By Tony Ogaga Erhariefe
Waiting is definitely not one of my virtues. As I sat waiting for the star of Till Death Do Us Part, Amaka Anioji to show up for our interview at the lobby of a 5-star hotel in Lagos, I was restless. Reason: I had been waiting for the best part of two hours. For the umpteenth time I put a call through to her publicist who assured me in the most conciliatory tone that her client would soon be joining me.
I had scarcely terminated the last call when it happened! It was her hot legs that caught my attention first; light-complexioned, long shapely legs elevated on high heels as she cat walked into the lobby. Dressed in short, red attire, Amaka was the cynosure of attention as every head spunned in her direction. I was still transfixed when I noticed her reach for her phone to make a call and before I knew it my phone was ringing.
“Hi,” her soft, silky voice dissolved all the pent up anger in me. As she spoke, our eyes connected and I wondered ‘what a pretty lady.’
As we shook hands, I couldn’t help but marvel at the fast rising actress who had only recently trounced the likes of Ini Edo and Nse Ikpe-Etim among other notable actresses to clinch the Most Outstanding Actress award at this year’s Abuja Film Festival, for playing a battered housewife in Till Death Do Us Part.
Amaka has her finger in every pie as far as the movie industry is concerned. She is a scriptwriter, producer and actress. Among others, she is a member of the cast of Tinsel. Her acting credits include Young Erica, Succession of Needs and Seeing Distance to mention a few. Also, her production credits include Life Show and Married. In this interview with The Entertainer, Amaka talks about her career, family, growing up, first love, and of course, movies. Excerpts:
How did you feel winning in a category that had the likes of Ini Edo and Nse Ikpe-Etim among other intimidating artistes at this year’s Abuja Film Festival?
Sincerely, I was moved to tears because I screamed so hard! These are established artistes that I have respect for and they’ve been there forever. I just breezed in a couple of years back and all of a sudden I did a job and it is recognised and before I could say Jackie Robinson I won an award. I was so stunned; winning just blew me out of my mind!
Can you capture that moment for us?
I was like ‘oh my God! I must be dreaming, I must not cry because if I cry I will wail’. For me it’s a good introduction. I have just started and this is a mighty leap for me. You know what these awards do to you? They make you feel like ‘chick, you’re doing the right thing; this is where you should be.’ It can only get better. It gives you confidence; I was blown away!
When you were auditioning for that movie, did you believe it was going to take you that far?
I did not audition for that movie. The director directed me on Tinsel and also on a drama series that I also wrote and produced called Married. She called me up and said ‘Amaka, I want you on this one. I want you to play my lead lady.’ I was so excited because she is one of the best female directors in Africa. I was like ‘are you kidding me? You want my humble self to act the lead?’ So, she emailed the script to me and when I read it I was moved to tears. I called her up and said, ‘I love this script, let’s do it.’ And when I found that it was OC Ukeje playing the lead guy I was so happy because he’s also a professional. It was very sweet working with him; we had a lot of fun on that set.
Have you ever been battered before?
No.
So, how were you able to interpret the role so well you won an award?
I think the story spoke to me. It had a life of its own and it was very hard of me to think of myself while I played the character. That woman was strong enough to make me forget me. Sincerely, I detached myself from me and became the character.
You also act on Tinsel. How long have you been on the platform?
I have been there for two years and I act the role of a doctor. I auditioned for a role and they said ‘this role doesn’t look like you’ so I left. I guess they were just being polite to me but a lady called me back a couple of days later and said ‘could you come audition for another role?’ That day, they auditioned me for like five times and at the end of the day they said I had a role and two years after, we are still at it.
Let’s look at growing up. Were you born with a silver spoon?
It wasn’t all that bad and it wasn’t all roses either. I was born in Enugu State. I am the fourth of six kids. Growing up was a lot of fun. We had so much love despite a couple of hard times. My parents stuck together and gave us the best. They made us appreciate the little we had and things we did not have we did not care about and those we had we cherished. I had loads of rich friends during my teen years who were always junketing across Europe and America. At the slightest provocation they would announce ‘I am going to The Bahamas for my holiday,’ ‘I am headed for New York this summer,’ and stuffs like that but I never felt that I was missing anything.
We were always together, we didn’t think about Bahamas or London because we were okay with what we had. I remember one time our black and white TV got bad. Rather than go out and watch TV at our neighbour’s place, we did a show; my siblings and I did a show we called, Meet Me in Conakry. These days when I think about it I am drawn to tears because I see my parents doing their best to instill so much discipline in us and it worked for us.
My parents are just fabulous. Right now, my father is about 70 and he still acts like a baby the way he showers love on my mum. Sometimes, I get really angry and I am like ‘Jeez! What is wrong with these people? After being married for 50 years they still have this unique connection.
Which of your parents were you closer to?
I was closer to my dad. I had a lot of misunderstanding with my mum when I was growing up. We are beginning to fall in love with each other now. My mum was a disciplinarian but my dad was the balance. She still is. My mum misunderstood me a lot but now that she is growing old she is becoming softer and we are beginning to fall in love with each other. I was very curious and always asked questions. I would tell my dad ‘can you imagine this? Can you imagine that? And he would listen to me. He was always trying to explain to me why my mum felt the way she did.
When you’re a teenager and you want to be understood and your mum doesn’t understand you, it hurts so much. The good thing about it was that I had a father who brought the balance. I love my dad to death and now I love my mum sincerely but I couldn’t say that when I was a teenager. Maturity changed it all. I was quite inpatient, probing, curious and always seeking answers.
You must have been a rebel…
I had crisis with my parents but it wasn’t a stormy relationship and I wasn’t a rebel. We never took the quarrels far. By dinner, everybody was laughing again and falling over each other.
What would you say was the most remarkable experience of your teenage years?
It was when I did my first presenting at 18 or 19 for a TV show. That was the height. I felt so cool.
How did you come into acting?
I started acting in secondary school. I used to do some shows for UNICEF in Enugu. They were drama presentation for AIDS. I wrote some of the scripts myself. I was on NTA and EBS Enugu. I guess I have been acting all my life. We also had radio shows on Radio Nigeria, Enugu. However, the transition to professional acting began in 2004 when I briefly came in and left. In 2006, I played sub-lead in Evil Altar directed by Emeka Nwabueze and left. Then I came back in 2009, and started work in 2010 and here I am today.
How old are you?
I can’t tell my age, women don’t tell their age
Why?
It’s not cool to tell my age. It just happens and I don’t have an explanation for that. For me, it’s not necessary because I believe age is just a number. The truth is that every time you reveal your age it becomes a barrier. People box you up.
Or are you scared that mentioning your age could throw you out of the market?
It’s not like I am scared it could throw me out of the market. If I tell you my age you wouldn’t believe it. I am young enough. Please stop this age thing.
What would you say is responsible for your astronomical rise two years after you returned to Nollywood?
I think it’s opportunity because there are a lot of talented actresses out there who… but it’s not all of them that have opportunity to work on sets that will project them. There are some scripts you see and wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot-pole because they are crap while there are movies that you watch and it’s not like the actors are out of this world but the movie is good. So, I think its opportunity and hard work. For any actress you need to work hard. I know the industry doesn’t pay the way it ought to but sincerely, if you don’t work hard as an actress, you’re going nowhere.
Do you smoke?
I don’t.
Do you drink?
I drink red wine, occasionally.
How do you get inspiration to interpret your scripts?
First of all I try to understand the character that I am acting because for me, every character is a unique individual. So, I try to understand the person I am acting. I have respect for characters that I play so I try to understand everything about them. I also do my back-story; every script, every character has a back-story. Most times, you don’t get a back story on set so what I do is that I come up with my own back-story.
What did you study in school?
History.
When did you graduate?
I am still in school.
How have you been combining schooling and acting?
It has not been easy. Sometimes after set, I have to be either in my hotel room or at home to read up for tests and exams. Thank God I am graduating; I can’t wait to graduate and hit movies full time.
You get a lot of attention from men?
It’s natural for men to admire women. I enjoy it and the attention is cool.
How would you feel if men didn’t notice you?
If it were to be a character in a movie, I would be sad but in real life I don’t know how I will take it (laughs).
You come across as witty?
My dad is, so maybe, I got it from him.
You are a TV face. How do you handle men?
Sometimes you run into guys who really like and appreciate you and you just enjoy that moment but sometimes you run into people who are very nasty. I remember sometime ago, a guy came along and was all over me ‘Oh, you’re so beautiful’, he kept saying ‘I love you, I want to marry you’ and I smiled at first because I felt this guy was funny and then he started pestering me the whole day. It was at an event and he followed me the whole day. Sometimes you end up not knowing how you handle some of them. I wasn’t rude but I was angry and I stopped being polite. My friends were like ‘please leave her alone.’ This guy was too sweet but he was draining me and I needed a breather. If you have that kind of a relationship with a girl the first time you’re seeing her, she wouldn’t want to see you again.
Are you in any relationship now?
No, I can’t talk about that.
What’s been your most challenging movie role?
The most challenging was Till Death Do Us Part.
Who do you look up to in Nollywood?
What I would say is who are those that have inspired me in one way or the other in Nollywood? As far as acting is concerned, I think Genevieve is a great source of inspiration to me any day. She interprets her roles effortlessly and makes them unique. I like complicated roles that go through different emotions because they make me think deep.
What has been your greatest challenge as an actress?
I think the greatest challenge is not having enough jobs. That’s a big one for a lot of us because you find more than 200 actresses jumping about for one particular job. It’s frustrating. Sometimes you don’t want to go for an audition because you already know everybody is going to be there. Another challenge is the fact that lots of filmmakers tend to keep using the same faces; they give all the challenging roles to the established names while there are actresses like us yearning for such challenges. It’s like everybody is stuck with the old names.
What are those qualities you look for in a guy?
I would love a very confident guy who is very comfortable with himself. I can’t deal with a guy who is not smart. You have to be smart, confident and very comfortable with yourself. I like a guy who is selfless; a guy who lives beyond himself. Sometimes when you start dating a guy you become a part of his life. I want my guy to go beyond that. He does his thing and I do my own thing because we live for other people too. I want a guy who is kind. And he must be funny enough to make me laugh and above all, I want a guy who knows and fears God.
What was the greatest decision you ever took?
Going beyond acting by producing and writing because it’s quite challenging.
What is the most attractive part of your anatomy?
(Laughs) I have discovered that beauty is actually in the eyes of the beholder. Sometimes, when people see me they are like ‘oh! I like your figure; you’re so shapely’ and I’m like, ‘really?’ Sometimes it’s ‘I like your legs, they are so hot; Oh my God!’ And sometimes its ‘baby, you have such a great smile and beautiful eyes’ so right now I am confused.
If not acting what would you be doing?
I will be producing and writing. I can’t think of anything else.
Are you a professional?
To the core!
That means you would do what a professional should do?
I will.
Would you act a nude scene as a professional?
The truth is that professionalism is also an ability to know what direction you want your career to follow. If the direction in my career is to act nude roles, why not? So, as a professional I know exactly what I want and nudity has nothing to do with it.
Could it be that you’re inhibited?
The thing is that anybody can go nude; it has nothing to do with acting…
But if you have to interpret a script…
You must not do all roles. Being a professional does not mean acting nude roles. For me, I have sat down and thought about what I want to do and nudity is not one of them.
Tell us about the first time you were infatuated?
I was a teenager. Whenever I saw this guy I was like ‘oh my God!’ And one day he said, ‘what’s wrong with you. Whenever I want to talk to you, you run away’. I just couldn’t handle it. When I remember it I crack up with laughter.
When was your first kiss?
It was with my first love. Same guy I had my first crush on. He eventually drew me out of my shell.
You’re quite attractive. What’s your beauty routine?
The truth is that I am not religious about any beauty routine. Sometimes I do wash my face and exfoliate. Sometimes I do spar but I am not religious about it. I usually use very soft soaps. I wash my face and take my bath a lot. I maintain soft soaps and avoid harsh creams, and eat healthy.
You must have read a lot of negative stories about actresses. Are you not scared the same thing could happen to you?
I am not scared but I am not ready for controversy. I am just going to do what I have to do and whatever comes I take. I think you can never be prepared for what stardom brings. I don’t think any one could be that prepared for controversy because you don’t know the direction your career is going to take. For instance, when I got the message that I was nominated for this award, I never took it serious. I just got a letter, checked the list and realised that Ini Edo, Uche Jombo and Nse Etim were in the category and I felt like I did not stand a chance, and then I got to Abuja and I won. In this industry you never know what’s coming your way.
What are your dreams?
I want to break old records and set new ones. I want to partner Hollywood. I want to be invited by Hollywood bigwigs to come and work with them, and when I finish I’ll come back home and invite them to come and work with me. I also want to partner Bollywood and any other ‘wood’ in the world.
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