1. Can you introduce yourself; full name, date of birth, local government area and tribe. Schools attended with dates if possible
Ans: My name is Shalewa Ashafa. My full name is Omoshalewa and my friends mostly call me by my social media name ‘ShalewaStar’ or ‘ShallyStar.’ I was born on the 12th of July, 1995 in Lagos state. I’m Yoruba and I’m from Ogun state, Ijebu-Ode local government. I attended Christ the Cornerstone International Primary school, Lagos. I attended 4 different secondary schools between Benin, Lagos and Osun state as I had to move around a lot due to the nature of my mother’s business. However, the secondary school I graduated from is Iloko Model College in Osun state. I did my undergraduate program in the University of Lagos where I studied Advertising.
2. When did you start acting and what attracted you to the profession?
Ans: My interest in acting piqued at age 7. I have an extended family member who used to direct stage plays when I was younger. I’d follow him to rehearsals and watch in fascination the people I saw on tv bring scripts that I had seen in the house to life effortlessly. He introduced me to the world of acting and I never turned back.
3. Can you remember your first film and what the experience like?
Ans: I acted my first stage play when I was 9 years old. After that, I did a bunch of voice acting and cameos in stage plays. This lasted only a year as my mom and siblings considered it distracting for me from school work but I stuck to the craft by joining the drama club in my church and school. I was not getting paid or compensated in any way or form but I honestly did not mind considering I was doing something I enjoyed.
4. What are the films you have featured and produced?
Ans: I have been in a quite a number of films, I cannot list them all right now but some of my prominent works are Ajoche, I played the lead role ‘Elakeche.’ I had my first cinema debut last year (2021) in the movie ‘The Razz Guy’ which featured the likes of Broda Shaggi, Lasisi Elenu and Nancy Isime. I have also featured in a couple of YouTube series such as Ndani Tv’s ‘Phases’ Season 2 and ‘Life as it is’ which got an Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award nod.
5. Who are your role models in the industry?
Ans: I will not say I have specific role models in the industry but there are people whose work ethics I respect and learn from. I am fascinated by how flawless they execute every role given to them. Do I have people that I really want to work with someday? Yes. One person that stands out for me always is Nse Ikpe-Etim. I’m in awe every single time I watch her in any movie. I look forward to working with her someday.
6. Which movies really define your acting career?
7. Have won awards or nominations, please state what they
Ans: Not yet. Hopefully, very soon. So far, I have been nominated once for the category ‘Best Actress in a television series’ for my role as ‘Elakeche’ in Ajoche.
8. As an actress, what is your selling point
Ans: Should there be anything else except my talent? (laughs) I’m a fantastic actress if I do say so myself. I pride myself on being dedicated to perfecting my craft for every new role I take and that right there is what has gotten me recognized in my industry.
9. Many actresses flaunt their endowments on social media. Where should one draw the lines when flaunting the body
Ans: I’m a strong believer in being as free as you want to be as long as it does not hurt the next person. To each their own.
10. What are the high and low moments of your career
Ans: So far, thankfully, there have been no low moments in my career. The highs are yet to come too. Exciting moments? Maybe but nothing specifically euphoric.
11. What does being sexy mean to you?
Ans: Being sexy to me is being confident in who you are and your craft. Being able to stand out in any gathering you find yourself. Humility and willingness to always learn regardless of how good you are at whatever you do is another thing I find attractive.
12. What sacrifices have you made in pursuing acting.
Ans: My education. My education suffered a lot. I spent more time on set than I did in school. Some people are good at joggling multiple things at a time, sadly, I am not one of them. So my career, in a way, affected my education. But at the end of the day, it was worth it so I have no regrets.
13. Does acting pay your bills or something else does
Ans: To be honest, in this economy that we’re in, no profession or job can solely take care of all your bills. I have other things that I do to supplement acting. I run a small business called The Next Door Bakery. I plan opening more businesses soon.
14. Your relationship status when you’re googled states that you’re married, is this true?
Ans: This thing has taunted me and I am so glad I finally get to address it. I pulled a silly marriage prank during the COVID lockdown out of boredom on my Instagram. I did a wedding photoshoot for a magazine with my colleague Udoka Oyeka and I decided to prank people that we got married when posting the pictures. Before I knew it, all the blogs had put up the story. NO! I AM NOT MARRIED to anyone at the moment.
15. What is your ultimate dream as an actor?
Ans: I would love to build a fully equipped acting village one day. We have such talented creatives in Nollywood and a lot of it (talent) is not being fully utilized. I would love to see us reach Hollywood standards. I know we’ll get there one day.