September 10, (THEWILL) – Nollywood actress, Uzoamaka Onuoha speaks with SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN about life as an actress, her role in the movie, ‘Diiche’ and sundry issues. Excerpts:
You’ve always been interested in the arts right from childhood. Was there a time you wanted to change your career?
There was never a time like that. It has always been the arts. I went for it and studied it in school. I graduated and have been pursuing it fully. My love for the arts started from what became natural to me and what I love doing. I just love to perform. I love to watch other people perform, too. I was exposed to film at a very early age and I watched a lot of movies. It just came from watching people doing their own thing and being in absolute awe of it. I also practise behind closed doors. Whoever I saw around me and my family members were my audience then. I also used to perform when I was in secondary school. When I realised that I could study it in school, I was happy and I went for it. As I progressed, I realised how the arts could influence people and cause a positive change. When I found out what I could use the arts to do, my hands were already on the plough and there was no turning back.
You came into the limelight after your role in the movie ‘Diiche’. What other movie did you appear in?
I have done a couple of movies. I have played the role of Kimberly in ‘Visa on Arrival’ for Accelerate TV. Didi on ‘Unschooled’ for Ndani TV, Moment, I have had appearances in ‘King of Boys’, ‘Blood Sisters’ and ‘A Sunday Affair’, just to mention a few.
How long have you been in the movie industry?
I will say five years.
How would you describe the journey so far?
It has been quite a journey with challenges and hopes. It has been a journey of self-discovery, growth, falling off the saddle and trying to get back up, of trying to find myself and my purpose again. I will just narrow it down to a journey.
Your role in ‘Diiche’ was not just physically consuming, it was also mentally draining. Did you at any point break down in the process of interpreting your role?
No I didn’t. But my role was very tasking, especially physically. It was also mentally draining like you said. I think the love for the job kept me going. I was doing what I love doing. So, it didn’t feel tasking. During the process, I just wanted to do something that I would be proud of. I wasn’t thinking of the challenges.
Was ‘Diiche’ your first lead role?
Not necessarily. I had played lead roles mostly in short films. I played the lead in ‘Moment’, but it is not out yet. I had experienced a number on a core shoot before, but ‘Diiche’ was more of a bigger task. It was a blank moment when I was told that it would be a lead role. I tried not to make a big deal of things when they come because it will take away the magic from me and I will start thinking too much. So, I just said it was one of those things.
How did you get on board the movie, ‘King of Boys: Return of the King’?
Movie producer, Kemi Adetiba wanted to do a sequel to ‘King of Boys.’ She put out a competition for interested actors. It was like a monologue thing. I took part in the competition and I was selected to be a part of the project. The entries for the monologue were many, but I was able to play my part. I played the role of a journalist. It was just a scene, anyway. I was the journalist who was asking questions at the press conference conducted towards the end of the meeting. One of the leads was betrayed by one of her right-hand men whom she trusted. I was the journalist who uncovered that act of betrayal.
What qualities does an actress need to clinch a role in a blockbuster movie?
Be unintentionally intentional. Why I say this is because you need to work hard and you must sow seeds. We all know that we want good jobs, but at the start of your journey, you can’t be emphatic about the fact that it must be the big jobs. You must be busy working hard and training yourself. You cannot be sowing seeds and looking back to see if the seeds are growing. Just be sowing seeds and be moving on. Hopefully, there will be a connection with those seeds that would get you something better. You just have to be unintentionally intentional, work hard, always put one foot in front of the other, be polite, be prayerful, you cannot get anywhere without God. Just keep sowing seeds, by the grace of God, the universe and God will hear you. There is never an end to the journey, it is a progressive journey and I am also on that journey too. I am also talking to myself, you just have to keep moving.
What puts you off when accepting a script?
Maybe the motive behind such a script. What is the idea behind it? I am a strong believer in storytelling, I have to read the script and understand the idea behind it. If it is for entertainment purposes, it should be visibly clear. I think it is the idea behind the script.
Have you ever rejected a script because of the people you were paired with?
No, I have never done that. And I have not turned down a script because of remuneration. If I am not satisfied with what they want to pay me, I would negotiate and tell them what I want. I believe an actor is on a project because a casting director has done his job. If the casting director feels the actor should not be on the project, such will not be on the project. It is my job to find chemistry with whoever I might be acting with.
Is there a movie role that you cannot play?
I am in for it, no matter how challenging or difficult it can be.
Do you have a dream role that you are looking forward to playing in the future?
I have so many dream roles, but I think I will just boil it down to something that would knock me off the path. Something that would challenge me. Something that I will absolutely be in awe of, something magical.
What other movie has given you as much challenge as ‘Diiche’?
I feel like every role I have ever played has its own challenge. It may be a major or monor challenge. Definitely, shooting the character can be a challenge on its own, not a challenge in a way that I am stressed or something. Every role has its own type of challenge. However, I will say that a shoot I had with Clarence Peters called ‘Inside Out’, was very challenging. I hope that it will resonate fully with the kind of story that we are trying to tell. I love the story, but it was challenging to shoot. It’s a mini-series.
What is the biggest challenge you have had since you started your career?
The fact that you have to start all over again after finishing a job. For instance, once a job is completed, you have to start looking for the next gig. In the space of looking for the next gig, you have to try to find yourself again, fall in love with yourself again and have faith in yourself again. Start putting one foot in front of the other. Work is like a roller coaster; you have to start all over again sometimes. You have to pray not to fall on your shadow and not stop believing in yourself because the job comes with no and yes. It can be very challenging.
Have you ever read a negative critique of your performance before?
No I haven’t read such. I haven’t come across that yet and hopefully I won’t.
How difficult is it to be an actress?
Being an actress is easy and at the same time, it is also not easy. People look at the glamorous aspect of it. I remember when we went for the premiere of ‘Diiche’ people were happy, but I just reflected on the journey and remembered the sweat and hard work put into it. Not just on the acting aspect, the production crew should be given credits, too. They did a very good job. We were on set for a long time. At times, we would wrap up production around 4am. A lot of blood and sweat went into it. But people recognise the fantastic aspect, which is life on the red carpet. So, being an actress is hard work and we have the rewarding aspect, which people share with us. The life of an actress is a journey and it is beautiful, but it requires a lot of hard work.
If you weren’t an actress, what other career would you have chosen?
I don’t know. I know I have quite a handful of talents. I can do makeup, I can style, but if I wasn’t an actress, I don’t know what I would have been.
What are the things working against the growth of the film industry in Nigeria?
I think the industry is doing well now. If you had asked this question five years ago, I would have had a lot of things to say about it. I have seen a lot of improvements; we are not yet there, but we have gone far. We are telling stories that matter to us now. We are not just telling stories because of the mindset that we want to make our money back. We are now trying to tell stories that matter to us. On a scale of one to 10, we are on six based on improvement. So, I think we are growing and whatever hurdles we have scaled in the past, we are overcoming them gradually, one after the other.
Do you see yourself going into movie production in the near future?
Yes, I do. I have started the journey, though it’s a small one right now. I have written some things down. I embarked on that because I wanted to tell stories that matter to me.
You were trained at Ebonylife Creative Academy. Why that choice of school?
Honestly, I just wanted somewhere to train. What appealed to me was that it was a short course, just for three months. I felt it was something I could dabble into while doing my own thing. Another thing that appealed to me was the set of people she chose to impact knowledge into students. I thought that I could shuttle between work, but as soon as I got there, I made up my mind to concentrate fully on it while work could rest for the duration of the course. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I didn’t go there because of connection; I went there with the mindset of getting trained and I learned a lot. I am so thankful for that.
You have been practising boxing for a couple of weeks now, are you working on a movie role involving the sport?
As an actor, you must work on your mind, body and soul and do something physical. I didn’t want to go to the gym, though I love exercise, which was why I started boxing. Right now, I have started a dance class. I took a break from boxing to switch to dancing. It started as a desire to take a role that has to do with boxing and I wanted to specially train myself while I waited for something like that. I eventually participated in a short film involving boxing. I was happy for it, but I am still waiting for a bigger one that will challenge me, boxing wise.
What are some of the things that shaped you to be who you are today?
Everything I have ever experienced. If I had it easy, I probably would not have the knowledge that I have today. Every step of the journey has had a great influence on me. Every project that I have been on, even my journey as an actress, the price behind closed doors, everything has shaped me to who I am today and I am thankful for it.
How was growing up?
Growing up was very interesting. I had vivid imagination and I am thankful for it. Growing up was epic. Watching films was my hobby. I love watching Lady Gaga. Even in my secondary school, I was nicknamed Lady Gaga because I love her songs and performance.
