By Christy Anyanwu
Fast rising actress, content creator and entrepreneur, Esther Uzodinma has been in the movie industry for only four years, but has acquired lots of film credits and reputation for quality work.
An ambitious young lady with zeal to make an impact in her field, Esther is not only passionate about her craft, she is also concerned about creating value and delivering excellent content.
In this chat, the talented thespian opened up on her career, creativity, challenges, goals and aspirations. Please enjoy it.
Tell us briefly about yourself.
Esther Uzodinma is a young actor, content creator, entrepreneur at EST Productions, and youth enthusiast. I started my acting career in early 2018 and I have been in the industry for four years. I have done a few film projects and garnered knowledge in filmmaking.
I am an in-depth actor, and I am very passionate about my craft. I have produced a few short films, to boost work on myself, hone my skills and test my range. I am a very ambitious young lady and my zeal to make an impact in my field is my driving force. I am all about creating value and delivering quality when it comes to my work and craft.
I am an undiscovered talent that needs a platform to show the world and let them ask ‘who is she?’ I have also worked at a few notable media outlets including TV stations, and has contributed immensely to the value chain. I own and run a production company as the creative director, managing a team of seven, and I have shown a record of success and satisfactory results to my clients. This has given me some expertise in business management, and I am on a path to acquiring more knowledge and looking toward an environment for learning. I am passionate about teenagers and helping them navigate their career paths.
When and how did you come into Nollywood?
I came into Nollywood officially in 2018, but I started acting in secondary school. I was never shy to act in stage plays during cultural day. My teachers and classmates always told me that I would be a star one day and that stuck with me. I started auditioning and got a lot of nays. My mom was in the media, and I leveraged on her relationship, looked through her contacts, and called all the producers I saw there to give me a role. Thankfully, one obliged and here I am. From waka pass to speaking roles, and then, My siblings and I.
To what or whom do you attribute your creative inspiration?
I will say God and my fans. God made so many wonderful things, different shapes, colours, forms and sizes. My creativity is stemmed from God who deposited this talent in me, and the passion to tell stories and give my audience a quality watch. So many things happen and every individual is a walking story, so when I get the opportunity to tell it, I do it fiercely.
Since coming into Nollywood, how many movies have you featured in or produced, and which one is your favourite?
I have featured in many productions including My Siblings and I, Sade (The Missing Girl), Papa Ajasco, Behind The Smile, Betty, Ije Awele, Crack In the Wall, and Gracie the Movie.
As a Mass Communication student of Unilag, how do you cope with acting and studies?
I am no longer a student of Unilag. The ASUU strike made me realize it is impossible to trust the country with my education, especially my degree. So, I am currently in a university in the United States doing my studies online.
Would you like to take acting as a career after graduation?
Yes, full blown acting after my graduation. I am open to roles now, but my time is a bit constrained due to other engagements. After school, I’ll take it up fully alongside running other businesses that I am currently building.
What are the challenges being encountered as an actress?
Like the Chinese will say, it is an industry that thrives majorly on ‘guanxi’ meaning relationships. Let’s just say it makes it easier. Though, in recent times, I have come to learn that it is also a thing of times and seasons. I was pushing so aggressively before, but I have tracked back to watch and learn some things – the industry is currently revolutionizing, and things are changing. That has given me a bit of hope and peace. So, what I am currently doing is prepping up for when the baton comes to my hand because I am staying ready and once I get a grip, I will run as fast as I can and not look back.
The second challenge is how saturated the industry is. Honestly, there are 1 billion actresses, and some of them don’t have the sauce or raw talent, so making and pushing my way through all of them was once a challenge for me. But then a challenge is what you say it is. I had conducted a mindset reshape and this positioned me better as regards my goals and aspiration in my acting journey.
Lastly, I would say there was a bit of stereotyping – as my early days of acting were on a TV show when I was much younger and played the last born. People saw me as that and sometimes producers call for similar roles. At first, I was happy but then realized it’s a catch 22 situation (a rock and a hard place, meaning there is no better option. I didn’t want to always play the last born, as I knew that there was more to me. And when people see me playing more mature roles, they could not reconcile it with the adorable last born they saw on TV. All these were challenges I let hold me, but not anymore. Just watch out, the unveiling is coming.
Have you ever been sexually harassed?
Not exactly, but there have been a few cases that almost led to that. I have put this behind me and pray no dreamer ever has to go through such; it’s a use-and-dump situation and never gets you anywhere. Even if it does, just watch, it won’t last. Build on rock and not on sand.
How did your parents react to your acting career?
My mom and grandma were the only parents in the picture. At inception, my mom was utterly against it, she heard so much negative news about actresses and celebrities, and come on, her daughter will never live such life! She hounded that so many times, but you can’t use spit to take out a burning fire with so many flames. I fought for the career I knew I wanted, and whenever she says no, I go back to look for more ways to get an acting role; I then discovered that she has producer friends because she worked in the media. I took their numbers and called them. I am certain they did not take me seriously. But then, she saw the drive and the waka pass roles I did, she had pity on me and took me to see her friend, Funke Akindele. She was welcoming and told me about a role I should audition for that was still in progress.
After the meeting, my mom never followed up. I took Funke’s number from my moms’ phone; I had to hide and when I called her, she said there was a role available that same week. I said I wanted that but I didn’t know it would be so soon. I was 15 years old. Breaking the news to my mom and grandma felt like I was going to hell. Oh my, they didn’t take it likely.
After all the bashing and talking, my grandma had mercy and told my mom to let me. I eventually shot the film. From there, I did My Siblings and I, and there is more history to be made. Today, they are prouder when we go out together and people want to take pictures with me. I know there is more to come, and they won’t regret their decision to support me.
What are your short and long term goals?
Getting my degree and building my business; and while doing so, pursuing my acting career fully and creating a market value for myself on both ends, while also giving back to the community. It’s my dream to debut in the biggest African film and at least a Hollywood movie. I don’t want to be ‘that regular’ actor. I want to speak to teenagers, especially those who are about to graduate from secondary school on how to navigate life and choose a career path, because that level is a very core path of their life, the excitement about being free from school and the scares of what’s next. Most importantly, I want to be the reason a young girl will dare to dream.
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