We are just going to bring to you some aspect of an elaborate interview that Adesua had with The Sun on this subject matter.
Here it goes:
The first class graduate of Drama and Performance from the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom and also triple distinction holder in Performing Arts from City College Coventry, also in the UK, certainly knows her onions when it comes to role interpretation. In this interview with Entertainer, Etomi shares with us her joy and fears. Excerpts:
How long have you been acting?
I have been acting professionally since 2013. I only moved to Nigeria two years ago because I have been in the United Kingdom. I studied Drama and Performance in school. I got a Bachelor of Art degree in Drama and Performance and I came out with a first class. I wasn’t planning to move back to Lagos when I did. Frankly, I quit my job over there because I grew discontent and restless. Initially, my plan was to come and spend three months here, but now I have spent three years. This means that it has been good and rewarding. I stayed because Nollywood welcomed me and my love for acting won’t let me be. It is a decision I haven’t regretted. Even before now I have done a lot of theaters; I did a lot of musicals. I wasn’t so keen about been a superstar and so I did a few things but they were mostly theater. But this year, I did say to myself, ‘if you want to be a performer, you have to learn to be an all-rounded performer’. Hence the reason I am doing more TV and film productions. This year alone, I have been involved in three films. I have another TV series called, ‘Lasgidi Cops’. I have been trying to get more screen time this year than I have done in the previous years.
What role are you playing in Shuga?
I am playing the role of Sheila. Sheila is an amazing woman; she is 27 and dating one of the major characters. She is assertive, strong minded, but she is also very soft and doesn’t raise her voice. She is a very sweet character who would stand up for what she believes in and it’s such a privilege playing her because she is calm and very intelligent. I like playing intelligent characters; they are very easy to play.
How did you get into the show?
I actually got invited for a close audition. I was very naive because I saw so many people I knew. You know, when you are new in the industry; you come across really good actors when you go for auditions. You will keep asking yourself questions, like ‘Jesus, how am I going to get this?’ Then, I will pray to God and say, ‘daddy, please help me out’. When I wake up in the morning, I put some anointing oil on my head and say ‘Lord, help your sister out’. I don’t play with God at all because I believe He is the one that grants favour. So, I just prepared myself, went in there, did the best that I could, went back home and waited for that call that would change things. A couple of days later, they told me I got it all and that was it.
You have the ability to quickly switch from your British accent to Nigerian accent…?
I moved to the United Kingdom when I was an adolescent. My ability to switch is quite funny, really, because people keep saying that. But here is the real thing; I believe if you want to come to Rome, you have to learn how to speak like the Romans. I don’t want to stand out because of things like accents. If I want to stand out, I want to stand out because of my work. I don’t want you to say that I am amazing because I have got a British accent. You put me in your film and see how I’ll turn things around, and obviously, I can’t use my British accent in every role I get. It won’t work like that. You have to learn to transform as a performer, you have to learn all these things. Honestly, picking up the Nigerian accent has worked in my favour. When I just came in, I sounded like I was from Warri, no offence to people from Warri. But, you know, it just sounded that way and it was really wired.
Are you in a relationship?
There are some things that are really personal to me and I prefer not to talk about them. So, I would not address that.
How do you handle your male friends?
It is sometimes funny because many people tend to say that most female actresses have negative reviews when it comes to attention. However, people are quite respectful of me. I never feel overwhelmed by male attention because men will always be like ‘Adesua, I love you’. It is not always like that, you get people that admire you, you can just wave and say hello. People can walk up to me and say ‘you are awesome’ and I will say ‘thank you’. It’s not anything special. I have not had any wild experiences. Maybe if I am on Instagram and someone writes rubbish, I will just delete it. Things like that don’t really bother me.
What about men who want more than just being friends with you, how do you handle them?
You know what, men don’t really toast me. I don’t know why, really; maybe it is the way I carry myself. They don’t, really. Sometimes, when they want to talk to me, they will assume I am already seeing someone.
Have you been sexually harassed?
No, never! And I think that it is just God’s favour. No director or producer has ever said ‘come let me sleep with you’. No one has ever tried to touch my body part. I have not experienced any of that, not for once and that is because I pray hard. And God knows I just want to face my work and do well. I don’t have time for all that and I am thankful, because I know people that have gone through it.
How much time do you spend in church?
Not as much as I would like. You know, sometimes on Sunday, I have to work, and sometimes midweek. But I feel like your spiritual life should never ever suffer for your works. So, me and my ‘daddy’ are constantly talking.
Credits: The Sun. We are grateful to them for this opportunity.