She is too beautiful to be ignored and also too intelligent to
turn down. But the Anambra State-born Blessing Nweke turned down an offer of N5
million to act nude. According to her, she values her family name more than
riches.
In this interview, the Computer Science graduate of Federal Polytechnic,
Damaturu, who just returned to Nollywood after a long break, opened up on her
life, challenges, love and marriage. Enjoy it.
Why did you choose to go into acting instead of working as a
computer scientist? Blessing Nweke started acting
right from her childhood. While at Standard Balingha Nursery and Primary
School, Cameroun, I acted several roles, and even in Diocesan High School,
Gombe State where I had my secondary education. I also acted in the church. I went
into acting fully in 2010 but I took a break that same year to concentrate on
my studies at the Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu, Yobe State, And after my youth
service in 2013, I returned to professional acting.
What was the reaction of your
parents when you chose acting as a profession? Initially my parents did not know because I was in school but
when they got to know they were against my choice of career, especially my
father. They believed that I was whiling away time but when I came back into
acting and they saw me in a movie, my mother said I should go ahead. She gave
her approval because she saw how passionate I was, she was convinced that
acting is my calling.
What part of Nigeria did you come from? I am from Ifite Idunu village in Dunukofia Local Government Area
of Anambra State.
What was the first movie you featured and what role did you play? The first movie I appeared was ‘Visual Silence’; I played the
role of girlfriend to the lead actor, Vincent Ofurum. The movie has 15 scenes.
How would you rate Nigerian movies compared with those of other
countries in Africa? Nigerian actors and actresses,
even our movies, remain the best in Africa. In a few years, we will be the best
in the world. For instance, I have featured in a lot of Ghanaian movies and
could not finish my parts in some of the films because of the frustration I
faced. That’s why I backed out.
What kind of frustration are you talking about or they don’t like
Nigerians? Not that they don’t like Nigerians,
Ghanaians are very accommodating, they are nice people. I faced frustration
from the producers and directors. For example, in Nigeria, movies don’t take
long before they are produced, but in Ghana movie production is slow. It’s not
that they take their time to make movies they are just too slow. So, I could
not see the end of most films I featured.
If you’re not an actress, what would you have been? If I were not an actress I
would have loved to be a businesswoman. Though, there is no wrong doing both at
the same time, I hope that very soon I would combine acting and business.
How much do you worth in terms of assets?
I am worth a reasonable sum both in cash and assets but that is not what
attracted me into acting. I’m not from an extremely poor background and I’m not
desperate to acquire wealth. I turned down an offer of N5 million from a
producer to act nude. It was very tempting but for the name of my family that I
cherished dearly, I rejected the offer. I refused to drag my family name into
the mud.
What is your love life like, have you suffered
heartbreak, still searching for Mr. Right or are you engaged? I have been heartbroken severally, not once or twice but so many
times. As I speak with you, I have someone who loves me greatly but that does
not mean that I’m not searching for Mr. Right.
What would you say is the cause of many failed marriages in Nollywood? I cannot say the cause of failed marriages in Nollywood because
I’m not married. I believe that was one of the reasons my parents wanted to
stop me from acting. To them, I may not get married and if I do, the marriage
won’t last. To me, it is a matter of understanding. For instance, at 2a.m in
the morning, your phone will be ringing as both producers and directors are
calling you for roles. We travel a lot to shoot films and some men or women may
not tolerate that. Those of us who are still single are praying for God-fearing
men that can understand the nature of our job. To me, these are some of the
challenges that married actors and actresses face in Nollywood.
How much does the guy you’re
going out with now understand the nature of your job? Actually, it was not easy at first. He complained of not having
me around most times because I’m mostly on location. Whenever we are talking on
phone I can from the sound of his voice realize that he is missing me and I
can’t deny the fact that I also miss him, but because I have been paid, I must
justify the pay. Also, he is my greatest fan. He encourages me to accept more
roles even though he wants me to always be by his side. It’s not because he
wants to share part of the money, he is rich and comfortable, but he wants my
happiness. So, he chose to support and be there for me. At a time, he suggested
I should stop acting; that he would set up a business for me but when he saw
that acting is part of me, he encouraged me to go on.
How do you think a man feels seeing his wife being kissed in a
movie? My guy complained about that at the
beginning of our relationship. I believe husbands of other actresses also
complain but one thing they fail to understand which I made my guy understand
is that there is no emotion or feeling attached to the kissing we do on set. As
a professional I’m working, this is business. Business and pleasure cannot work
together. Everything I do on set ends there because I’m wearing someone’s
character. It is not me; I’m not the one doing the kissing. So, there is no
feeling attached but I don’t know about others.
The first time you appeared before the camera,
did you experience stage fright? I had courage; I was courageous and
bold when I stood before the camera for the first time. This was possible
because I acted in the church and also in the school at a tender age. So, as I
was growing up I never had stage fright when facing the crowd. What I
experience are the superstars in the movie industry trying to intimidate young
and upcoming ones. They will like to kill your character. For instance, the
first time I was to act alongside Vincent Ofurum, Alex Nsufo and others was not
easy, most especially, as Ofurum’s girlfriend in one of the movies trying to
kiss him wasn’t easy, but when you are watching it, you would think I’m
enjoying it. That is acting for you.
Can you remember how many movies you have appeared in? I have lost count of how many movies I have featured in, many are
out but a lot are yet to be released. Some of them include ‘Pandemonium’,
‘Visual Silence’, ‘Political Armed Robber’, and ‘Thirty Girls in the
Wilderness’.
What kind of man would you want to marry? (Laughs) At least, I am not a beggar; I have a choice. I would
like to marry a God fearing, good looking and comfortable man.
Sometimes last year it was speculated that you were dating Paul of
the P-Square, is it true?
I heard about it but I never took it seriously because yes, people
may have seen me around the two brothers, Peter and Paul known as P-Square.
They are my cousins; we cannot get married, we are related. So, tell me why I
can’t get closer to my brothers because of what people would say.
What are your challenges? The movie
industry, especially acting is very challenging. We are trying to do what
people like you are shy to do. Several producers have asked me to mention any
amount of money for me to act nude. But I keep telling them that I cannot bring
the name of my family to disrepute for any reason. I have a lot of issues with
female producers also, especially when you are doing well, jealousy is the
order of the day.
What advice do you have for upcoming ones in
the industry? They should expect challenges and they must be ready
to overcome the challenges. They should be focused and courageous.
Culled from the Sunnewsonline
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