Sexy Nollywood actress, Naomi thrills Samod Biobaku with her acting story and how she deals with male fans who lust after her. Enjoy!

ACTING CANNOT PAY MY BILLS - Actress Naomi Ihemelu

By Samod Biobaku

sixthsense34@yahoo.com

Like the familiar tale of the ‘Washer Woman’s Prayer,’ Naomi Ihemelu’s acting story could easily draw the heart to tears.

At a very young age, she was 100 per cent certain that acting was one road she was ready and willing to ride to its very end. It therefore hardly came as a surprise when the beautiful young lady gradually morphed into a charming dame with acting standing very tall on the list of her priorities.

Ihemelu was ready to pursue her dreams and did so to the best of her acting abilities when the opportunity came knocking at her door. She weathered through the storm and contended with the barrage of challenges that appeared before her from time to time.

Today, she has become a shinning star among her peers as made apparent in her roles in quite a number of movies and soaps; some of which include ‘When you are Mine,’ ‘Confidential Romance,’ ‘Faithful Betrayal,’ ‘Desire,’ ‘Kolomental’ and ‘Clinic Matters’ to mention a few.

However, despite the glaring success she has recorded within a very short space of time, the young actress still appears to be quite a distance from reaching her promised land.

In this interview, she narrated the harrowing details of how she was almost frustrated out of the industry by unprofessional movie producers and directors, her family, how she handles the restless population of her male fans and how her aunt and a few other God-sent individuals helped her escape the traps of randy film makers. In addition, she also spoke on other interesting issues. Excerpts:

Background information

My name is Naomi Ihemelu. I hail from Anambra State. I’m a Christian. I’m in my early 20s. I’m still in school; Lagos State University to be precise where I study History and International Relations. I’m in my 400 level. I was born in Lagos and I equally reside in Lagos. I’m an easy-going person and fun to be with. We’re six in my family and I’m the last child. I have four sisters and a brother.

Was your acting story inspired by an experience or something you saw on screen?

Well, I didn’t just wake up one day and decided to begin acting. I’ve always had it in me for a very long time; right from my childhood. It all started from the church in the drama section. I was once a chorister in my church. I sing for God. Gradually, as time went by, I decided to take it to the next level and I told my mum about it. That was in 2006. That was about the time I just gained admission into the higher institution. After I told my mum, she said it was okay as long as I was sure that it was what I really wanted. My dad also approved. It was apparently easy for me to dabble into acting because my aunt was already in the industry. Her name is Chinyere Wilfred.

My aunt

I remember we once had a drama programme in church and my aunt came to church with Alex Osifo and so many other actors to do a live performance. I was intrigued by what I saw and wasted no time in telling her that I wanted to take it up professionally. I was given the go ahead since I had someone who was going to back me up in the industry. It was on this platform that I began working and I thank God for that because I know that without my aunt, it wouldn’t have been easy at all. The fact that my parents were very disciplined would have made it almost impossible. I began paying my aunt visits and she tried introducing me to some of her colleagues but that didn’t really work out at first.

How come it didn’t work out as planned?

It didn’t work out because each time I went to her, she would tell me she would get back to me but I didn’t have that kind of patience. I was in a hurry to get into the movie industry I wanted things to move at a faster pace and couldn’t wait. Eventually, I went to the National Theatre where I saw a crowd. There were so many people and I asked someone I met there what was going on. He told me that was where actors, actresses and movie makers meet. He told me they were there for a general meeting, which held at the last Thursday of every month. The guy told me that if I could wait long enough, I would meet a whole bunch of actors and actresses. I was also very eager to see them so I sat down and waited. I got there in the morning and I was there till 6pm. I saw a couple of actors but I couldn’t talk to them. I went back to the guy I had earlier spoken to and asked him what I was supposed to do next. He introduced me to the Secretary, Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN). I met the man and he told me I would have to register, pay a specified amount of money into UBA. I did that, brought my passport and completed the registration. From there, the man said he would be giving me the updates I needed; as well as audition notices. When I got the very first audition notice, I went there and luckily, I passed.

Was this still in 2006?

No! This was in 2007. The crowd at the audition was huge. It was so much, I was almost discouraged. I was told the audition was for 10am so I arrived there 9am as advised by my aunt Chinyere. I remember she told me that whenever I was called for an audition, I should endeavour to get there much earlier than the scheduled time. I got there a clear hour before the scheduled time and I was stunned to discover that my number was one hundred and something. I was really discouraged by this. I looked around and was surprised that the number of people who were physically present was not up to 100. While moving around, I discovered why the number tag I was given did not correspond with the number of those who were physically present. I discovered that those present kept writing the names of their friends and colleagues who were yet to arrive and I felt this was not fair on those of us who had taken out time to arrive there as early as we did. When the audition actually started, I sat down attentively and kept watching those who were auditioned before me. I concentrated on their performances and ensured that I learnt from their various mistakes and weaknesses. I was about 2pm and I was yet to have breakfast and was already developing a headache. The weather was so hot and I was unbelievably tired. I however knew that if I left, all my efforts and waiting would have been in vain so I decided to wait it out. Eventually, my name was called, I went in and I was given a script. I read the script and interpreted it to the best of my ability; making sure that I did not wake the same mistake those earlier auditioned had made. At the end, I was asked to go and they said they would get back to those of us who made it through. That evening, I got a text message on my phone and I was congratulated and invited for the casting. I went for the casting and it was tougher than the audition.

How did you feel when you got the text message?

I was very excited and elated. I felt as if I had gotten the job already. I went for the casting and the contest was very keen. I can’t really remember the role but out of everyone cast for the role, I eventually got the role. Funny enough, it wasn’t the lead role or even the sub-lead. It was just a regular role and it was still that tough. At the end, they told me that they would let me know when I would come and collect the script. When I eventually got the script, it was just a piece of paper. I however, preoccupied myself with the challenge of interpreting the role by studying the script. When it was time to negotiate my fee, I realized that what they wanted to pay me was not even up to the amount of money I had spent on transportation. The money was nothing to write home about but still, I concentrated on the job ahead and went ahead to keep working on the script. I went home and kept studying the script because I didn’t want to miss my lines. I kept studying the script; mooning and night. Eventually, they said they were going to call me for the job, they never did.

Did they postpone?

No! After I still didn’t hear from them, I called a friend who also got a role to ask her when we were supposed to be on location and I was shocked when she told me that they had finished.

Are you serious about that?

Yes I am. They gave the role to somebody else just like that. I was devastated and very disappointed. I was also very furious and suddenly discovered how crooked the industry was. I kept asking myself all sorts of question and wondering why they still sent ahead to put me through that kind of stress if they knew they were just going to hand over the role to someone else. They even gave me the script and gave me false hope. My spirit dropped but I did not allow that experience to bring my career to an end. I eventually got over it and met another lady in the industry who advised me against allowing any producer and director take advantage of me or harass me sexually. She really grilled me over the sex for role practice and told me all I needed to know and how to avoid such producers and directors. She let me understand that if I kicked off my career with sex, I would probably do it all through my career. She made me see all the disadvantages of using sex to get roles and I learnt fast. She was the one who really kept me going. Her name is not coming to me right now and she’s no longer in the industry. She kept me going and I really need to tell her a very big thank you because her advice really helped me a lot.

From there, I kept getting invitation for auditions and castings. It wasn’t easy at all and there were times when I would got for about four auditions in a day in location scattered all over Lagos. A lot fo times, I would walk around till the heels of my shoes would fall off.

That was how I started getting roles and meeting people. I love meeting people wherever I go. The very first lead role I did was for the movie, ‘When you are Mine.’ This was in 2007. I had gone for an audition at National Theatre and I met a guy who struck me as very funny so we became very good friends. I loved being around him. He always made me laugh. There was a day I was looking downcast and he saw me as ked me what the problem was. That was when I told him I was sick and tired of the auditions and castings. I told him I was considering leaving the industry and he talked me out of it and gave me the number of one of his producer friends. He asked me to call the producer. I did and he invited me to his office in Ilupeju. I went with my sister. That was how I met Uche and he gave me the lead role. He decided to try me and took a risk by giving me the lead role. I was so happy though I did not get a dime but I did not mind. He gave me an opportunity to work with a lot of stars like Eucharia Anunobi, Emeka Ike, Queen Nwokere and a host of others.

How did it feel working with established acts like Emeka Ike and others?

I was slightly intimidated when I saw those stars for the first time. My heart skipped a couple of beats. On set, I discovered that Emeka Ike was a very jovial person. He kept playing with me so that he could get me into character. Emeka Ike was very free with everyone and he kept sharing everything he bought with me. It was the same thing with Queen Nwokere and she was very warm. She was so nice and often called me so that we could read out scripts together. She also put me through a lot of others things and the job was great.

Quickly run through some of the movie and soap operas you’ve been involved in

‘When you are Mine,’ ‘Confidential Romance,’ ‘Faithful Betrayal,’ ‘Desire,’ ‘Kolomental,’ and many others are yet to be released. For the soap opera, I was cast in ‘Clinic Matters’ and we shoot on a seasonal basis. It takes us about two weeks to shoot each season. Season 6 is on air now and we’ll be going back to location next month for season 7.

Would you say acting has been worth your while financially?

Well, when I went into the movie industry, I did not set out to build a house or buy a car because I knew acting does not pay that much. So, I did not set such goals for myself but I wouldn’t say the pay is that bad. It’s okay but acting cannot pay my bills.

Hmmmm… So, how do you pay your bills?

(Smiles) I still live with my parents…

But you don’t look like a mummy’s girl

Really! (Laughs out loud) I’m the baby of the house.

I’m guessing you’re still single

Yes I am

How come you’re still single?

How come?

Yes, you’re very beautiful and I’m sure you have loads of guys who crave intimacy with you. Are you in a relationship right now?

Right now, no!

Are you taking applications?

(Laughs) Well, I’m not in a relationship right now and I don’t want to be because it’s a distraction and I can’t afford to have anything that would distract me right now. I know what relationships are all about; time, dedication and all of that.

Describe your ideal man

He must be God-fearing. He must be gentle. He must be caring; certainly handsome and then, very neat. He must also be intelligent.

So it’s okay if he’s poor?

No! (Laughs) He cannot be poor. I didn’t mention it because it’s not a priority but he definitely has to be rich so he can take good care of me.

Describe your first kiss in one word

Sumptuous!