By Rita Okoye
Anita Joseph Olagunju is a well-known Nigerian actress, singer, and media personality. She has starred in numerous films, gaining recognition for her versatile acting skills and recently adding prayer ministry to her calling. In this interview, the happily married movie star sheds light on her new life, career, marriage and more!
Enjoy!
Lately, we have been seeing more of you preaching. What triggered that side of you?
I have always had that side of me, just that I have been keeping it under wraps but this is the time. I just finally answered the call of God.
Would you be going further by running a ministry?
Wherever God directs me to I will go. I will do personal ministry but not now.
How has been the feedback on your ministerial journey?
The Lord has been faithful. I mean some people know already what I carry. It’s not by my power though. So, it wasn’t hard for a lot of people to adjust to this new me.
Back to Nollywood, what has been your most challenging role to date?
Open and Close has been the toughest so far. I played a nymphomaniac. It was so difficult for me to enter into that character. I played the role of a sex addict. If you watch it, you will understand.
Can you tell us about a particularly memorable project or film you’ve worked on and why it stands out for you?
I have a lot of films though, but my latest now is Rush Hour. It is on Amazon Prime. I love the movie so much because I spoke Igbo. Alex Ekubo and I connected so easily as brother and sister, you know, and we were speaking Igbo. I just love my character in that movie.
How do you prepare for your roles, especially those that are drastically different from your real-life personality?
I prepare mentally, physically and spiritually, though I don’t take every role, especially now. If my spirit doesn’t agree with it, I won’t do it.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career, and how have you overcome them?
Did I have challenges in my career? Well, somehow yes. And of course, I overcame them by God’s grace.
How do you balance your personal life with the demands of your acting career?
I balance all because I understand life. I understand marriage. I understand my career, and I find a way to balance all of them, so it doesn’t mix with my personal life, and it doesn’t mix with marriage. I know where to cut the ties.
What do you do to unwind and take care of yourself amid a busy schedule?
I don’t go out. You hardly see me out there, even in some major events you don’t see me. I do go for film events. I don’t drink or smoke, so what would I be going out to do? I can stay in my house and watch movies and write songs or stories. Or even meditate. If I go out and mix up with people who smoke, the air would be polluted and end up affecting me.
You slowed down on PDA (public display of affection) with your husband. Could it be because of internet trolls?
Internet trolls? Never! We just got busy, trolls have nothing on us. When you are trolling us, that’s when we would be doing more. We just got busier. There are a lot of things to post, but sometimes work overtakes us. We create those lovey-dovey contents when we go out for events, but these days we hardly step out. We don’t go to events like that.
What’s the best part of marriage for you?
The best part of marriage is that you can get a massage anytime, any day that you want it. You can get a cuddle from your baby anytime. I can do every other thing anytime. The best part of marriage is that you have someone to confide in. Someone you talk to and share your fears and worries. In marriage, you always have that best friend by your side. Even when everyone else says no to you, he’s going to say yes. He is your paddy for life, your gee! Somebody you can always talk to. Somebody who will always be by your side. Whenever I call, he listens. I talk to him every minute of the day, my sister, my marriage is sweet, don’t worry.
What would you like to change about your husband?
Nothing! My husband is sweet. He’s a good man. There’s nothing to change about him.
As an Igbo lady, how have you been handling the language difference between you both?
I’ve been managing. The Yoruba language is quite hard to learn. Maybe, I will just get a Yoruba teacher. My husband understands the Igbo language. Yeah, I try to manage him.
What advice would you give to young aspiring actors trying to break into Nollywood?
Focus! A lot of you fall by the wayside because you came into the industry with this mindset of, “If I just enter I go blow” and “If I enter men go see me.” No! It’s not like that. Slow down, and focus. Read your scripts because a lot of you don’t read scripts. They always give it to the assistant to read to them. You have to crawl before you walk right, take it easy.
Can you share any upcoming projects or roles that you are particularly excited about?
You will be the first to know about the project when the time comes. Currently, I am working on so many things. Jehovah is my strength. I will surely keep you posted.