Sylvia Oluchi is one of the upcoming actresses whose future is guaranteed. She had an interview with YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine on where she’s headed and how she intends to get there…
Let us meet you.
My name is Sylvia Oluchi. I am an actress. I studied Theatre Arts in Nnamdi Azikwe University. I am the youngest of six children and was born and raised in Abuja to Dr. & Mrs. Eze Okafor. I’m from Anambra State.
How and when did you discover you could act?
It was my mother’s idea, because I never wanted to be an actress. When I was much younger; I was more of a science-oriented girl and have flair for science subjects, because I’m used to science stuff. But I was not really good at Mathematics and it caused me a little bit of problem. But being someone who is always restless and changes hobbies almost every week, my mother then adviced me to become an actress because most times, when I come back from school, I will start imitating all my teachers and my mother kept hammering on the fact that I will excel as an actress and that stuck with me. So, when the time came for me to go into the university, I chose Theatre Arts and that is where I am today.
Was your father also in support of your becoming an actress?
Not at all! My father is a book-worm. He is a PhD holder and all his life, he was a civil servant and used to work with the United Nations. So, all his life, he was a white collar man. When my mother brought the idea, he was like, “Why are you encouraging this girl to act? No way!” He was like why can’t I study Law or something very professional. He was not in support. Even up till now, he still finds some complaints and excuses, but he has seen a couple of my movies and knows this is what I really want to do and he has given me his blessings.
Which are some of the movies you have featured in?
I was in Unbended Knees and Alan Poza, which were in cinemas last year; Secrets and Scandals and Happy Family, which are TV series. But for my work that will be out in 2014, I have a movie which features AY, Lepacious Bose, Majid Michael, Omoni Oboli and myself. I also did another one called Finding Love which has Denrele, Uti, Vimba of Big Brother, Brain Okpara and a host of others, that will come out this year too. I also did The Flat Mates.
How has your journey been?
So far so good. I had to move to Lagos after my NYSC to fully pursue my career, because movies don’t happen so frequently in Abuja as it does in Lagos, so I had to pack my things down to Lagos and since then I have been able to enjoy more patronage. Although nothing good comes easy. The truth is, there is a lot of things they don’t teach you in school, which you have to learn in the school of the street, as my friend used to put it. I studied Theatre Arts, but there are a lot of things I’m just learning about life from the streets. And so far, I have won three awards for my acting roles since I came down to Lagos. So that shows that I’m doing something right.
After school, how did you get your first job?
I started with auditions. The very first lead role I did in a movie, Bent Arrows, was as a result of my performance in an audition. But now that I have done a lot of movies, I get referrals and calls from directors and producers as well. I could remember I used to queue under the sun, waiting for auditions and at the end of the day you might not be picked. But now, I thank God.
How true is it that it is a give and take relationship in Nollywood?
Of course, you have to give something. I mean, if you want something big, you have to make some sacrifices and for me, moving to Lagos where I never knew anyone was what I gave.
What about giving your body?
Well, about that, sexual harassment is more of a societal problem and this has become a very serious problem in Nigeria. But I really think it is the reflection of our industry. I think it is of the society, because we live in a country where women are not respected. When I was doing my NYSC, I had the same problem with my boss and he was not in the movie industry. So, I think it is more of a societal problem and it is very sad, because when you train a woman, you train a nation and when you train a man, you train an individual. So, I don’t think it has to do with Nollywood.
What movie brought you out?
It was titled Bent Arrows; directed by Lancelot Imaseun and produced by Isang Arak. It was the movie that gave me my first award. People like Joke Silva, Olu Jacobs, Omoni Oboli, Stella Damasus, Desmond Elliot were also there and I played the lead role. So, that really helped my career and won me the Nollywood Movies Award as the Best Rising Star.
What is your selling point?
I don’t know o! But I would say my brain, because people believe actresses are lazy people, but being an actor requires you to study wide, study a variety of things, because acting is life. So, you have to be exposed, know what lawyers, doctors, engineers all go through. So, it requires a lot. When I was in the university, we used to read more than doctors and people would say, “I thought you said you are in Theatre Arts, why are you reading this way?” But you have to read wide and know something about everything to be a very good actor, because you never know what role is going to come up for you at the audition. So, you need knowledge about almost everything. So, I would say it is my brain, but physically, people always say it is my eyes because I have very big eye balls.
What were your plans when you started out?
I don’t want to be just an actor; I like to do so many things and don’t be surprised if tomorrow you hear that I have a song, is directing a movie or that I partnered with some scientists to build a new robot, because I’m that kind of person. I don’t limit myself because the role models that I have are people like Da Vinci, who was an artist and a scientist.
How would you describe men?
That is a very tough question, but I don’t generalize like that. You can never say because that man is XYZ, the other man would also be XYZ. I don’t do it by gender, race or religion. I tell everybody to show me what they have got until you prove me wrong.
Are you in any relationship?
For now, I’m single, but I do have marriage in my consciousness.
Why do you think young actresses find it difficult to marry?
I can’t speak for my other colleagues, but only for myself. For me, marriage is very simple, but I’ve not fallen in love yet. I’m waiting to fall in love and when I do, I will marry.
What does it mean to fall in love?
I don’t know, because I have never been in love and that is the truth. I have had relationships, but I have never felt loved. Maybe it is because I have read so many romance books, because I have never felt that big love and when I feel it, I will get married.
Do you have a picture of any guy in mind?
Yes, I have a rough sketch of that man that I would love to fall for in mind, because most of the time I think about it. I prefer the reserved, quiet type. I am not attracted to what people call the bad boys. I don’t like cocky, bad boys. I like quiet, shy, glasses wearing and serious minded guys.
Are you saying you have not seen anyone in this category?
I have, but like I said, I don’t really believe that marriage and love are what you programme in this age. When things come, they come. You just have an open mind and allow them come to you at the right time. It is not something you put on a calendar or you work out like the mathematicians do.
Can you act nude for money or fame?
The truth of the matter is that I can! Because when I think of my career, I love to even be in a Hollywood movie, and over there, it is not a big deal. Everybody is talking about Nyango, the Kenyan actress who won the Golden Globe Award today in Twelve Years, a slave movie, because she was naked in one scene in the movie. So, for me, it is not a big deal. It just depends on the director. If I trust that my director is not going to make me look cheap and miserable on camera and also for a good script, I will do it because it comes with the job and I’m an actor. My body is my laptop. You have all the things you need to work in my body.
Like how much are we looking at to perform such a role?
I don’t think I would put a price tag to it. It depends on the project.
What of if the price is below your expectation?
If the pay is so poor, then there would be no deal.
What is it that you can’t do for money?
I will never kill someone for money. Never. I will never be involved in murder. But as an actress, for me, everything is relative because I might not do this for this particular script and do it for another script. So, that means, I never say never. Even the nude thing, I might do it for just anyone who asks for it or for any script that demands it. Everything, just like I said, is relative to the script, time and the director. I might say no now and the next minute, I see myself sitting down with Stephen Spielberg and I will even do raw sex in a movie.
NB: First published February 2014