As a veejay for Soundcity, Moet Abebe has had to deal with a lot of controversies. OVWE MEDEME caught up with her at the media screening of Oasis, her first acting experience and she had some things to say about her life and career, among other salient issues.
THIS is your first experience as an actress. What was it like for you?
It was very different and working on TV is obviously a completely different ball game. People do say that presenters naturally have this acting flair. But being a presenter, you always have to, in a sense, show who you are. You have to be real because you have to shine. But when you are an actress, you have to play the part. You have to be a different character; so, it was awesome. It was a bit challenging, but it was a very interesting experience.
As one who is known for being on TV, did you have to go through a transition process?
I did because as I said, it was a completely different ball game. Understanding how the production works was completely different from TV; so, I had to go through that process of realising that if a camera is in a particular position, you have to face that way. But for TV, it is just head on straight to the camera; they are very different worlds.
You played the role of a bad girl on campus. How challenging was it?
Honestly, I would like to say that Tiwa was, in a sense, like my alter ego. So, it wasn’t necessarily a new thing for me to be a bit of a tough bad girl; and at the same time, it was different for me because I’ve never really had relationship issues like that. So, I kind of relate to the feistiness and the restiveness of the character, Tiwa. I can completely relate to that.
In the real world, are you comfortable being tagged a bad girl?
It depends on the sense in which people call me that. If it is in that Tiwa sense, then, the answer is no because that is an entirely different thing. That is why I said people kept on telling me that my personality and everything about me is very different from Tiwa. I’ve never had issues that I had to run over to my boyfriend’s house and start causing a scene. If you look at it that way, then, it is no. But if it’s the whole being a bad girl who stands up for what she believes in and for what she stands for, then, yes, I am a bad girl.
There are people who would argue about that…
(Cuts in) In what sense?
In the sense of what they hear about you. For instance, you have repeatedly been pictured almost nude…
(Cuts in) How does wearing a bikini make me a bad girl? Well, they need to go and study the dictionary and realise what a bad girl really is. Someone like Rihana can be termed a bad girl, but Moet Abebe is not a bad girl.
Is taking the step into acting a permanent shift for you?
No, actually. I will still always want to be a presenter, but I want to shuttle between the two. I want to be known as a presenter and an actress.
Are you involved in any other production aside this?
Yes, I am. I did End Game recently with Desmond Elliot and Ini Edo. Ejike Asiegbu is also in it. I am actually a detective in this one as well. So, that was also a very challenging movie. I played Desmond’s love interest in it. I am looking forward to the release of that movie.
Between acting and TV presenting, which pays you more?
As I said, I want to be acknowledged for both; so, I equally enjoy both and I equally want to be a part of both. Money-wise, I won’t share that information with you.
You were once involved in a scandal concerning a sex tape
Have you seen it? Exactly! So, that is your answer. I have never posted anything like a sex tape on the Internet. At the end of the day, as far as there is no link, there is no evidence of a sex tape. People will always talk and I have learnt to live with that.
How do you react when you hear such news?
I guess you could ask the same question. How do they live with such news that they spread about other people?
Who is Moet Abebe?
Moet Abebe is a girl, who is very driven and focused by what she wants to achieve in life. She is a hard worker. She is the kind of person who is always going to accept when she is wrong and always tries to get better at what she does.
Is Moet your real name?
My name is Laura Monyeazo Abebe.
Where are you from?
My father is from Edo State, while my mother is from Imo State.
Are you related to the late ex-First Lady, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo?
Yes, I am related to her.
What is next for Moet Abebe?
What is next for me is to keep on doing more movies and build myself as a brand further than I already am. Hopefully, I will be able to have my own TV station, have my own media house in a sense. That, in a sense, is the end goal; but right now, I am all about working harder, putting out more movies, doing more presenting jobs, working for brands and so on.
How do you unwind?
I work out. I hang out with friends and I work actually. Most of the time, I am working. Because of the kind of work we do as journalists, we always have to know what is going on. So, I am always online. That is pretty much it.
Is Moet Abebe really in a relationship?
Time will tell.
Could you explain better?
Eventually people will find out, if I am in a relationship or not.
