A few weeks ago, the actress
got chatting with Emma Emerson of Golden Icons where she talked about
her introduction into Nollywood, her belief about self-expression,
tattoos and early crush on fellow Nollywood actress Rita Dominic.
Hey, you come from a family of seven, what are you, the middle child?
It’s kind of complicated because my
mother had five children before she died and I’m the third. My
stepmother has two children – boys who are grownups and way older than I
am. They do not relate with me in any way but I mean when my father got
married to my stepmother, he got married to them too.
What was it like growing up and how did you get into acting?
Growing up was really very beautiful,
like really good, I had a lot of people who were there to support me,
who were there to put smiles on my face because they felt like ‘you know
you are not with your mother’, they had to do extra things to make you
feel happy. I got into the movie industry after I left the ‘Next Movie
Star’ reality show. I have always had the dream of being an actress but
never saw that possibility coming through. But after the NMS, I saw it
like a dream come through and I just keyed into the opportunity and used
it wisely.
Yes so you started making
connections with a lot of people and you changed as a person or did your
personality stay the same from before and after the stardom?
(Sigh) I would say my
personality changed a little bit because I have always had this
nonchalant crazy, ‘I-don’t-care’ personality but when I left secondary
school, I went very close to God and I was like what you call a
‘born-again Christian’, I was born again, (Sigh). I still love God you
know, I still love him, I’m close to him but I have got to do what I
have to do.
What does that mean?
(Sigh) as an artist I don’t
think there is a role that I want to ever reject except your scripts do
not fit into what I want. Okay I want to play every role possible, I
want to fit into every character possible, that is what I mean and it
might not be a Godly character you know because that all Godly
character does not show my potentials as an actress.
Do you feel as if you have two
personalities? I think that everyone gets you pretty much as the
Nollywood bad girl but yet people still love you and there is something
very ‘girl-next-doorish’ about you. So tell me, do you have those two
personalities that you have to turn on and off?
No, I feel like I am just like every
great actress that can act their way through anything you know, so I
don’t have to switch personalities I have to act personalities, that’s
how it is.
I like that you don’t have to
switch personalities, you have to act it. Do you feel bad that people
sometimes take you for your roles; it could be like ‘this is Tonto
because this is the roles she plays?’
Yes I do really feel bad about that
sometimes but at the same time what I use to comfort myself is that
those people are really ignorant. I mean that is it, when you are
ignorant it defines you, so I’m better than that.
There is this movie that you did
that brought a lot of controversy your way and I wanted to always ask
you even before I got to meet you. The movie is dirty and silly; now
reading about it of course there was no sex involved but you got a lot
of attention from it, how did you feel about it?
I felt really good about it, it means
only one thing; that I did that really well. So if you think that the
character was me then I did a very good job as an actress. That’s what
it means and I really loved that movie, you guys need to check out that
movie.
Now about tattoos, you have a thing for tattoos?
Yeah.
How many tattoos would you say you have?
Okay, before now I had 57 stars on my
body plus 57 letters but the new one consists of 570 curves and lines
plus I just added 16 stars to my body so I can’t even count.
You can’t even count? How old were you when you got your first tattoo and what was your first tattoo?
When I got my first tattoo I was 20
maybe, I can’t remember. I’m not really sure about that but my first
tattoo was that on my leg and the initial stuff that was there before
has been changed.
What made you say ‘I want to get a tattoo’?
I’ve always been a tattoo lover but have
always been someone who respects my parents a lot, I can’t do things
that will upset them even if I have a mind of my own and they definitely
know that I have a mind of my own but leaving the home and being me and
making my own money made me realise that I could do whatever I want to
do.
How did your parents react when you first came home with it?
My father loved the stars but he doesn’t
love the back. I told him something, I said ‘remember something when
you say ‘you don’t love my tattoos’, it’s my body’. At the end of the day it is my body.
And you are pleased with every single one?
I am so loving my body right now (laughs).
You have this new tattoo that
you just did and it has covered practically 70 per cent of your body.
What is the reason behind it and how did you come up with the decision
to create this big tattoo?
First of all, I love Lil Wayne, he’s got
plenty tattoos so I want to be like him and second, I am a lover of art
and anything that includes art, I love it. So it’s tattoo, if it’s
drama or music or poetry I love it but I think am just addicted to the pain of tattoos though so I just keep having more and this is not going to be my last.
Where else do you want to have it?
I still have like about 40 per cent of my back that is still plain and I’m hitting that plain part.
Do you actually get up and turn around to look at your tattoos? Like I don’t get the fascination.
I don’t necessarily have to look at my
tattoos, I see my tattoos through the eyes of everyone around me when I
get up I just look at your face and when I do that, I know what you are
thinking baby (laughs).
Now we are going to ask you ten questions. I want you to think of your replies right off the top of your head.
Whoa.
Okay it’s quite simple and fun, you are going to like it, so favourite designer?
Tiffany Amber.
Your Nollywood best friend?
None.
Your first Nollywood crush and be honest?
Crush, None.
From back then?
None.
Before you became a celebrity you never had any?
Oh, Desmond Elliot.
Oh okay.
Not a crush, it was just an admiration. If it was a crush then it was Rita Dominic.
Whoa, you had a girl crush?
Yeah
What you wished you never said in an interview?
Nothing.
You never regret anything?
No.
Most embarrassing moments?
Oh, when I had to kiss a friend.
On the lips?
Yeah.
The most beautiful place you’ve ever visited?
Oh, Paris.
Your favourite idol in the whole world?
Al Pacino
If you had to meet somebody right now, who would it be in the whole world.
Julia Roberts.
Why is she your favourite act?
Actress not act. My favourite act is Al Pacino but my favourite actress is Julia Roberts.
How has the recent movie ‘Damage’ influenced you?
It’s really very good and I enjoyed
every moment I spent on set because as an actress I got educated. Right
from the first trilogy which was ‘Damage’, I have been educated a lot.
Violence is something that we should never accept and I never knew how
drugs could actually damage one in a very bad way until I started
filming this movie. I realised that and keyed into it immediately so it
helped me intellectually and it made me a teacher of it.
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