By Christian Agadibe
Star actress, Chinenye Uyanna has vowed never to quit acting and movie production, even after marriage.
In this exclusive interview, Uyanna opened up on lots of issues including sex for roles, insisting that no producer worth his name will allow himself to be swayed by sex offered by desperate actresses. Here are excerpts:
What phobia do you have?
I am scared of snakes. While shooting a movie, I hate to see snakes and other wild animals. I really can’t stand snakes. I’m so scared of them, so I won’t take any role involving snakes.
What project would you consider as your most challenging?
The Maskers. It is a series on Africa magic, it’s one of the toughest characters I have played. The Maskers was really a tough one and a funny movie too.
What makes one a good actor?
What makes one a good actor is his ability to read and understand the scripts. And also, a good actor is one who is open to learning from his colleagues, because no one knows it all.
What new project should your fans be expecting from you?
I have produced five movies. And right now, we are preparing to go for a movie festival in Miami by November. So, my fans should expect something great, I am cooking something hot for them.
Do you think it’s your sexy body that attracted the producer on your first movie?
I don’t think it was anything about my body that attracted the producer. The first lead character I played was that of a secondary school girl. I was much slimmer then, so they needed a person with a little body and I fitted in.
Is there any part of your body that you think makes you look super beautiful?
I don’t really know how to answer that question. But all parts of my body are beautifully made. I’m beautifully made by God.
Has acting opened doors for you or it’s the opposite?
Yes, acting has opened a lot of doors for me. When it comes to favours, acting has really helped me. For instance, If I go somewhere and there’s a queue, people let me jump the queue and get attended to. On my birthday, I get lots of gifts from people I don’t know, like they make my birthdays eventful. So, I will say being an actor has really opened doors of favours and blessings for me.
As a celebrity, do you still keep your old friends?
Yes of course, I am who I am. I’m the realest person in Nigeria, I still keep my old friends and I don’t fake my lifestyle. All my besties then are still my besties up till now, even though they are in London currently, we are still close.
What has fame deprived you of?
It is the freedom to move around. Sometimes you just want to take a walk and you are not in the mood to talk with people. But some people will see you and they are like ‘oh! She’s the one’ and they start chatting you up. So, that makes me disguise a lot .
You made a comedy skit where you acted as Dangote’s daughter. Are you going to continue doing comedy skits?
I have always been making comedy skits. I’m mama Taegwolo from that popular Taegwolo cartoon. But people don’t know about that because it uses cartoon characters and we just voice it. Also, the House of Ajebo comedy and other ones. I make funny tiktok videos too. It’s just that I took a break from making comedy skits, not that if it comes up now I won’t take the role, I just took a break.
If anyone wants to write about you, what is the thing you wouldn’t want them to write about?
I would say my family; I love privacy when it comes to my family.
So, would you give up acting if your husband asks you to quit?
Any man that tells you to give up your career because of marriage does not love you. So, I can’t quit acting because a man asks me to quit; a man I want to get married to? He met me acting, so why should I give up my career because I want to marry him? Give it up and be doing what? Become a house wife? No way, I will continue acting and producing movies too.
What do you think has changed in the movie industry from the time you started acting till now?
A lot has really changed, the acting has improved, the storylines have improved, the cinematography, almost everything. A lot has really changed because we grow everyday.
Some people say, in order to get roles, young actresses often sleep with producers. Do you think that’s true?
I don’t think so. I mean a good producer that really knows what he is doing won’t give a role to someone who’s not capable just because of sex. It doesn’t make sense; the producer is the one who picks actors for roles and not the actors paying him or offering him something else to get roles. I don’t think that works in this era.
When it comes to acting, you can’t buy your way in, whether by cash or by kind. If you are not good, you are not good.
What can make you feel fulfilled as an actress?
I think that would be fulfilling my dreams, writing and producing more movies. That’s just my dream, to continue creating good stories that people will actually learn from, stories that touch the lives of people. I won’t be fulfilled until I have achieved that.