By Christian Agadibe
Inspired by Nollywood actors who were shooting movie at a location, Doris Ifeka fell in love with acting as a kid.
The child prodigy’s passion for movies later brought her to act alongside Genevieve Nnaji in 2006. But in as much as she wanted to continue acting, her father insisted on education first, and this led Doris to study English Language at University of Lagos.
In this interview, the Enugu-born actress, who has become the toast of many movie producers, talks about her journey to stardom. Please enjoy it.
What are you currently working on?
Basically, I am on some projects. I’m working currently with Uche Obinabo Production here in Enugu.
I saw you doing some photo shoot. Is it for a movie or just fashion?
It’s for a movie project I did with Bombshell, Jay and Beyonce. It’s going to come up on YouTube 1&2 channel.
Was that your first job with Bombshell?
No, that’s not our first job together. I think I have worked with Bombshell twice. This is like our third project together.
How do you feel about the Beyonce character? What challenges did you have depicting that character?
To be honest, when I read the script, it was a bit challenging. I’m not really a fan of Beyonce, so having to play the character was a bit challenging. But with the help of my director… and I had to make my own research about it. So far, so good, I was able to figure it out.
What’s the last movie you shot?
The last movie I shot was Her Love Language with Chike Daniel, and what a bombshell!
This year has been a kind of boom for you. You are shooting movies back to back. What’s happening?
It’s the grace of God; it’s not by my power. The back-to-back job is due to the fact that producers will like to work with you if you have lots of fans and if your movies are doing well on YouTube. Actually, I take my career seriously. I don’t joke with my work. So, this year has been a boom for me.
You have been acting for 11 years. You started as a kid actor?
Yes, I actually started as a kid actor. I did my first movie in 2006 titled, Critical Condition.
How did it happen?
Growing up, I never wanted to be an actor; I wanted to be a nurse. It happened a day when I was still in Lagos. I was home and my mum went to make her hair. At the salon, some people were filming with Ramsey Noah. My mum came home and invited my friend and I. She said, ‘come and see Ramsey Noah’. I went there with my friend and saw lots of people gathered, watching the shoot. So, I said to myself, ‘wow, I will actually want to do this someday’. I loved how everything was going. I loved the attention the actors were getting, and especially Ramsey Noah who got lots of people star struck. That was how the passion came. That day, even though, I was very young, I told them I wanted to act. At first, they thought I was joking. But after they finished shooting, the man got my mum’s phone number. Later, he contacted me and I came for audition. That was my first audition. I met lots of actors there but I scaled through. That was how I did my first movie with Genevieve Nnaji.
How did you feel working alongside Genevieve Nnaji on your first set?
As at that time, Genevieve was reigning. The movie was a big one and I did so well in it, so producers started reaching out to my parents, saying they wanted me to do other projects. But my parents, especially my dad wasn’t in support because of my education. He never wanted me to stop schooling. My dad said, ‘finish school, once you are done, if acting is really what you want to do then go ahead and do it’.
I was supposed to work with Stephanie Okereke but my mum declined because I was in primary school then. She said I should finish school because the project I did with Genevieve took like two weeks. After that, I didn’t do any job again till 2013 when I did Daddy Girl. I was already in the university and I did that job when ASUU strike was on. I was at home; I wasn’t really doing anything. When the job came, I said ‘okay since I’m not doing anything, let me go for it’.
You went back to school after the shoot with Genevieve Nnaji. What kind of student were you in school?
I got fame because of that job. In my street, people would ask ‘are you not the little girl that acted with Genevieve Nnaji?’ Even, when I uploaded the pictures of the throwback, people still asked ‘were you that small girl that did that film?’
What’s your experience with your peer group at school?
I was so popular because it was a big thing working with Genevieve Nnaji. As a child, I always loved things about entertainment. Apart from acting, I also participated in beauty contest. As a child, I really loved entertainment.
What’s the difference between today’s Nollywood and when you acted with Genevieve Nnaji?
I didn’t really do much at that time. So, I won’t say I know a lot about Nollywood; but to act then wasn’t easy because you had to go for auditions. Even the so-called stars did go for auditions and it wasn’t so easy to just get into acting. Now, you have Instagram, you can do monologue and tag directors. But in those days, all those things were not there.
How did you find your feet back to the industry after university?
After my youth service, I wasn’t considering acting anymore. I went to work. I served in Abuja, so I got a good offer to work in a media house. And that actually was what I wanted to do. But there was a director that came to Abuja to film, I did something little, the man saw it and liked it. He was like ‘you have a beautiful face, I have a small project I want to do in Owerri’. So, he invited me to Owerri to do the project. It was just one job. I wasn’t even thinking of going back to acting anymore. But when I came to do the project in Owerri, that was when the lockdown started and I stayed there for six months. While I was there, everybody was like ‘this girl is beautiful, she can act’. Owerri didn’t really have lots of artiste, so I started getting jobs. I started working back to back with Divine Touch. That was how I started working with Divine Touch, Royal Prince, and a whole lot of producers. So, after the lockdown, I went back to Owerri. That was how I started working. From Owerri, I moved to Enugu and started working with different producers.
What sacrifice would you say you made to rise to stardom?
It’s my time. It has really cost me my time because when you have a job, you find out that you hardly have time to do any other thing. Even in your relationship, if you don’t have a man who understands, it might affect it. When you are working back to back, you may not have time to do other things like traveling to other countries. You just have to create that time. I would say it has really cost me my time but I don’t mind. That’s one of the big sacrifices I have made.
What has fame deprived you? Would you say it’s relationship with your man?
I won’t say that because most men see artistes as unfaithful. I won’t say fame has deprived me of relationship because God has been so faithful. My man understands what I do and he’s actually very supportive.
What’s the craziest thing a fan has done to you?
One day, I wanted to go somewhere. I did all night shoot that day, so I was going to the hotel. It was early in the morning and I have not had my bath. I wasn’t looking so good at all. Someone rushed at me and was like ‘oh my God, oh my God, I love your movies’. It was very embarrassing because I wasn’t looking good. I was just trying to cover up.
What’s your advice to young people who are aspiring to be famous like you?
I want to tell young, aspiring actors that you don’t owe any producer or director anything aside your good act. You don’t owe them money, sex. You owe them nothing aside your good act because this is something my mum has always told me. If you want to work, they should be the one to pay you, and if they can’t pay and if you want to do it for free, then do it for free. You don’t have to pay them, because when you pay them, it’s as if you are paying for that role and it shouldn’t be like that.
If tomorrow your man says you should quit acting, would you give it a thought?
No, I will not quit acting. Along the line, I still want to be a producer. Maybe when I get married, I can focus more on producing so I can give time for my family. But to quit acting, it’s no-no. No man can tell me to quit acting. I have had issues with lots of men; most men that come to me are like ‘I don’t like actress’. There was a guy that offered me money, saying he was also going to buy me a house if I quit acting. I said ‘no, I can’t. This is something I’m very passionate about’.
People say family first before career but your own is career first before family…
I want to balance the two (laughs). I want to balance the two, so any man coming to me must understand that I don’t joke with my career. I take my career seriously. If you are coming into my life, you should know this is how Doris is. If you understand me that way, then we don’t have any problem.
The post A suitor offered me house if I agree to quit acting –Ifeka Doris appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.