Here's what Nollywood actress, Uche Ogbodo,
told Nonye Ben-Nwankwo of PunchNg about her
career, Afrocandy, Harrysong and love life.
All of a sudden, you are seen in many movies
unlike before. Why are movie, producers
courting you now?
Are they really courting me? Well, I don’t think
I work more than other actresses. I know that
my spirit and
my zeal to do better in my job have pushed me
further.
That I am everywhere is just because I
am persistent and I try to improve on any job
that I am given.
Going by how long you have been around, you
should have moved higher in your career …
I am working according to the pace that God
has set for me. I don’t want to be anybody
else; I want to be me, according to the destiny
that God has given me. I don’t think that my
contemporaries are doing better than me. I
came into the industry in 2006 and I think I
have made something for myself. There are so
many others who were there before me, but they
have not reached the level I have attained in
the industry. They are still seen as up and
coming actresses. Some people rose to fame
through other means.
Like?
They rose to fame through bad life, scandals
and stuff like that. I don’t want to be known
for bad things. I want to be known for good
things. I am a role model to so many people
and I want to remain like that. I want to be
remembered for something good. I want to rise
to fame by doing good stuff. I want to be
known for the good reasons.
But you have not been free from scandals since
you came into the industry…
Maybe that is true, but I don’t call them
scandals, I call them minor mistakes. I might
call them ‘mini scandals’. I have tried some
things that some people perceived to be
scandal. I know that I don’t live a scandalous
life.
A picture of you kissing Harrysong went viral
some time ago. Was it publicity stunt or were
you actually caught in the act?
It wasn’t a publicity stunt. It was nothing. In
fact, my friend and I were hanging out during
his birthday and we were just drunk and
having fun and playing a game. I just gave him
a birthday kiss. Look at the picture very well, it
wasn’t a deep kiss. It was a simple birthday
kiss. Harrysong is not my boyfriend; he is my
good friend. I have never had anything to do
with him but we are very close. So, it was just
simple birthday kiss that I was just jokingly
plastering on his face and people were taking
pictures that day.
Where was that?
It was at the beach and it was his birthday.
When Harry realised that a lot of people were
taking pictures, I had to ask him if he was
bothered about it. There was no way we would
tell everybody to delete the pictures. It would
have looked as if we were hiding something. I
was just playing with my friend and I think I
have the right to do that; it is my life. I wasn’t
giving Harry a deep kiss, I am not known for
such act. People were just fishing for scandal.
The issue with Afrocandy, the soft bad
producer also went viral. What really
happened? Did she approach you personally to
feature in her movie?
She didn’t approach me personally to say I
should star in her movie. But she released a
statement on her Facebook wall. I saw the
statement because a lot of people drew my
attention to it. I didn’t know who she was, but
I had heard of her because the media had
been saying unpleasant stuff about her.
Was that why you sent out your own statement
about you not being a bad actress?
Being who I am, I didn’t take a second thought
before I issued my statement. Her Facebook
statement could have meant so many things. It
could have been that she admired me and
wished to be in a movie with me. It could have
also meant she wanted me to star in her bad
movie. I didn’t think of the former before I
released my statement. A lot of people choose
to take the negative than the positive, so I
needed to clarify some issues to some people
who might have thought I was considering going
into badography. I don’t have anything against
her. She is a Nollywood actress, but I cannot
live her kind of lifestyle. I am so decent even
in the movies. I told her that I wouldn’t be able
to feature in her movie and even if I have to
become a bad actress, I would have to do it
professionally and with a higher industry and
certainly not cheap bad.
She replied your statement…
Oh yes. She replied and blasted me. But I
didn’t react. I wouldn’t want to cheapen
myself. I would have been promoting her if I
had done that.
But we learnt you sent friendship request to her
on Facebook?
I don’t know her. I don’t think she is my
friend on Facebook. It is funny. She was just
trying to make herself important. I know who I
am. I have well over 24,000 followers on
Facebook.
I don’t think I sent a request to her.
I can only do that to people who are bigger
than me, especially big companies. I don’t use
Facebook to connect to anybody or set up a
friendship. I have so many messages on my wall
but I cannot reply. They are so many. This was
somebody who said she wanted to act alongside
me and some others in her movie. It then
meant she had some high regard for me. I
didn’t go to meet her and beg to be in her
movie. She is not the kind of person I would
want to relate with. I want to be friends with
women of substance. I want to be known for
good reasons and not bad. I want to be friends
with people who live a good life.
Would featuring in her film have been a bad
idea?
I am not a bad star. I don’t want to act in a
bad movie. I want to get married. I want to
have children and be a good wife and mother.
This is Africa and not Hollywood. Nobody can
ever see me go unclad in the movies. Nobody has
ever seen me take off my clothes and show any
part of my body in the movies.
Really, but you said you can act unclad some
time ago?
I said that but I attached a lot of conditions
to that statement. But people chose to take the
first part and went to town with the story that
I said I could act unclad. I only said I could
act unclad if my culture and tradition permit
me. Am I crazy to say I want to act unclad? If
I weren’t in a community that would criticize
me if I act unclad, then I could do it. That was
what I said. I respect my tradition.
Going back to Afrocandy, why do you think she
added you to the list where she had Anita
Joseph and Cossy Orjiakor?
I wouldn’t know. Maybe she sees strength in the
three of us. It maybe she also saw confidence
and an ‘I can do all things,’ spirit in all.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t know why she would put
me in their category. I don’t have butts like
Anita. My "oranges" are not as big as Cossy’s. I
wear a size 34D. I just have broad shoulders.
But we learnt you did breast enlargement
recently?
But look at my breasts. You can touch them to
see if they are real or fake. My breasts are
real. I can go on national TV and show the
world that my breasts are real. I have
beautiful breasts. They are part of my best
assets. I didn’t do any cosmetic surgery and I
don’t have any form of silicon or plastic in my
breasts. I am sure you must have been
disappointed when you saw me.
What happened to that your boyfriend? the one
abroad? We learnt he left you.
He didn’t leave me. I was the one that left
him. It didn’t work out between us.
Whose fault was it?
It wasn’t anybody’s fault. I just decided he
wasn’t good enough for me. He wasn’t what I
wanted. Maybe I was young and naïve and
when I took time to analyse things with my
family, I realised I wouldn’t go into the
relationship otherwise I would have been
miserable and the marriage wouldn’t have
lasted a year. We were engaged but we didn’t
get married.
But the story was that you got pregnant for
another person and he came back and dumped
you…
That is a lie. None of that happened. He
couldn’t have dumped me. He still wants me till
today. He calls me and begs to marry me. I
don’t live bad life. I am a different person. I
am responsible.
There is no man that has been with me that has
ever left me. I am usually the one who walks
out. I am not married today just for reason
best known to me. It is not every man you date
that you must marry. A man can only leave his
woman based on laziness or infidelity. I am not
lazy and I am not scandalous. I don’t cheat on
my man.
I am always faithful so there wouldn’t
be any reason for any man to dump me. I
made up my mind and I am not going back to
the guy. I am not 40 yet, I am not even 30. I
am only 27. Am I looking so old that people
think I can’t get married? I still have chances.
No comments:
Post a Comment