audition was taking place. I was mistaken for an actor and I was given a script to read. I read it and I was chosen but I was not paid a dime for the job.
So your first job was done for free?
Not just my first job, about five other ones I did after that were done for free.
At what stage did you begin to earn money from acting?
I guess I was just consistent. I was an underdog for a long time and what took some people about a year or two to achieve, it took me about six years to become a household name. The movie, Games men play, shot me into the A-list level.
There was a tweet Chioma Chukwuka-Apotha posted where she claimed that people who she thought were her sisters weren’t, somehow you were part of the rant, was it for publicity stunt?
I have a publicist and I would want him to earn his pay, I would not make his work easier by creating a publicity stunt. I always tell people, if you are involved in the serious problems facing Nollywood, you will not have time for such rubbish. If you are a Nollywood investor thinking about how to sell your content and beat piracy or broaden our distribution network, you would not think of such nonsense.
Having said that, it was a small misunderstanding blown out of proportion but I like the fact that people saw it as a publicity stunt. That is probably a better version than what really happened. It was a misunderstanding. Chioma Chukwuka-Apotha had an agreement with somebody and it did not go as planned. She did not see herself in the situation she was supposed to be, she said something and someone else reacted and that was it.
How has your relationship been with her since then?
We have a very good relationship. I know that the Nigerian media wished we had a beef but the truth is that there is no time for that. There is really no permanent enemy in this industry. I really wish I had the strength for that but I do not. I don’t have that much time on my hands.
How has motherhood been?
It is an awesome experience. Nobody prepared me for the kind of love and affection I would have for my child. When I felt saw my baby, I thought he was switched at birth because he was too fair. When they first gave me the baby I looked at him and I was dazed because he was literally white. I wondered whether they had switched my child when my husband was not around but the nurse that was nearby seemed to have read my mind and she told me not to worry that my baby would still turn dark after some days. They tell you about the love but nothing really prepares you for it, it is very overwhelming.
How did you cope with the changes in your body due to the pregnancy?
To me at that point, Mathew’s pregnancy was a miracle because I had given up about getting pregnant. When I realised I was pregnant, I was not really particular about the changes in my body. I was more or less scared. I lived in fear for about six months during pregnancy because I was scared of having another miscarriage, so it was not really about how I looked. To be honest, I really did not care about my looks.
How were you able to get into shape in such a short time?
It is a gradual process and I am still working on my body. Running around a child alone is enough workout. However, I work out three times a day and I also go to work. That helps me to burn some fat. I just ensure that I don’t let anyone tell me what I should weigh at a particular time in my life.
Is that why you lashed out at a fan who made comments about your weight on your Instagram page?
I would not say I lashed out at anyone; it was more like a ‘no time for nonsense’ reply. It is my page and I can’t say I would not read comment that people post there because that is how I interact with my fans. If I go to a blog and read negative comments on me, I can blame it on myself. If you want to post a negative comment about me, go to a blog and do so and not on my page. For two weeks, this person persistently mentioned how fat I was anytime I posted a picture as if I did not have a mirror or a scale at home. I know where I am coming from and how hard I have worked to improve on myself, so I don’t need such comments on my page. I have never been a slim person in my life. The slimmest I have ever been in my life is a size 8 and I am a size ten right now, so how is that a problem. I just need that to stop. If I am promoting a film, I expect that you comment on my work, it is my page and I decide what goes on there. So it is not as if I lashed out at a fan, I would say that I did that to reset the person’s brain.
Since you had the tendency to be fat, did you decide to shed some weight because of your work?
Yes, at the beginning of my career, I was a plus sized person but I decided to shed some weight because I knew I needed to stay trim and fit. I had to discipline myself. It was easy because I know my body type. The same way I tell people that when it comes to fashion, you don’t have to dress because the item is in vogue; dress based on your body type. That is what I do. I know my body type and I dress according to what suits me.
Have you ever considered bleaching your skin?
No, I have never considered such. I can never do such because I know how hard I fought to be where I am with my skin colour. Do you know how hard it was for dark-skinned actresses to play lead roles during the early stages of Nollywood? Now that we have started playing lead roles, why would I go and bleach? That is like slapping the faces of people who gave me that opportunity. Back then, it was very rare and difficult for dark-skinned ladies to play lead roles which was wrong anyway because it is like misdirecting the younger ones. I can never bleach my skin.
So it was tougher for a dark-skinned person to bag a lead role?
That was how it was in the beginning. I think Genevieve and Uche Osotule broke that jinx. At that time, that was the norm in Nollywood. They just preferred light-skinned people but with time, it was no longer about your skin colour but what you could put on the table. Before, if you were fair in complexion, even if you could not act, the role would be given to you and that is why I said that Nollywood is a revolving industry.
What is your fashion fetish?
It is shoes, I love shoes and I have a lot of them. Like I always say, if you don’t have the height, you buy it. I love shoes with high heels.
Have you always wished to be a tall person?
No, I love the way I am short. It encourages me to buy shoes.
What would you never be caught wearing?
I would say crazy jeans, although I have one, it is not as torn as some worn by people. The crazy way people tear their jeans sometimes makes me wonder if they are really crazy. I would not wear the crazy ones.
Has motherhood changed your fashion sense in any way?
Not really, I would just say that I cannot wear some certain clothes I would love to wear till I get to a certain size; till I get back to my pre-pregnancy size. Now, I am dressing for my size and my comfort.
What are you currently working on?
We are actually promoting a film by Omoni Oboli, Wives on strike. It is about a group of village women who get together to protest something they think is wrong and their agitation is successful in their own little way. The women feel that it is wrong for a grown man to want to marry a child. They feel the child needs to be protected and when they voice out, nothing happens, so they decide to go on strike. There are other components in the movie that show that the movie is not fully comic in nature because it passes a strong message to the viewers.
I believe it is God that delayed the release of the movie till this time because we shot the movie in 2014. Child’s Rights Act and the protection of the girl child are what people are talking about especially because of the Ese Oruru story. The movie is opening people’s eyes because there are so many cases like that but they are swept under the carpet. The movie shows what women can achieve if they come together. It is an advocacy film with comic relief.
As a mother, how do you feel when you read stories on child marriage?
Each time I read about such stories, I feel broken. There is the need to protect the girl child in our country. Before I became a woman and a mother, I was a girl child. We don’t need to tell anyone that a child must be protected. The girl child law is there and it should be implemented and taken seriously in all states. These children need to be in school. We owe it to the children to enrol them in school. That is my personal opinion. I don’t think any right thinking person should have a contrary opinion.
The senate recently dropped a bill that would enable gender equality. What is your opinion on this development?
I don’t have anything to say to the senate yet because it is sad that they would drop such a bill. They owe it to the people who put them there to actually pass the right bill. I have always known that being a woman means that I should always work twice as hard as men and I have always encouraged other women to have this same mindset regardless of your profession. Personally, I would want women to excel where men fail. I may sound biased but that is the only way to get ahead in this situation. If you do not pass a bill on gender equality, it means that you are indirectly telling me that I am a lesser being, so I have to work twice as hard. If you have that mindset, you would know that it is an advantage being a woman, because being a woman means you should succeed.
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