If you call Nse Ikpe-Etim the new Nollywood sweetheart, you won’t be wrong. The multiple award winning actress who took a break in acting made a comeback with Reloaded which earned her a nomination at the African Movie Academy Awards. Her career soared right after Reloaded became a hit. The amazing and versatile Nse spoke with Sunday Sun on her rising career profile , her challenges and what it feels like being married to her first love. Excerpts:
What are you working on lately?
A: Well, it has been a hectic first half of the year. I’m on a movie set in Enugu at the moment, so that’s what I’m working on right now. A few weeks ago, I was in Ghana where I shot Purple Rose. Days before I left for Accra, I had just finished shooting in Lagos and that particular film also featured Mercy Johnson. Before that, I was in Calabar for an interview on Ebony Life TV. This happened after an intense month of shooting Heaven’s Hell in Lagos and prior to that I was in Enugu where I played a humanitarian in a movie titled In Between. These last two films were very emotionally and physically demanding. I am eagerly looking forward to my next vacation.
At what point did you decide to go into acting full time?
A: It was in 2009, after Reloaded was released. It was my comeback movie. I really didn’t have any intentions of returning to acting , but the credit goes to Emem Isong, who coaxed me into doing it. With Reloaded, I must have done something right as I got decent reviews and the proverbial floodgates opened.
What exactly do you look for in a script before accepting it ?
A: Hmmm, this question has been popping up quite a bit lately. While I’m not overly picky, there are certain compromises I will not make when it comes to my job. A good script is my top priority. I believe in the “story over style” school of thought. The characters in the said script must have sufficient depth and the story must be believable and appealing. If you can give me a script with all of these, then I’m good to go.
Mr. and Mrs is one of my favorite movies and the way you interpreted your role in it was awesome. How did you prepare for that role?
A: I’m glad you liked it. Well, when I shot Mr and Mrs, I wasn’t married yet. So first, I had to get into the mind-set of a married woman, who loved her husband very much and wanted to keep her home and earn her dignity and self-worth back. Once that was done, internalizing the character was next, then learning my lines and showing up to work every day with a singular focus on doing my possible best. God did the rest.
You can be described as a very deep actress. Once a co-actor was quoted as saying ‘he wept while watching you act’. What’s the secret?
A: I’m a methodical actor and what this means for those of us who use this technique is that we imbibe our roles completely. We reach a point where we feel every emotion . It’s no longer a case of playing a role but becoming that role. Some people once told me they felt like I was in a trance while they watched me act a particularly difficult scene. If you watched a movie where I played the role of a victim of a traumatic event and you feel like “this is happening to Nse”, then my job is done.
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