NO ONE CAN EVER BE READY FOR SCANDALS –URU EKE, NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS

 Uru Eke

Upcoming actress Uru Eke doesn’t understand why Nollywood actresses are threatened by a new face and fresh talent. She equally believes that everyone has a special place in the industry and there is no need for baring fangs.

In a recent chat with Daily Sun, she shed more light on how challenging her career has been. Excerpts:

How would you describe your career at the moment?

I am just taking off. It has been good and steady. I am happy for the progress I have made since I started.

What attracted you to Nollywood?

I have done a few short films in the UK and I used to belong to an acting club. Besides that, I have always loved acting and being in-front of the camera. It’s just second nature for me to take up a completely different character.

What kind of roles do you get in movies?

I started off playing a widow, then a rival, boyfriend snatcher, money grabber and lately, I played the role of a bitch.

What do you do immediately you get a script?

First thing I do is read the script, maybe read it a couple more times to familiarize myself with the character that I’ll be playing. Run through my lines and try working myself into the role.

Have you had cause to reject any script?

No, not yet. I am still pushing things and moving up.

You have been in Nollywood for four years now, what is your staying power?

I wouldn’t call it staying power as such. I believe if you have a strong desire to do something, you stick to it till you succeed.That is what I am doing.

How challenging has it been for you?

The major challenge has been shuttling between London and Nigeria. A friend of mine told me that when I starred in his film a while back that I should have stuck around because producers/marketers were looking for me like crazy, but I had gone back to london. The thing is I have a 9-5 job back in the UK and when I’m on holiday, I come to Nigeria to do a movie or two then head back. So, I’ve never been around when there’s a buzz about me. By the time I return, it’s all boiled over. But its okay, what will be will be, right?

How did you break into the movie industry, was it an easy take?

Breaking into the industry wasn’t difficult, I knew someone who knew someone. Nepotism is the order of the day.

What is your view on the movie industry in Nigeria?

I love the way things are going at the moment. Individuals are taking the bull by the horns, doing their own thing and coming out with some pretty good stuff. Actors and actresses are no longer waiting for the marketers, everyone’s putting their creative minds to good work. Its brilliant.

How ready are you for the scandals and many controversies that come with your job?

No one can ever be ready for scandal and controversy, but you just have to deal with it the best way possible. I don’t do drama and I avoid anything and anyone that could potentially create drama around me.

What do you do back in the UK?

My main job is as an IT consultant back in the UK, but when I’m on holiday, I take the time to build my acting career in Nigeria.

Which is your most challenging movie role till date?

So far, I wouldn’t say I’ve done anything that has particularly challenged me, still waiting for that script.

As an actress, who do you look up to in the industry?

I love Bimbo Akintola, she can’t do wrong by me.

Don’t you think its too stressful pursuing a career in Nigeria from UK?

It’s been very challenging but who knows, things might change, so watch this space.

Can you compare both worlds for us, what makes each unique?

The UK film industry is a completely different kettle of fish. There’s something called equity minimum which is like a minimum wage for actors which you are entitled to on a film set, I am not sure they do this in Nigeria.

Secondly, some of the auditions I’ve been to, you are required to come prepared with a monologue but in Nigeria, if you have the bargaining power you state your fee if you don’t, you take what you are offered or lump it. As for auditions, you turn up and play a role described to you.

How did your family react to your desire to be an actress?

My mum has always been a bit 50-50 with me and this acting business but my sisters are my greatest supporters.

Where did you grow up and what is your most cherished childhood memory?

I was born in England, we then moved to New Jersey USA, then back to England, then Nigeria then back to England. So, we were a bit all over the place but I cherish al those lovely memories.

Growing up, what is the greatest lesson life has taught you?

Humility. My mother is the most humble woman you’ll ever meet plus the most pleasant, I took that from her. I have also learnt to be positive and shoot for the stars.

There seems to be a kind of cold war going on in Nollywood between actresses and actors who don’t speak to each other, do you think this trend portends well for the industry?

There’s always bound to be rivalry among colleagues of any industry. Even in my IT job, I have colleagues who would stab you in the back just to get ahead. In situations like that, what can you do? I mean my natural instinct would be to have a few words with the individual or steer clear.

• Uru Eke

Photo: Sun News Publishing

How do you relate with other actors and actresses?

So far my interaction with other actresses has been very minimal, there are a couple of them that I relate to who are really nice and some that I can’t be bothered with. I don’t understand the need to be hostile or show fangs when they see a new talent. There’s room for everybody. The guys have been warm and welcoming so no complains there.

Where do you wish to see yourself in the next couple of years?

I would like to be recognised as an established actress with great depth. Have a positive influence on the young and old, sending a message that you can dream big dreams and achieve them no matter how late it comes in life. I believe delay is not denial and God makes a way there seems none known to man.

Have you ever felt your personality gravitating to a role you once played?

Not at all, I mean I’ve mentioned the roles I’ve played so far as a widow, bitch, money grabber, diva etc and I’m none of those in real life.

Who has made the most remarkable impact in your life as a person?

My dear mother, she’s my super woman.

Were you exposed to African movies in UK while growing up?

When I was younger, like from the age of 15 downwards, no. I think I discovered Nollywood around year 2000 and latched unto it.

You are a beautiful young lady, how do you handle male admirers?

They are part of the day’s job. I handle them with tact and firmness.

Who is the lucky guy in your life?

A lovely man who I’ve been dangling my bare finger before so he can put a cool ring on it.

Can you quit acting for love?

I don’t know yet and wouldn’t want to start thinking about that. I am more focused about building my career.

What advice would you give Nigerian producers and directors?

Let’s get more creative with our story telling and movie making. We need a change of events to take things to a totally new level.

Any last words for your fans?

Hold on to your dreams and pray to the almighty above. Everything is possible with Him.

HUSBAND SNATCHING SCANDAL: ANOTHER TOP ACTRESS DISGRACED

Recounting how it all happened,a source who is very close to the actress said they met at a party soon after the guy returned from a trip to Holland.After exchanging phone numbers and talking on the phone for some time,they went out on a dinner and from there,hit off.
Our source said that what made the actress who has modeled for a drink and telecoms company to fall hopelessly in love with the guy was when he convinced her that he was not married,after pampering her silly with both gifts and attention.

Not long after,she moved into the guy's VGC Home In Lekki,Lagos and both of them started living as husband and wife.However,unknown to the actress,the guy was already married and with kids too.His family only relocated abroad temporarily.

Anyway,they continued living together,with the actress driving all the man's car,altering this and that in his house(interior-wise) until the bubble burst.

A neighbor alerted the guy's wife abroad,and without notifying her husband,she flew back into the country-with her children of course-and all hell was let loose.

The top actress was not only thoroughly humiliated,her things were flung outside by the other woman who kept shouting at the top of her voice that the juju she had used on her man had been neutralized and that never again would her husband fall for her bait.She went on and on,calling her names,singing after her as the actress,now drenched in tears and total humiliation,took her leave,explaining to the few people that cared to listen that she never knew the man was married.

Additional investigation revealed that she may be saying the truth on that.Because we learnt that the man used to sneak out to talk to his wife and children.At other times,he would hide himself in a room to do that,lying to the actress who used to suspect him of being into 419 that he was talking to his foreign business partners.

Again,we were told that because of the nature of his VGC home,he cleverly moved all his wife and children's belongings to a section of the house before allowing the actress to move in.And on the few occasions that she queried why that portion of the house was perpetually under lock and key,he lied that a neighbor of his occupying it had travelled abroad for further studies.

The guy in question is from the Igbo speaking part of Delta State.He runs a travel agency on Victoria Island,Lagos.Alphabet P begins his first name and he belongs to one of the white garment churches with headquarters in Yaba.

The actress is very fair,from the Niger Delta,read Theatre Arts and has a royal blood in her veins.

Iranian Actress Golshifteh Farahani French Magazine Scandal

An actress who has starred with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe has been banished from her home country of Iran – because she posednude in a French news magazine.

Golshifteh Farahani says she has been contacted by the Iranian government, telling her that she is no longer welcome in the country and advising her not to return home.

The offending photo – a black-and-white ‘art shot’ featuring the 28-year-old Farahani posing against a black backdrop with her hands strategically placed over her breasts – was first published in Madame Le Figaro.

Iranian Actress Breaks Taboos, Sparks Scandal By Posing Topless

An Iranian actress living in Paris has been praised for her courage and criticized for her indecency after posing topless for a French magazine and posting the photo on her Facebook page.

Golshifteh Farahani, who moved to France last year, says Iranian authorities have told her not to return home.

"I was told by a Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guide official that Iran does not need any actors or artists and you may offer your artistic services somewhere else," numerous media outlets quoted her as saying.

The scandal erupted when Farahani, who appeared with Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2008 Hollywood film "Body of Lies," posed for topless photos and a video for the French Magazine "Madame Le Figaro" as part of a project by director Jean-Baptiste Mondino. The project features actors and actresses disrobing to promote both themselves and the notion of bodily and artistic freedom.

In the photo, Farahani, wearing only a ring, gazes mysteriously into the eyes of the viewer while delicately covering her breasts with her hands. 

In the video, she appears alongside a number of French actors and actresses and uncovers one of her breasts.

The photo and video, which was quickly subtitled in Persian, were widely shared among Iranians on social media sites.

Heated Debate

They have generated a heated debate about personal freedom, women's rights, and the restrictions women face in Iran, where the Islamic regime subjects them to strict dress codes and many men view them as their personal property.

"The first thing I said when I saw the picture was, 'Bravo, Golshifteh!" said Maryam Mirza, an Iranian journalist living in Germany. "By posing nude, she demonstrated that her body belongs to her. We’ve been suppressed for many years -- the morality police have been telling us for years how to get dressed and how to behave. But a woman came and said, 'This is my right.'"

On Farahani's Facebook page, where she posted the photo on January 17, some praised her for having "the courage to remove a taboo among women in Muslim countries."

Others were less kind.

"You make me sick; you sold your country and your body. It is such a shame for an Iranian woman," one man wrote.

The semi-official Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the hard-line Revolutionary Guards Corps, accused Farahani of “obscenity” and selling her "chastity" to get attention.

"The fate of an actress, who left her country and joined Hollywood, has been nothing but immorality," Fars wrote.

Even some Iranians who are sympathetic to Farahani's actions say the deeply conservative country may not be ready for such a move.

"You see, even among the upper middle class and intellectuals, men tell their wives not to wear this or that because it is too revealing," an unidentified woman in Tehran told RFE/RL in an e-mail. "Posing nude, even for artistic [purposes], might be difficult to digest for many."