Christian Agadibe

For Edo State-born screen diva, Etinosa Idemudia, there is no dull moment. Despite the hardship and boredom posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nollywood star embraced the social media where she is pulling a lot of weight.

In this exclusive interview, the role interpreter and film producer talks about her career turning point and many more.

Is there any lesson you learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown?

I have become very germ conscious, being indoor adding weight. It has not been easy at all. The pandemic has denied me of acting, going to work and doing things I have been expecting money from.

What are you doing now that you weren’t doing before?

You know all these people that used to chat me up on social media like ‘how are you baby’ and I won’t reply? Now, I am so bored that I reply my DM. 

You did a movie in your home state, Edo. What informed such a wonderful project?

Yes, the title of the movie is ‘Blood of Enogie’. It’s an epic story. The Rock Nigeria’s CEO, Mrs. Mary Remy Johnson spoke to my director, Charles Nwagbai that she wanted to do an epic in Benin. So, Charles reached out to me like ‘Etin, do you have any idea or script?’ I was already writing something like that, but it’s an Igbo epic. So, when they said they wanted to do something in Edo State, I was excited and said ‘look at this story’ and by the grace of God, he contacted two writers who built 26 episodes out of it for Blood of Enogie. I thank Mrs. Mary Johnson and Charles Nwagbai for the opportunity. I just wanted to be a part of an Edo epic story to portray my culture and show Nigerians what Edo people are like. I just wanted to sell Edo people to the world.

What do you like about the character you played in the movie?

My character was Akugbe, one of the bitter, hateful wives of Enogie and a major problem of the whole village. The thing I like about the role is that there are actually people like Akugbe in real life; people causing problems, anarchy and my character portrayed how she ended up, raining curses on herself. So, if you are one of those Akugbes out there, you should change to avoid this kind of bad ending. Indeed, there is so much to learn about the character.

Let’s move to fashion, what’s your definition of style?

To me, fashion is a feeling. It’s about how I feel today and sometimes it’s a means to send a message across. 

What are the things you won’t do because of fashion?

I won’t choke or kill myself because of style. There are some clothes/styles out there, like turtleneck that can choke your neck and suffocate you. There are some things I don’t mess with because I am asthmatic. So, anything that has to do with my throat, neck or breathing, I won’t mess with it.

What do you see as the turning point in your career?

It would be The Washerman, a movie I did in 2018. When Washerman was released, I got a lot of fans. People including my colleagues discovered how good I was and wanted to associate with me. It even got better when they realised I wrote the script and were like ‘oh you made that movie yourself’. People started believing in me more, people who have underrated me probably because of comedy, you know, I do online comedy. Most people, who thought I couldn’t do anything else apart from comedy, started believing in me. So, Washerman is God’s gift to my career.

If you want to advise young people out there, what would you tell them?

I will say the change begins with you. Any change you want to see starts with you. Don’t look for someone to blame for your failure and don’t blame the government. In order to change the world or your situation, you need to change your mentality. No matter the mistake you made, just believe in yourself. Just do the one you can do and hope for the best.