She talks about her career, clothing lines and plans concerning marriage. You have just marked your 30th birthday.
Whether we accept it or not, we have never seen a star like Genevieve Nnaji in Nigeria.
She is the first of a new cadre of personalities Nigeria is producing, glamorous faces, icons every youngster aspires to be like. Nnaji has probably inspired more people to consider a career in acting than all the other popular Nigerian actors put together.
She came across as very confident, even to the point of being impatient, but one can also argue that it is youthful exuberance. At 30, she’s barely just become a woman and now has this huge responsibility thrust upon her, to be the vanguard of a new class of celebrities created solely by a larger than life screen presence.
How do you feel?I don’t really feel any different. Like they say, age is just a number.
You have been acting for close to eleven years now.
What have you gained from it?
It has open doors. It has given me some sort of fulfillment, and I love acting. I am glad I have been able to step into that line of creativity.
Yes, it‘s been fun. I would say in so many ways, I am grateful for it.
First, it was acting. Then you entered into music. Now you are going into fashion and modeling.
How do all these things come together?
They have always been there really, but what is there is that I unveil each of them at its own time. I believe there is time for everything. There are still more that you don‘t know that I do. With time, you would probably know or you‘ll never know. Acting came first. It is not really my major talent, I must say, but it was the first thing I did.
I love music. Yes, an album came out of it, but that is not necessarily my stuff, because that is not the most I can do. I love fashion too. I have been designing right from primary school, so, for me, fashion is fun; a way of relaxing. It is more of passion than work. So I am taking my time doing it. I am being very relaxed doing my own designs; what I would love to wear. So, I believe my designs are for people whose tastes are similar to mine.
About a year and a half ago, you had a collaboration with a young designer and you people came up with St Genevieve. Now, the story in town is that you and another famous designer are collaborating to come up with very exclusive lines.
What is the whole thing all about?
It is the same thing.
St. Genevieve brand is just me and my designs. Anybody can make my outfit as long as they have the talent for sewing. I believe I have worked with the best so far and I‘m sure I am going to work with a lot more people. All I am doing here is selling my creative designs. Zizi is the next person I‘m going to work with. I love her finishing, which I must also add that Iconola has. But I am glad to be collaborating with Zizi this year. And we don‘t know how long it would go on.
Is it the end of Iconola’s partnership with St. Genevieve?
For now, yes. If anything is going to come up, we will know in the future. But for now, it is me and Zizi, and it is refreshing to be doing this with somebody who is as creative as you.
How do you arrive at your designs?
The designs come to me, except I see a fabric, look at it and think of a design for it. But when I sit on my own, I just do designs.
What is happening to you in the movie industry now?
You should be asking the industry.
No, we should ask you, because you seem to have gone on sabbatical.
No, I am just a bit more chilled. Well, everybody has to grow up to a point where they have to make up their minds on what they want when it comes to their jobs. And what I want here is creativity and professionalism. That should also show in the kind of movies that I take part in. I am being very selective. There is no rush now; I have so many things on my plate, so I‘m not in a hurry to be in every movie as it were.
Are you working now?
I am not working, because I have been reading through scripts and I‘m still trying to settle for something. If I don‘t see anything I like, I don‘t work.
Which was the last movie you did?
Eh, the last one was Bursting Out, which was shot in April.What are the specific things you look out for in a script?All I look out for is creativity. It doesn‘t have to stretch me.
It could be a simple story. It could be a simple character. But the most important thing is creativity in plotting, writing, and scripting. I like a complete work; one in which you know that the script is well written right from the beginning to the end, and it must make sense even if it had been done before.
I am not one of those that criticise films, saying it has been done many times. The issue is how differently you are making yours.One of the things that I have noticed in Nollywood lately is that there seems not to be much that is going on. A lot of Ghanians are coming in…I don‘t think Ghana is moving in. I think we are inviting them in.
So, if you don‘t want them, you don‘t have to invite them. It is simple.But do you think that is good for us?
I see actors as contractors. If I‘m here and Ghana calls me to come in and do a movie, I don‘t think it is anybody‘s business; it is between me and the producer. So, if you have an issue with me coming in, you should take it up with the producer. An actor should have the right to work anywhere–here, Nollywood, Bollywood or whatever wood. It is an open market and we all have one thing in common, which is passion for acting.
I found that this year‘s AMAA awards did not go down well with many Nigerians. In a bid to internationalise it, most of the awards were given to outsiders.
As a practitioner, how do you feel?
It is not about me being a practitioner. I haven‘t seen most of the movies that were given awards, so I am not in a position to judge. But I don‘t see anything wrong in trying to bring other markets as long as they are within Africa. But as far as I’m concerned, being a nominee is already an award; you are already recognised for your good work. But when it now comes down to the winner and who takes the cake, I think we have to be professional, honest and truthful and give honour to whom honour is due. Bias shouldn‘t come to play here. I am not saying it did. That is the way it should be treated.
I have no qualms with AMAA inviting those people.But some would say that you have not really developed your own country and you are inviting others in.
What are we doing to make sure that things change for the better?
Well, I don‘t know what they are doing. I‘m not a producer or a director; I am an actor. My own is to be called when the whole production has been put together, then I come on board. But I do my own bit of talking to people I feel can make a difference.
I give my ideas and I preach. There is nothing I can do until I’m ready to go behind the scenes, and I‘m not ready to do so right now. At the end of the day, the little I can do is what I am doing: saying yes to things that I believe are worthy of being seen and watched and saying no to those I think are not in any way helping us as an industry or making us move forward as individuals.
So, you don‘t want to be a producer or director, where the money is?
You see, I did not come into this industry for the money in the first place; the money came to me. I am here for the craft and the passion, and for me, the passion is still what drives me.
When I am tired of that, maybe I will go for the money.Who in your opinion is a professional actor?
A professional is somebody who puts his job first and then every other thing is negotiated. If you love your job, it will pay you back in some ways.
You just have to give it some dedication.You are 30 but you look younger; what is the secret? Good genes.
You were involved in a contract scandal with a Ghanaian producer sometime ago. What actually happened?I don‘t want to talk about it, because I think just attaching my name to that production has given it enough publicity. So, I will not even honour it by speaking about it. It is in the past now. There was nothing to resolve there was no deal, no contract. Just like any other script, you come, I like you. If I don‘t like you, you leave; it is as simple as that.
What you go about telling the world is the reason is your business, but it is just that you couldn‘t get me on your job. You are the loser.Did your parents support your decision to go into acting?Well, initially, no. But with time, they saw that it was something their daughter really loved and was passionate about. My parents have always been there for their kids, and right now, they are standing behind me.
How were your childhood days like?
It was fun in a full house. I had a good childhood and I am grateful for that.
I know that it is normal to have pressure from parents to get married, especially at your age. Do you have such experience?
I think my parents have other kids to focus on. I am only one out of eight. As for me, if it comes, fine. It is not a priority. It has never been. But it is a good place every woman wants to be, so I am not shying away from it. But again, I am going to go in with my head screwed on. I will go into marriage for the right reasons, not for money, fame or name, and not to satisfy the world. I don‘t want any sort of peer pressure getting involved in my settling down. I don’t have to try to prove a point that I can settle down; I don‘t need that. I am here to please myself and my God. As long as my parents have no issue with it, I am fine.
When I find the right person, I‘m sure I will settle down. What fashion accessory would you break a bank for?
Oh, diamonds and handbags.
How many handbags do you have?
I can‘t count.
How much is the most expensive of them?
I don‘t have to say that either, but I can tell you the cheapest one.Ok, the cheapest.It is the one I got from Zara or even outdoor, because I see some unique stuff even from the cheapest stores and I buy. I just like handbags and I will not tell you the most expensive.
Are you in any relationship now?
No.
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