Actress Uchenna Nnanna shares with Adetutu Audu, her journey into stardom. The Abia State-born screen star says God won’t be happy if she acts nude
WHICH was your first movie?
That was in the year 2004. I was still in school then. I played a minor role, though everybody in a movie is very important. There can never be a major role without minor roles. I interpreted the script so well that the producer and director picked interest in me. One of them even asked me ‘I thought you said this is your first movie’. And I said yes but that doesn’t make me a novice in the game. Of course, I was a Theatre Arts student, so I should be able to distinguish myself. The movie was entitled Last Meeting. After that, because of my performance, the producer called me for another movie entitled Holy Violence. Then I was always coming from school to take part in movies. After my NYSC, I decided to venture fully into the industry. There was this TV reality show – 12 Ambassadors of Nollywood – which I used to re-launch myself into the industry.
Tell us more about the reality show
The 12 Ambassadors of Nollywood was a reality TV show designed to search for talents across the length and breadth of the nation. Watchers of the Nigerian film industry say The 12 Ambassadors show, which screened an unprecedented 50,000 young, talented, energetic and enthusiastic Nigerian youths all over the country, is the single largest nationwide talent hunt in Nollywood’s history. It was sponsored by Unity Bank. The project was a deliberate effort to discover and cement the ties that bind us as a nation through the theatre; to search and bring out actors that will stand the test of time and make the country proud. Luckily for me, I emerged as one of the ambassadors and was rewarded with a car- I am even still driving that car till date.
So would you say the show opened doors for you?
It did. I did so many movies afterwards. I did War in the Palace, Angel of Terror, Silent King, Ibu and Beyonce, Thanks for Coming, Little Secret, and so many others. The truth is that I have been busy with movie jobs since then till today.
How did you got your first movie role?
I was not auditioned for my first movie because it was just a crowd scene that I appeared in. The very first movie that I went for auditioning was in the year 2005 and was entitled Divided Kingdom. It was such a difficult audition. The producer and director were looking for a character that could actually cry very well. At the end, I was able to get the role. I wouldn’t know why they picked me, but maybe I got what they were looking for. I was able to interpret the role.
How would you describe you experience in the industry so far?
Within this period, I have experienced the good, the bad and the ugly. It is not easy being in the entertainment world. You feel you are talented but you would come across 1001 people who might even be more talented than you are. So, at times it is not just all about the talent. It is God’s favour and grace that leads one through. In 2010, did a movie that took me outside the country to London. So it’s been good. Today, there is no embassy I walk into that I won’t get my visa. Seeing people appreciate you is another thing. I have done so many movies since then; I even did one where I had to shave my hair. It was another blockbuster.
How much was involved?
It wasn’t just because of the money involved; it is the passion for the job. At times if you think about the money, you wouldn’t even want to do anything of such. Apart from going nude, I don’t think there is anything I can’t do for the sake of acting. And this is because of the passion I have for the job.
You mean you can’t act nude?
I can’t, no matter what is involved. So many people don’t see anything wrong in it but I see lots of wrong in it. My personal principle and religious background wouldn’t allow me go nude on the screen. I came from a very strong Christian home; it is not the kind of things expected of me. I’m a strong Catholic; I have a reputation to protect. Most importantly, God wouldn’t be happy that I go nude. I’m not a porn star, for crying out loud.
What have been your pains?
People judge you when they don’t even know you! There is something someone who is not on the screen can do and walk away with, but not someone in the limelight. Tongues are always wagging on anything one does. One can’t even be real again. Just because you played the role of a prostitute everybody starts seeing you as a prostitute. It is painful at times.
You lost your sister to a plane crash. How would you describe the experience?
For almost one year, I couldn’t pray. I felt so bad; I asked why God would take away my sister. I loved her so much and it was like the entire world came to an end. I don’t like talking about it (cries). It was in the ill-fated Sosoliso plane crash in Port Harcourt, 2005. The plane burst into flames and behold my sister was inside. Her death still causes lots of pains in me, even after many years.
Some of your colleagues are into lesbianism; do you have a different sexual orientation?
God doesn’t approve it. Nobody has ever tried that with me. I think maybe it’s the way I carry myself. I’m too decent to be lured into such an ungodly act.
As a pretty actress, how often are you sexually harassed?
I’ve never been forced to bed because of movie roles. I’m not saying no one has asked me out. That is a different thing entirely. The way I carry myself won’t give anybody the effrontery to harass me. In Nollywood, I have been asked out, just as man would ask a girl out. It’s my choice to say either yes or no.
What has life taught you over the years?
I have learnt a lot about life. Besides, the death of my sister was also a big lesson to me. I now know that anybody can die anytime. I have this friend of mine, very pretty and currently on a wheel chair. She studied English at the University of Calabar; very nice girl, but today she is on a wheel chair. I have also learned that whatever God has planned for each and every one of us will surely come to pass, it might just be a matter of time. In general, I believe easy does it. I take life very easy. I have this philosophy of taking things the way they come.
