Do you still
believe in love ?
I believe in love. Love is the
reason for our existence. It’s really not enough if you want to get
something done, you have to do away with that emotion and be real.
Are you
religious?
I’m from a religious background. I
‘m an Anglican and all the moral teachings I learnt while I was growing
up are still there till date. While I was seven, I was a member of my
church choir . I attended an Anglican school, Archdeacon Memorial
Grammar School, it’s a convent school. I’m quite religious.
How did you
feel when your father was murdered?
Every day that passes by, I think of
that man. God bless his soul. He was the reason, I’m doing what I am
doing at the moment. My late dad was a philanthropist. He would give out
the last money in his pocket to those who do not have. I took after my
Dad, whereas my mum was a career woman.
My dad ensured that his children
were well taken care of, in all ramifications. He was a good cook and
he spent greater part of his life in Germany. As far as I’m concerned,
my dad was a German. He was always in the forefront of ensuring that
his children were well catered for. But my mum was a career woman before
she retired.
We learnt
that you are planning to go into marriage again. Is it true?
I would love to remarry. In fact,
I’m designed to be under a man. I’m not going to lie that I like this
‘single mother nomenclature. But whereby there is no one at the moment,
one is bound to get used to the situation. It’s not a ‘do- or -die
affair’ because I have been there before, anything I’m going to do
now,it has to be done right.
I’m not in the school of thought,
where the first one happened and perhaps, the second one. No, any bold
step I have to take in settling down again, it has to be right. I’m not
ready to make another mistake. But I will definitely remarry. I believe
in the principles of marriage. Whether you like it or not, marriage is a
better option.
How soon
are you planning to settle down?
I honestly don’t know about that,
and I can’t tell for now.
Have you
found love again?
It’s neither here nor there. I’m a
lover and I love to love.
It was
rumoured recently that you have found love again?
Is there anything wrong with that? I
just replied you that I love to love. What else do you want to know.
Your fans
would want to know if there is any man in your life at the moment?
Yes, there is a man in my life.
…Lanre
Nzeribe right?
No comment. This is my private life.
People are
alleging that you are pregnant for him?
You can see that I’m not pregnant.
Naturally, I’m not pregnant for anybody.
What do you
regret most about your past?
One thing I regret most is the fact
that I am divorced. Where I come from, I’m the first daughter. I’m
from a royal family, it has never been on record in my family that the
first daughter will walk out of her matrimonial home. But it was a
matter of life and death, otherwise, I would have stayed back and make
my marriage work. I tried to make it work, but it takes two people to
tango.
That’s the only thing I regret,
having to raise my child without the father. It’s a bit painful. But I
have to live with it. It’s better that way than to expose my little
daughter to all sorts of domestic violence. It will definitely
disorient her and affect her upbringing. She will be dis-functional. God
knows the best. May be, I should have been more careful.
With such
shocking experience, what would you say life has taught you?
I’ m a bit stronger and wiser now
than before. I have known how not to get involved in anything emotional
again. If you are emotional even in a relationship, you don’t get to
think. One shouldn’t allow her emotion to overrule her sense of
reasoning.
I have understood what it means to
be patient to persevere and also, to be careful with people around me.
If somebody around you is your very good friend, you end up finding
that the person is actually an enemy in disguise. I have learnt all of
that because I have been alone. While my marriage was intact, I was not
keeping friends. After I’m through with my work, I usually retire to
my house. But since I’m alone, and having to mix up with a lot of
people, I have realised that I have to be very careful and free-minded
and at the same time, be myself.
In the midst
of all these challenges, what would you say has kept you going?
I’m a very strong woman, and
open-minded. I know who I am. I’m a Godly person, but I’m not a
perfectionist. If I do something wrong, I will always find a way to show
remorse and repent of whatever sin I might have committed. That has
kept me going. I’m highly determined and focused. I do not go by what
people say about me.
If your ex-
comes back to you today, will you accept him again?
God forbid. He’s a closed chapter
in my life.
Does it mean
your little daughter is not missing her father?
She doesn’t know her father . She
was barely a year when our marriage crashed. I think she will ask some
day.
Share your
experience with us as a Glo ambassador?
It has been rewarding for me.
Activities always come up here and there, going around, talking about
the brand. Glo has made a long lasting mark in the country.
How do you
describe yourself?
I’m just the girl-next-door. I don’t
have many ears around me, I try to be humble. I want people to be
able to reach out to me. I’m not a difficult person. I’m an easy-going
lady.
You recently premiered your latest
movie, Weekend Getway, What’s the movie all about? First of all, the premiere was
successful. I thank God for that. A lot of people turned out to show
their support. The movie was produced by myself ,Ini Edo and Emem Isong.
It was directed by Desmond Elliot. It paraded A-list actresses, both
young and old ones in the industry. We had to create a platform where up
and coming actors star alongside seasoned actors which made the film
more unique. The movie is already selling out in the cinemas. Between
last Friday when it was premiered and yesterday( last week), we have
made substantial amount of money from the box office alone. I also
acted in the movie.
What are
your recent movies?
Kiss &Tell which was produced in
2010 but premiered in 2011. My second movie, Cat Walk was shot in
2010, but premiered in February, 2012. My third movie, Weekend Getway,
premiered forth-night ago.
Why did you
go into production of movies?
Producing has always been at the
back of my mind as an actress. In fact, I should speak the minds of a
lot of people who are in the art. They want to diversify and break new
grounds and to also show the various things they can do. Naturally, we
all want to try our hands in other things as long as it’s within the
genre of entertainment. That’s the reason I wanted to do something
different. Right now, I’m even going into live theatre which is already
dying in this country. Thespians like myself and a few other people are
trying to revive the dying live theatre culture in the country.
Was it why
you staged a dance-drama, “Dance for Life’ last December?
Yes, because the first outing was
actually sponsored by myself. That’s why I want to see how I can get
corporate bodies to partner with me for the the second edition of the
dance project which I want it to come up on May29.
Do you
dance?
As a Thespian, we all do the three
arms of theatre including Dance , Music and Acting. These are the three
arms of theatre, so you must be able to do the three and then,
specialize in one.
Last
December outing, was it the first time you actually involved in dance ?
Yes, it was the first time I would
dance in public. I’ve never done that before in my life . I only
danced while I was in the university. As an artiste, we were involved in
all sorts of performances way back in school.
How did you
feel that fateful day?
I had mixed-feelings because of the
massive turn-out of celebrities. Again, it was because of the fact that a
lot of people enjoyed themselves and they didn’t want to go home again.
So, I was in between rolling myself on the floor with tears of joy
and also, praying that this kind of dance project should continue. It
was a divine feeling.
Did the
project actualise your dream of reviving live theatre in Nigeria?
Yes, I’ve always wanted to do
exactly that. I’ve always wanted to find an opportunity to revive the
dying live theater in the country. People look at dance as a
non-productive act, but I don’t think so because dance is even more
vigorous than acting. You have to love the art, love theatre and singing
before you can be able to have a grasp of the message. The performer
on stage is trying to understand the message being put across through
dance.
Since you
delved into movie production what has been your challenges?
It’s been a good experience, and
also, knowing that I’m getting older, I need to step aside for the
emerging actresses to excel. But even at that, it’s really difficult
for them. I think some of the fresh actresses are joining Nollywood for
different reasons and probably not for the love of the industry. They
just have this silly idea that if I hit the screen, people would see me
and like my face as well. It’s not done like that.
If you call for an audition today,
and about four thousand people show up, you will be shocked to find out
that not up to five of them have what it takes to be an actress. The
five people would have rigorous screening before they are able to
deliver their lines. That also is a very big challenge. That’s why we
keep recycling a lot of known faces even when we are getting older and
tired. We still try to look slim and young, competing favourably with
the younger ones.
Do you
intend to go solo in your next movie?
Yes, I will like to go solo in my
next movie just to see what it’s like not wanting to do the movie with
anybody else. But I will still engage seasoned directors to direct my
movie. But I want to be the solo financier and solo producer o f my next
movie. That will happen before the end of this year.
We learnt
you are planning to launch a perfume line?
Yes, I’ve already started and I’m
planning to do a launch of the perfume in future. The product is
called Monalisa Mcold Beauty Products. That’s the brand name I’m using
for now. I have a factory outside Lagos where the fragrances are
produced. They took samples of my skin to test if the products are good
for human consumption. We are producing body cream, age defining hand
creams, body mix for men and women and soap.
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