Any day I don't have fun is boring
By DAMIETE BRAIDE
Friday, March 11, 2005

Caroline

Photo: Sun News Publishing

Caroline Uduak Abasi Ekanem is a princess from the royal family of Ekanem in Eket, Cross River State. She went into acting not only for the fame and glamour, but to use her talent to impact on her society. Born to a British father and a Nigerian mother, Caroline is from a God-fearing and disciplined family. This undergraduate of the University of Calabar loves singing, but has acting as her first love.

Since she cut her teeth in acting, when she featured in Chico Ejiro’s Deadly Kiss, she has never looked back.

Though blessed with ravishing beauty, Caroline is not one of those Nollywood actresses who allows the glamour of screen acting to get into their heads. She told Daily Sun that she would rather die in penury than bare it all before the camera.
In this interview, Caroline speaks on her life, career and why parental influence would not make her do anything untoward as an actress.

How I started
I was into modelling for three years before I went into acting. I had always wanted to act, but something told me that the time was not ripe for me to go into it. I started acting through a friend called Mrs Dominic. She was the one who took me to Chico Ejiro and he featured me in the movie entitled Deadly Kiss. Although the movie was my debut, I played a lead role and people said that I performed so brilliantly.

Best role
My best role in a movie was when I acted alongside Ikechukwu Onyeka, Emeka Nnoecha and Tu Face Idibia. The role was challenging to me as well as the setting. I felt real good doing it and I believe that it brought out the best in me and for the fact that I had to play five different roles in the same movie.

Inspiration
I am always inspired by the role at hand. At times, people see me as someone who cannot hurt a fly. But the irony of it is that some of my roles present me as someone who could be very mean.

Relationship with directors
My kind of relationship with directors is strictly on business, nothing else. As a lady, I know what it takes to be in the midst of men. So, if a director wants a relationship other than business, I would make him understand that I am not one of those upcoming artistes that sleeps around with men.

Challenges
I don’t like people to know that I am a half-caste. I am a Nigerian and I love African culture and I want people to see me as an African. The challenges are quite enormous because at times, some people would conclude that I can’t play certain roles because I am thin, or I am not dark skinned, or because I speak with British accent. There are other times that people have the impression that I should not be well paid and so on. However, I want people to know that I am not into acting because I am a half-caste but because I want to play the role that I am given.

Movies featured in
Some of the movies include Deadly Kiss, A Second Time, Missing Angel 2 &3, Foreign Affairs, The Twist, Angel and the Beast, Real Love Part 2 and a Yoruba movie.

Happiest moment
Everyday is my happiest moment because God grants me the grace to see each day. I am happy for that. So, there is no particular happiest moment for me.

Artiste fee
I won’t tell you, it is a secret. Some people always put my fee in the range of N500,000. May God bless them for rating me so high. Anyway, I am still an upcoming actress and I don’t earn up to that.

Night clubbing
I can’t remember the last time I went to a club, but I love singing. My social life is a kind of boring one because after acting and everything, I would be so tired that I would have to go home and rest the next day. As a student, whenever I don’t go to school, I am at home taking care of my grandparents. But when I want to have fun, I would have it to the fullest. If I don’t have fun in a day, that day would be boring.

Acting negative roles
Damn it! I am from a disciplined home. My parents will disown me should I act nude in a movie for instance. Rather, I would wear a bikini or shorts instead. I will not expose my body to the public except to my husband. That is to say that I can’t act nude in a movie even if I am paid the money in the whole world.

Advice to my fans
My advice to my fans is that whatever they want to do, they should not allow anybody to stop them. They should always give it a trial even if they think that it will fail. They would be surprised that they would make it and in everything, they should remember God first. They should be determined, self-confident and learn to please themselves before others. They should always follow the dictates of their hearts. In everything, they should not allow fear to conquer them.

Future plans
My future plan is big. I would like to be somebody that people would see and they will say! I want to be like this lady. I want to achieve all my dreams even before I attain 30 years and I know that I will do it in Jesus name.