Nollywood superstar, Genevieve Nnaji, in an exclusive interview
with Ventures Africa (written by author, Uzodinma Iweala), has talked
about her childhood and how that helped shape the woman she is today.
The screen goddess also talks about her almost 20 years journey in
and how her new movie 'Road To Yesterday' was her way of re-branding and
making a comeback into the industry as an actress, a producer and a
media entrepreneur.
Below are excerpts from the chat;
On her childhood:
I was a tomboy. I had three brothers right behind me. My sisters
were too busy with themselves – you know how elder sisters are. I played
football on the street. I got into a fight with a neighbour of mine who
was a boy and I beat him up… I was six years old. We were mates and he
was fat. He definitely asked for it and he got it.
On her dad:
My dad was the kind of person you didn’t want to speak to you
because you would actually feel the disappointment that you are at that
time. In fact he had a way of – its not even pleading to your conscience
– I think it’s a silent threat to your conscience.
On how helping her mother sell things shaped her:
She traded, she sold stuff, she got her children to sell stuff for
her and we had to. We had no choice. We were living in her house. We
cried. She did things you needed to do at that time. Your friends are
not doing it. Why should you be the one to be doing it? You’re
embarrassed about it, but I’m grateful for that because I think if I
wasn’t even given that chance to be humble, I probably wouldn’t
appreciate what I have today and understand that it doesn’t make me
better than the next person. And [I] just know that everyone is equal
and everyone is entitled to love and respect.
On her first role in ‘Wanted’:
My role was to interview Regina Askia, a former beauty queen turned
actress who was a goddess at that time. That was major. I had to pull
it off as a pro and I did it, and the producers asked me if I had done
it before and I said no. They were amazed at my confidence—probably I
had some training in church or something— but I remember I enjoyed doing
it.
On leaving school to pursue acting:
My dad didn’t find it funny. He wasn’t happy about it, but I kind
of reassured him that I would go back, that it wasn’t over. He was
mostly concerned about the amount of exposure film was going to bring
me, coming from a very conservative, almost prudish home of a Catholic
Igbo family.
On her first salary:
Even the kind of car I drive right now cannot give me that kind of
joy that my first ride gave me. I must have a minimum of my first salary
in my wallet — two thousand Naira. I can have more, but that’s the
minimum. It was my first salary. It’s dear to my heart. That was my
welcome fee into the world of entrepreneurship. It’s just there. I love
it. I spent more than that to get the two thousand though on transport
faire, cause by the time they tell you to go and come back so many
times, you’ve spent way more than that, but that was who I was. I worked
for it. I have to get paid for it. I’d probably squander every money
that is dashed to me, but the one I would sweat for, I don’t play with. I
don’t talk money because I want people to focus on work. Money is not
good for creative people. I don’t value myself materially. Take
everything.
On how the storyline ‘Road to Yesterday’ came to be:
I’m someone who’s dark a lot of the time. I just wonder a lot. My
mind really travels a lot and I think during one of these mind journeys
of mine, I was wondering about the thin line between life and death and I
was thinking about something my mom had told me, stories in the family
and stories from random people about how their loved ones who have
passed, have appeared to them, right before they passed or the time
they’re passing.
On deciding to make the movie:
I made this film because I realize people grow and move on. Things
change in their life, but they don’t expect things to change in yours.
People don’t expect that you are human because you are a superstar. In
other words, you can’t grow, learn, and make mistakes. They don’t expect
those normal things from you. You are expected to know it all because
you are famous.
On her celebrity status:
I didn’t set out trying to be the next somebody, to be like this
person. I just set out to do something that I didn’t understand, but
something my heart wanted, something that comes out from within, and I
just wanted to be given the chance to let it out and express myself. I
am me, but I am also conscious of the fact that am being watched. I have
a responsibility not just to myself but to young people. I didn’t set
out to be anybody’s role model but you grow up, you grow into yourself
and become aware of how much impact you can have on the lives of other
people. I don’t take it for granted and I believe in setting an example.
That’s all I’m trying to do. I’m not saying I’m a saint or I’m going to
be perfect. But I’ve learned that acknowledging my imperfections and my
mistakes has enabled me to become wiser and smarter in the choices I
make in my life. For me it’s all about being true to yourself. When you
do that you will never be a ‘wanna be’, you will be who you want to be.
Click here to read the full interview on venturesafrica.com
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