My father thought actresses were wayward – Onyinye Okafor

Background

I am from Uru West Local Government Area of Imo State. I am the first child in a family of five. I am a Catholic.

Education

For my elementary education, I attended Queens’s Nursery and Primary School in Alagbado, Lagos. I then went to Elolam High School for my secondary education.

I proceeded to the Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University) Ago Iwoye, where I studied Mass Communication.

Acting

Nothing really influenced me to go into acting. It is apparently a gift from God to me. I have always loved watching and appearing on television. I recall that whenever I watched people on TV when I was young, I usually pictured myself doing the same thing in the future.

 Parents

My parents, especially my father, never liked the idea of me being an actress. He felt actresses were usually wayward; and neither got married or had kids. I got into Nollywood in 2003, but my father was not in support. Back then, I acted in just two films and I left because I was quite young. A father figure I had in Nollywood then was director, Teco Benson, and he told me to go back to school; that Nollywood was not going anywhere. He told me I needed to be exposed and mature, so I would be able to take my own decisions. So, I left the industry in 2005 to go to the university; and I returned in 2011. Although my father did not like the industry then; he is loving it now. He even said that if he had known, he would have supported me from the onset.

However, my mother has always been supportive from day one. She is my backbone.

Projects

I just finished acting in two movies. There was one where I acted with Zubby Michael.

Social media

I consider social media to be a means of getting the world to see one. It is a platform for one to sell oneself; either good or bad. It is left to one to choose the part that one wants. I usually post a lot of my movies on social media, urging people to go and watch them on YouTube. For me, that is a positive use of social media.

Challenges

My most challenging moments in Nollywood were in the early days of joining the industry. It takes a lot of work to establish oneself in Nollywood and build a brand that people can reckon with. It takes a lot of sacrifices. One has to be painstaking, patient and keep working hard.

Roles

For now, I have not got any challenging roles. The roles I have played have been taxing, but I want something extraordinarily that would take me out of my comfort zone.

However, my dream is to act in a sorrowful movie.

Bullying

It was recently that I experienced online bullying. It was around the time when Yul Edochie (actor), took a second wife. I commented on a post about a movie we acted in together, and some people started insulting me. I was amazed, and I tolf them (trolls) to take it easy, as Yul is my colleague. Social media can be so crazy sometimes.

 Controversies

I am actually a very controversial person, but I just feel I don’t need to be involved in controversies because of my career. I do not want to trend for the wrong reasons. There are some things we have inside us that we just have to repress because we want to achieve something in life.

 Asaba

For people that use the phrase ‘Asaba movies’; I actually don’t know what they mean by that. As far as I’m concerned, it is only when a person understands filmmaking that they have the right to talk (criticise) about any particular movie. ‘Asaba’ movies give me fame, and I am so proud of them. There was a time I went to act in a film in Lagos, but because they heard I was coming from Asaba (Delta State), they felt I could not act or speak English. The Lagos market is not easy to crack into, because there are a lot of cliques there. I grew up in Lagos and I live there. That was where I actually started my career. However, Asaba is a bit easier to access. I don’t believe there is anything like ‘Asaba movies’. An actor is an actor anywhere; regardless of where they are based.

Breakthrough

Some of the movies that brought me to the limelight are Sabina Makossa, and Alobams. However, a lot of the movies I acted in recently are also making waves. But, it was those first two movies that made people know who I was.

 Uniqueness

The unique thing about me is that I am a blunt person. I am also very truthful, a goal-getter, and very patient. I usually stick my head out for the people I consider to be my friends. I do not envy people, and I always maintain my lane. I wish success for everyone.  I don’t know how to pretend, and that’s why people misunderstand me. Nothing can make me do what I don’t want to do.

Sex-for-roles

I don’t know why issues in Nollywood are being blown out of proportion. I recall that when I finished school, I went to look for a job (outside the entertainment industry) and the man said to me, ‘I like you. Let me sleep with you, and I will give you the job’. Thinks like that happen in all sectors. It is up to one to make one’s choice when one is in such situation. So long as there is no gun placed on one’s head for one to accept the offer by force.

Other interests

Asides from movies, I am a communicator, so I want to own my TV show, it is something that is my archive and I am going to do it.

 Men

The qualities I like to see in a man are truthfulness, good sense of humour, intelligence, understanding, caring, not selfish, and being God-fearing. Also, he should not cheat on me; but respect me.

Marriage

I totally disagree when people say actresses don’t keep their homes (marriages). There are many people (from different walks of life) that are divorced, and nobody is raising alarm over them. But, everything an actor does is news.

Some people don’t want actors to have their privacy. If an actress is in a marriage that she is not comfortable with, I don’t think she should stay there to please society. We only have one life; and if she dies, that is the end for her.

Admirers

Everybody, whether male or female, has an admirer. However, one cannot be everybody’s friend. One could be platonic friends with one. I try not to be rude to my admirers, except the person is rude to me. But, if the person is nice to me, I will be nice to the person.

Also, there are limits to what I can do for any particular person. I would make the person understand that we are friends, and draw boundaries. If the person wants something else that I cannot give, I will let the person know without being rude.

Nudity

I can never act nude for any reason. Even as an actor, I always remember my background. Where I come from, such things are not acceptable. It is not my style. I once had an offer of acting like a mermaid. But, the director said I would stand in the water and show my bare back, and I could not do that. I am not just thinking about the present, but the future. There are some things I might not be able to defend later.

Fashion

I like to dress very comfortably. I don’t just wear what other people are wearing. I have a nice body, so I wear what suits me.

Unwind

I like to travel a lot, but the acting profession is selfish and jealous. One hardly has time for anything else. I love to dance too, and anywhere I hear the sound of music, I must dance.