Nollywood actress Ifeoma Okeke recently held The Purple Campaign, at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac, Lagos, on May 21. The event now in its second year, a campaign against social vices such as drugs, child abuse, molestation, human trafficking and domestic violence, was well-attended by personalities and celebrities.
In a recent chat with Entertainment Express, the buxom entertainer talked about the pains of being a plus-size actress in Nollywood. She also vented her anger on rumour mongers who peddled false tales about her love life. “I am not a baby that I will be playing hide and seek games, when I was in a relationship everybody knew, and when I get into another again, everybody will know” she asserted. In this encounter, the multi-faceted Mental Case actress, opened a window on her world. Excerpts.
What do you consider the unpalatable aspect of the movie industry?
For every profession there is a good side and a bad side. The way we are portrayed is not good, it’s like there is nothing good about actors and actresses. I can understand that we are like the mirror, so anything we do is in the spotlight.
They are other sectors that are very bad, and nobody says anything about them. But once it’s an actor or an actress, it becomes a story. That is the only thing that affect the actors, the way we are portrayed, everything about us is portrayed in the extreme.
The way we are being portrayed isn’t good and I am advising anybody who wants to be an actor or actress to be prepared for this – you are going to be portrayed on the bad side but don’t let it bother you.
Have you been enraged by rumours about you in the newspaper?
I have heard rumours about me in the press of which two made me angry which is one of the reasons I don’t grant interviews. It’s either your words won’t be stated just as you said it or they cast headlines that is largely misrepresentation just to sell their papers. I granted an interview around February and the reporter quoted me using the word “flaunting my breast” –that is a language I don’t use;
I’d rather use the word bo*bs, because br*ast is too raw. I am an actress, I know the words to use. I granted one interview during the I Take My Chances premiere, and one Journalist kept asking questions about a dead relationship. She was just repeating questions about a dead relationship, kept talking about my size and so on. I was like “girl at what point did I say this, at what point did I not say this?
Where I had gone mad at a press man was when they said I was dating Basketmouth who is not even my hello-hi friend. We are not enemies, for no other reason than that you cannot be friends with everybody.
The only time I came in contact with Basketmouth was during his first child dedication when a friend of mine who happened to be his wife’s friend took me there. As his guest he could know that this lady is an entertainer, he could know that there is an Ifeoma Okeke wherever, but no more than that. But this news was all over the internet. One celebrity magazine had it on its cover page that I was ruining his marriage, that he paid my bills, that the two cars I was using was bought by him.
If somebody goes to the press tomorrow and say I am dating Alibaba, I don’t care because you see him on my Blackberry everyday, so you can insinuate, but in the real sense, we are not dating. I no reach him level; make I even come down:
if you say I am dating Donald Okoeja, they always see us on the red carpet, so it makes sense. But how can somebody go and cut my picture and place it side by side with Basketmouth’s and say we are dating? In fact I was mad. I searched for the person responsible for that. I was ready to fight.
If I am dating somebody in the industry, I will let it out; I am not a baby, so I can’t be doing hide-and-seek games. Basket mouth is a wonderful guy, but you can’t just come up and say we are dating. I have had relationships in the industry and I didn’t hide it. And don’t forget that I am a single person, so what you put in the front pages of your paper might do something bad to my future.
What are your plans for marriage?
If I see a man I want to marry today, I will get married to him today. I am old enough, I know what I want. I have experienced love and bitterness, I am not part of those people that will say I don’t want to get married. I know what I want, I want to get married; I love kids, I want to have my kids. I want to give my parents grandchildren.
How do you deal with men?
I deal with men the way they should be dealt with.
How?
Some people will just come across and say hi can I date you? I tell them no.
Have you dated a fan before?
Never. It is not like there is anything wrong with dating a fan but most of them don’t come with the real intention. They come because they see you on screen, more like “wow, this girl’s boobs…” I am not ready for somebody to use me as a bet. That’s why I said never, its nothing personal.
Do you have tattoos or body piercing?
You know I am a village girl, I am very local. I don’t have anything against tattoos but I cannot pierce myself. Maybe its because I can’t stand the pain. I love it on people. My friends have it. I don’t have anything against it. I never wear cloth finish na Tatoo I go dey wear (laughs) I have so many things to do, but not tattoos. But it is beautiful on people. I love them.
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