By CHRISTY ANYANWU
Naomi Nkechi Emmanuel popularly known as Nurse Titi in, Clinic Matters is from Aguata Local Government, Anambra State. She is a graduate of History and International Relations. The actress has just produced her first movie titled The Interview, a comedy soon to debut in cinemas. She spoke to Sunday Sun about her firsts.
First day as actress
I was nervous. It was my very first movie in 2008 titled, When you are mine. I was very nervous because I acted with some celebrities. I had Emeka Ike and Ini Edo on set. I was happy at the same time but nervous. The director did not even help matters then but the producer believed in me. The producer and the director had issue at a point in time because of me since the director was bent on not having me on set believing I wouldn’t cope. As a budding artiste, he didn’t find me any point close to delivering the role. That was the first time I played a nurse role. That time Clinic Matters has not been birthed at all. Emeka Ike and the producer really encouraged me and that was how I succeeded in acting that role which was how Clinic Matters saw my performance and invited me for audition.
First day on Clinic Matters
I was not too new to the people I was acting with. I was on set with Amanda Ibiye and we’ve always been on set together at the National Theatre. The very first day, it was a joyful moment. The whole thing was funny as we were shooting and laughing. The director was impressed, though if he needed to he would cut and direct us. That was how we just got in to the character. When they got the script for the next season everybody already knew their lines and we just moved on.
First day as Nurse Titi on set
The very first time I did not feel anything. I knew it was a character and not my real name. I never had any problem with the name at all. I grew up in Lagos; Yoruba names weren’t new to me at all. I liked it. Many people don’t even know my real name, they call me Nurse Titi.
First car
It was a Hyundai Accent. I dashed it out to someone and that was the first car I bought with my money. I got the car while in the university then. I can remember when I took the car to school, (Lagos State University, LASU) I started trending very well because at the same time I was acting Clinic Matters too. I made the money mostly from my acting career. Clinic Matters was paying very well then. I saw the need for the car. It was necessary for me to go to locations very early morning and we were usually not in camp when we started. We usually closed from location after 11pm and going home was always difficult as well as going to school. In school, people were very happy for me and I inspired a lot of my friends. They buckled up since they didn’t know what they could have done then and they got their own cars too. I was very happy for them.
First embarrassment as an artiste
It happens everyday. I can’t remember the first embarrassment ever. It was from another movie I did. Some wanted to know why I was with a married man and I realized it was from a movie and I made them realize I was only acting. They didn’t see it like that. It was really embarrassing. They didn’t even call me aside, it was in a supermarket and people were looking. I had to leave what I was buying. I just left.
Your first salary
I did a lot of unpaid jobs including the first movie I did in 2008, When you are mine. I never got a dime till date. Not only that, I did couple of other jobs without pay. When you are learning the ropes, they will use you, I did a lot of unpaid jobs. Sometimes when I sit back and calculate my money outside, by now, I’m supposed to be a billionaire.
First time on set
Budding artistes are not regarded as humans. They just give food to celebrities and they would leave us hungry all day. Going home, we lapped ourselves to get to our destinations. I used my money to buy gala and water and shared with my mates. It was that bad.