Bayray McNwizu, a graduate of philosophy from the Lagos State University, Ojo, came into the Nigerian movie industry, otherwise called Nollywood, after she won the Amstel Malta Box Office reality show (Season 3). In this interview with MERCY MICHAEL, the ever-busy actress speaks on her career and life as a single mum, among other interesting issues. Excerpts:
WHAT are you currently working on? I can’t reveal it yet. But usually, the first stage is where the cast members get to meet one another before the work begins.
Can you mention the other actors on the set?
I have been told it must be hush-hush.
You seem to be very busy these days. You were in Caged and Visit; yet, you will be going to Ghana for a job soon.
I came back to the industry fully in 2013 after my mum passed on. I have been moving from one location to another ever since. However, I thank God because that is what every actor prays for.
Many think your strength lies in doing sitcom. How will you react to this?
No! It is not true. I always look at the script and if I like it, I will do it. Super story was done in 2011, which is almost four years now. But then, it means that I must have done the work pretty well for people to remember it. In Emerald, you could see the diversity in characters. In Emerald, I played a gold digger, but in Egos, I was just a normal teenager. However, Tales of Eve is a tele-movie and not just a series.
So, why are you always spotted for TV roles?
It will interest you to know that for Tales of Eve, I almost didn’t get that job. I remember I was working on the Visit and a friend called me and said I had to be at a closed audition. It was supposed to start at 9.00am, but I didn’t get there until 1:30pm or thereabouts. But I think God just wanted me to play that particular character. It tells a very touching story of Nigerian prisons and what female prisoners as well as those on awaiting trial go through. When I saw the script, I didn’t consider whether it would be a series or sitcom. I didn’t even consider if it would help my career, but I was only interested in how it would help millions of women out there. Of course, I was delighted to play the role.
What was your most challenging role in the movie?
Well, every role I play is challenging. But in that particular work, there was so much modulation. As you know, I played a teenager, a young adult and a prisoner. I mean, there were days I felt like, ‘Oh, my God…’
How were you able to fit into a 15-year-old girl?
Naturally, I’m quite small; so, by the time they braided my hair and gave me a short dress, I really looked very small and vulnerable. I was like, ‘Whao! Is this me?’ I had a wonderful makeup artist. She was always on point. I pray she wins an award because she was dedicated from the first to the last day. As a result, I’m sure I pulled it off well.
Could you tell me about the movie, The Visit?
It was produced by KOGA Studios, the producers of Heroes and Zeroes. One day, a director friend of mine called and asked me where I was. I told him I was in Calabar for the film festival, by the way. So, he said, “Please, see me when you are done there.” So, I went to see him and I was given a script, which I read. Then, he said he would like me to be part of the project and I was delighted. I hear there hasn’t been a four-man cast before in Africa. We were just four: Nse Ikpe Etim, Blossom Chukwu, Femi Jacobs and me. It’s a mad film and you need to see it. There has even been a lot of buzz about it. I am pleased to be part of this production and I hope you will all like it when it comes out.
When will it be premiered?
I don’t know exactly when it will be premiered, but it will be within a couple of weeks. We wrapped it up on December 15, 2013. So, I’m sure within a short while, it will be premiered.
Is it a romantic comedy?
Hmm! It’s a bit of romance. It is the story of married couples in real life and what they go through behind closed doors. Everyone thinks it is rosy, so they want to get married. But when they are in it or the doors are closed, they find out it is not as rosy as they think.
But why is love becoming really intricate in this generation of ours?
I think people just don’t want to get married for marrying sake these days. They don’t want to jump in and jump out, thereby going through divorce and the extra-baggage it brings. Everyone is trying to “shine their eyes” before getting married, as they say. I mean falling in love is a beautiful thing, but people want to be secured in their relationships. One wants to be sure the person one is going into a relationship with is a friend whom one can trust and not someone who will stab one like the guy who was convicted a few days ago. So, people just want to be able to trust one another other. That is really very rare nowadays. But if you have that, please keep it because it is hard to come by.
How is it like keeping the family business going, since your mum passed on?
Whao! That’s a deep question! Keeping the family business is still on course. Things are not the way they used to be. But that was her era and we are praying to God for the grace to make things better in our own era, so we can make her proud wherever she is. So, that is the way things are now.
What is it like being the ‘mother hen’, so to say?
I am not the ‘mother hen’ o! Everyone is grown-up and responsible (laughs). When we all went through that kind of a loss, we saw that we needed one another. Of course, I am there to be the firm hand, but she raised us to be very responsible; so, I really have nothing to worry about.
How do you feel being an orphan?
I guess there is a reason for everything. I guess I can also comfort other people who are just losing or who may lose their parents. God has given me the strength to tell them that it’s actually going to be okay. There is always a reason for everything. I wish I didn’t have to go through that. It has happened and I’m grateful for the grace to have gone through that and not lost my sanity. Of course, it’s a very painful process.
Was that the first time you worked with the other actors on the set?
It was my second time with Nse, but it was my first time with Femi and Blossom.
So, what was it like working with them?
Femi gets to play my husband in the Visit, so you can imagine. We had very crazy moments, actually. Almost every night, we were together, reading our scripts because it was a four-man cast. We wanted to bring our A-game on. That was because the attention span was very short and if you were going to be talking, people would get bored. When people pay good money to see a good movie, you have to bring your A-game on. So, it was challenging for every one of us. You know, you cannot afford to be slack because Nse is bringing her A-game, just as Femi and Blossom. Every character is very important to the story itself. It was very tasking. And in the end of the movie, we knew that we had done justice to it. I’m sure you will love it.
While it seemed you were laid back in your career, did you think of quitting?
Absolutely not! I say this with all humility all the time that I was born to do this job. It gives me so much fulfillment and joy. If I’m having this kind of joy working, then, it’s the grace of God absolutely. But I had done a lot before…. I did like three movies with Emem Isong. I did Rebound, Kiss and Tell, Water Fall and Super Story. Then, I took a break and later returned. But now, you are complaining that I’m doing a lot.
For me, I’ve always had God’s backing. I’ve always asked for His grace. Even when I make a mistake or I don’t do the job well, I just ask Him for His grace and pick up myself again. I miss my mother so much. She was always there to say, “Yes, you made a mistake, but get back up and do it right.” All I can say is that I have a passion for my job. As you know, no one can break a man who has a 100% passion for his job.
Why did you study philosophy instead of theatre arts, if you knew you had it in you?
That’s a good question. I’m actually angry with my mother for that. The reason is I wanted to read theatre arts, but my mother put her feet down that I wasn’t going to study theatre arts. So, when I finished and wanted to come back to my passion, she was like I must work and earn money. So, I worked for her and earned money; and that was how I was able to buy audition forms and go to different states for auditions. So, it wasn’t that I just woke up and won AMBO 3 and everybody just said, “Wha!”
What prepared you for the AMBO?
I think it was determination. I was tired of hearing no from every audition and I knew that Amstel Malta Box Office was a guarantee that only the true winner would emerge. So, when the third audition came, a friend of mine, Ijeoma Agwu, also a fantastic actress, got me the form, brought it to me and I filled it out. The rest, as they say, is history.
What is your dream role?
Any role I look back and say, ‘Whao, my goodness! That character became me.’ So, that is my dream role. When I get feedback from a member of the public that I changed his or her life or that I helped his or her marriage, then I know I have done a good job. What I am basically saying is that every character I choose becomes a dream character because I try to pour myself into that character and give that character a real life.
If our movies have helped some marriages as you pointed out, why is it that many are not successful in their marriages?
Well, I don’t know what you are talking about. Don’t put me in trouble. I’m sure if you give anyone of us a chance, we will change a lot about ourselves and make our marriages work. In fact, we will like to be better friends and do so many things. In reality, you cannot change the other person or change the circumstance around him or her. But you can only try your best. I do believe that when people go into marriages or relationships, they really go with good intentions. But there are so many surrounding factors. So, you have to make up your mind and agree that this thing already exists, so what are you going to do about it? Are you going to give up or are you going to wait through the storm?
What are the challenges of being a single mum?
I give you guys ‘hi 5’ because you are doing a great job. Really, it is not easy. Children are very delicate. Children are always a joy. I’m glad to have had mine when I had it. But again, with the kind of job I do, it’s very tasking. But whether you are selling pepper or jetting round the world, we still face the same challenges. So, you have to thank God for His grace. You have a child, but some people don’t have. That is number one gratitude. Well, they are not going to be children forever; they are going to grow up. So, you have to endure. It’s a process. So, I really don’t have any complaint. I’m a sexy single mum (laughs).
He is three years old now; so, are you planning to groom him to be an actor?
His father wants him to be an aeronautical engineer, but my grandmother wants him to become a pastor, so she calls him Pastor Elijah. Again, his great grandmother wants him to be a reverend. So, how many things is he going to be? But I don’t want to make that mistake as some of us did. I’m sure my mother had the best intention; she wanted me to be a lawyer by all means. She was a lawyer. A brilliant and hard working one, but I knew I wasn’t cut out for that at all. That used to cause an issue between her and me. So, I just want him to do whatever he likes – I know he likes music a lot and he asks questions a lot. He’s very persistent, just like his dad. It’s nice. I try to groom him. I don’t know what God has created him to do, so I’m just watching out for him.
You speak nice about his dad. Why are you both not looking at tying the knots?
I don’t know! Who knows what the future holds? Of course, there is no ‘beef’ between him and me. Absolutely not! We are good friends. At the end of the day, you have to look beyond whatever difference you and your guy has. You have to think about what kind of child you want and how you want him or her to view marriage and relationships. So, we have to sacrifice that for the good of our son.
How easy was it to come to terms with being friends with him? I’m sure you had plans of living together for the rest of your lives.
It’s still not easy. That is why I am glad speaking with you because your newspaper has always been a reputable one and I can speak frankly knowing that it’s exactly what I say that will get written down. This is why I have not talked about this issue before. Of course, we had great plans; we wanted to get married; we wanted to do everything together, but things didn’t work out. But who knows? Let’s just start from being friends now and take it one step at a time.
Perhaps, if he reads this interview, he may want to come back to you.
Well, but then (pauses)…I wouldn’t blame him because there are so many proposals. When you go to my Facebook page and Twitter, I receive proposals from different male admirers every day. I don’t know how some of them got my BB pin. Some of them are really persistent and such things can get to one. It can make a man jealous!
So, if you probably weren’t an actress, you would have been married?
I wouldn’t say that. I’m just saying that it demands a whole lot more from us as actresses. Then, trust is very important. It is not just about the person trusting you; but you, as an actress, have to also learn to be very humble to your husband, boyfriend and even your friend. You just have to take it easy. God has given you a gift, but it is not just for you to flaunt it and feel like a superstar; rather, it is for the benefit of others.
Obviously, you are not a bitter single mum probably because of your job.
Your job can actually make it worse because you don’t get enough time to rest; as a result, that can tamper with the balance of your mental state. But again, what is the point? My mum passed on, but the clock didn’t stop. It’s almost one year and people are still living like nothing happened. So, is it really worth it? But you know, you have to allow yourself to feel angry that it didn’t work out; you have to allow yourself to grieve about it. But again, you have to make a conscious effort to move on, become friends and forgive the next person, whether they’ve hurt you or not. You have to really get your life together because life is for the living. And for me, I’m a spiritual person in the sense that I like to meditate a lot; I like to read and explore the world. Then, when you are a busy person, there is really no time to be bitter. I love my job; I love my kid and I am living a good life. There are times that I have down moments; but as I said, I always pick up myself and move on. That’s one of my secrets. I pick up myself again and thank God for all He is doing for me. It is important.
