Christian Agadibe
Despite her celebrity status, Destiny Etiko is still her humble self. Unlike some other movie stars, she has not allowed fame to go into her head.
In this interview, the sexy diva narrates how she started acting from childhood, the role her mother played in making her what she is today, and the day a fan gave her the embarrassment of her life. Enjoy it.
What has COVID-19 lockdown denied you?
It has denied me a lot. I can make like two short movies in a week. If they are not short movies, it could take like eight days or so. So, I have actually missed a lot. If not for anything, it’s the money that comes into my account.
What motivated your talkshow on Instagram?
If there wasn’t anything like COVID-19 and I am working everyday, I don’t think I will have time to talk… but for the fact that the App has something to do with the kind of job I do. I love acting, so I am doing the show just to while away time.
Is there any work you are currently promoting?
If not for COVID-19, I would have clinched endorsements from two different companies. I was supposed to have gone to Abuja to seal an endorsement deal. But because of COVID-19 everything had to be on standstill.
Do you think actors will need to go for COVID-19 test before they can act again?
When COVID-19 is gone, I think it will be forever; then we will definitely go back to the way we normally act. But when the virus is still around….
What’s the craziest thing a fan has done to you?
A fan saw me and lay on the floor screaming. She jumped up, hugged me and then went crazy right in the middle of the crowd. I felt embarrassed. Later, I got to know that she was a die-hard fan of mine.
Have you ever craved to be famous?
The truth is that I have never craved to be famous. My mother used to take me to locations when I was little. She would have me hold her bag while she was busy acting. It got to a point that my father stopped her from acting. I was very small then, I was in JSS 1. Movies take your time, you go out and come back at night, and my father did not like that idea. But I remember, for three consecutive times, l helped my mum hold her bag while she was filming. But then, when I was small, I shot some movies. In one of the movies, I was Pete Edochie’s daughter. But after that, my mother stopped acting and I never really yearned for acting again until I got into the university.
And all this while you never had any formal training as an actor?
I have not really had any training. If not for the period I went to locations with my mum when I was small… well, I won’t call that training. I didn’t really have any training.
What did you study in school and what kind of student were you?
I read Marketing. While I was in school, I was only acting small, small roles. Back then, I did not consider myself a celebrity because I was still using my ‘legedes Benz’, doing my waka waka in school. I was still patronising the canteen, eating food of N100, N150 or N200. I didn’t have money; I was just seeing myself as someone acting in movies. That was in 2014. I did my NYSC in 2015. So, it was at the NYSC camp that I started receiving calls from different producers, saying they wanted to work with me. I was like ‘really?’ That was why I redeployed from Ondo State to Enugu, my hometown. From Enugu I broke out to Asaba, which is actually the headquarters (of movie making).
What are the things you won’t do in the name of fashion?
What I will not do in the name of style is getting almost naked. But anything unique and presentable is okay by me. I love body-curve outfits because I have a very good physique.
Has fame denied you of anything?
Fame has not denied me of anything. You know, I am an Enugu girl and I love Abacha. I can enter anywhere and eat. It still does not stop my bank account or change the fact that my name is Destiny…