Read about Uche Obodo's interview with Nonye Ben-Nwankwo of Punch Newspaper as she talks about her career and life
All of a sudden, you are seen in many movies unlike before. Why are movie, producers courting you now?
Are they really courting me? Well, I don’t think I work more than other actresses. I know that my spirit and my zeal to do better in my job have pushed me further. That I am everywhere is just because I am persistent and I try to improve on any job that I am given.
What of now that new, vibrant and young actresses have come into the scene? Don’t you think your chances of achieving your goal may be limited?
I am not scared of them. I am not scared of challenge because it makes you stand out. If there weren’t any challenges, I might not be better than I was before. I would have been the same Uche. If you see new girls who are zealous and vibrant, you just have to make yourself better than they are; that is the trick. I am not afraid, they are afraid of me because I am never going to give up.
Going by how long you have been around, you should have moved higher in your career …
I am working according to the pace that God has set for me. I don’t want to be anybody else; I want to be me, according to the destiny that God has given me. I don’t think that my contemporaries are doing better than me. I came into the industry in 2006 and I think I have made something for myself. There are so many others who were there before me, but they have not reached the level I have attained in the industry. They are still seen as up and coming actresses. Some people rose to fame through other means.
Like?
They rose to fame through bad life, scandals and stuff like that. I don’t want to be known for bad things. I want to be known for good things. I am a role model to so many people and I want to remain like that. I want to be remembered for something good. I want to rise to fame by doing good stuff. I want to be known for the good reasons.
But you have not been free from scandals since you came into the industry…
Maybe that is true, but I don’t call them scandals, I call them minor mistakes. I might call them ‘mini scandals’. I have tried some things that some people perceived to be scandal. I know that I don’t live a scandalous life.
A picture of you kissing Harrysong went viral some time ago. Was it publicity stunt or were you actually caught in the act?
It wasn’t a publicity stunt. It was nothing. In fact, my friend and I were hanging out during his birthday and we were just drunk and having fun and playing a game. I just gave him a birthday kiss. Look at the picture very well, it wasn’t a deep kiss. It was a simple birthday kiss. Harrysong is not my boyfriend; he is my good friend. I have never had anything to do with him but we are very close. So, it was just simple birthday kiss that I was just jokingly plastering on his face and people were taking pictures that day.
Where was that?
It was at the beach and it was his birthday. When Harry realised that a lot of people were taking pictures, I had to ask him if he was bothered about it. There was no way we would tell everybody to delete the pictures. It would have looked as if we were hiding something. I was just playing with my friend and I think I have the right to do that; it is my life. I wasn’t giving Harry a deep kiss, I am not known for such act. People were just fishing for scandal.
The issue with Afrocandy, the soft porn producer also went viral. What really happened? Did she approach you personally to feature in her movie?
She didn’t approach me personally to say I should star in her movie. But she released a statement on her Facebook wall. I saw the statement because a lot of people drew my attention to it. I didn’t know who she was, but I had heard of her because the media had been saying unpleasant stuff about her.
Was that why you sent out your own statement about you not being a porn actress?
Being who I am, I didn’t take a second thought before I issued my statement. Her Facebook statement could have meant so many things. It could have been that she admired me and wished to be in a movie with me. It could have also meant she wanted me to star in her porn movie. I didn’t think of the former before I released my statement. A lot of people choose to take the negative than the positive, so I needed to clarify some issues to some people who might have thought I was considering going into pornography. I don’t have anything against her. She is a Nollywood actress, but I cannot live her kind of lifestyle. I am so decent even in the movies. I told her that I wouldn’t be able to feature in her movie and even if I have to become a porn actress, I would have to do it professionally and with a higher industry and certainly not cheap porn.
She replied your statement…
Oh yes. She replied and blasted me. But I didn’t react. I wouldn’t want to cheapen myself. I would have been promoting her if I had done that.
But we learnt you sent friendship request to her on Facebook?
I don’t know her. I don’t think she is my friend on Facebook. It is funny. She was just trying to make herself important. I know who I am. I have well over 24,000 followers on Facebook. I don’t think I sent a request to her. I can only do that to people who are bigger than me, especially big companies. I don’t use Facebook to connect to anybody or set up a friendship. I have so many messages on my wall but I cannot reply. They are so many. This was somebody who said she wanted to act alongside me and some others in her movie. It then meant she had some high regard for me. I didn’t go to meet her and beg to be in her movie. She is not the kind of person I would want to relate with. I want to be friends with women of substance. I want to be known for good reasons and not bad. I want to be friends with people who live a good life.
Would featuring in her film have been a bad idea?
I am not a porn star. I don’t want to act in a porn movie. I want to get married. I want to have children and be a good wife and mother. This is Africa and not Hollywood. Nobody can ever see me go naked in the movies. Nobody has ever seen me take off my clothes and show any part of my body in the movies.
Really, but you said you can act nude some time ago?
I said that but I attached a lot of conditions to that statement. But people chose to take the first part and went to town with the story that I said I could act nude. I only said I could act nude if my culture and tradition permit me. Am I crazy to say I want to act nude? If I weren’t in a community that would criticize me if I act nude, then I could do it. That was what I said. I respect my tradition.
Going back to Afrocandy, why do you think she added you to the list where she had Anita Joseph and Cossy Orjiakor?
I wouldn’t know. Maybe she sees strength in the three of us. It maybe she also saw confidence and an ‘I can do all things,’ spirit in all. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know why she would put me in their category. I don’t have butts like Anita. My boobs are not as big as Cossy’s. I wear a size 34D. I just have broad shoulders.
But we learnt you did breast enlargement recently?
But look at my breasts. You can touch them to see if they are real or fake. My breasts are real. I can go on national TV and show the world that my breasts are real. I have beautiful breasts. They are part of my best assets. I didn’t do any cosmetic surgery and I don’t have any form of silicon or plastic in my breasts. I am sure you must have been disappointed when you saw me.
What happened to that your boyfriend? the one abroad? We learnt he left you.
He didn’t leave me. I was the one that left him. It didn’t work out between us.
Whose fault was it?
It wasn’t anybody’s fault. I just decided he wasn’t good enough for me. He wasn’t what I wanted. Maybe I was young and naïve and when I took time to analyse things with my family, I realised I wouldn’t go into the relationship otherwise I would have been miserable and the marriage wouldn’t have lasted a year. We were engaged but we didn’t get married.
But the story was that you got pregnant for another person and he came back and dumped you…
That is a lie. None of that happened. He couldn’t have dumped me. He still wants me till today. He calls me and begs to marry me. I don’t live bad life. I am a different person. I am responsible. There is no man that has been with me that has ever left me. I am usually the one who walks out. I am not married today just for reason best known to me. It is not every man you date that you must marry. A man can only leave his woman based on laziness or infidelity. I am not lazy and I am not scandalous. I don’t cheat on my man. I am always faithful so there wouldn’t be any reason for any man to dump me. I made up my mind and I am not going back to the guy. I am not 40 yet, I am not even 30. I am only 27. Am I looking so old that people think I can’t get married? I still have chances please.
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