How to handle indecent proposals in Nollywood – Sonia Ogiri

Sonia Ogiri is a Nollywood star known for tomboy roles, especially in the popular movie, ‘Daniella.’ She spoke to Weekend Magazine about pushing her limits and breaking boundaries in Nigerian showbiz. Weekend Magazine: How did you break into the movie industry? Sonia Ogiri: Acting is something I’ve wanted to do for a while even though […]

Sonia Ogiri is a Nollywood star known for tomboy roles, especially in the popular movie, ‘Daniella.’ She spoke to Weekend Magazine about pushing her limits and breaking boundaries in Nigerian showbiz.

Weekend Magazine: How did you break into the movie industry?
Sonia Ogiri: Acting is something I’ve wanted to do for a while even though something else diverted my attention from it. I studied Marketing, but acting is my vehicle to be heard, to make impact and become famous. I love the profession and I don’t see myself doing anything else. Maybe fashion designing.
Someone telling me that I’m their role model is a huge responsibility and that only comes when you have impacted someone. A girl sent me a message on my Instagram page and I gave her a phone call. She was so happy that I called, because, generally, her message would be ignored. She told me how happy I made her and how much of an inspiration I am to her, especially when she hears the challenges I’ve been through and surviving my car accident.
I’ve been able to touch some young girls’ lives and to tell them that there is hope out there and that they can earn a living without having to stand on the streets or hoping that somebody pays your bills. I try to set an example with my own life, earning a living, making a name and earning respect at the same time.
WM: Who do you consider your own inspiration?
Ogiri: I love Angelina Jolie. She is my idol. I respect her on screen and the way she has put her family together. She carries herself with such enviable grace.  In Nollywood, I have a lot of respect for the likes of Aunty Joke [Silva], Omotola and Genevieve. They all give me hope and motivation to push my limits to do more than I imagine I can do for myself. Rita Dominic, I consider a fashion icon and I look up to her for inspiration on dress-sense.
WM: You celebrated your birthday on the 1st of October, same as Nigeria. What new beginnings are you planning?
Ogiri: I turned 31 and feeling very proud of it. I’m grateful to God for all He has done for me. Every birthday is a new dawn for me. My goal is to aim higher and achieve higher too in the various aspects of my life and have fresh starts where I can.
WM: Do you remember your first movie and what the experience was like for you?
Ogiri: (Laughter) Sure I do. It was ‘Royal Game’ which also featured Mama G. The anxiety and excitement, I still remember clearly. It is also my most challenging so far and maybe ‘Daniella’ where I had to play the role of a tomboy. I am such a ladylike person so going out of my comfort zone to act that character was quite a challenge but I did it well and was pleased with it. It was a really interesting role for me because a lot of people who have not seen the movie can’t imagine me in that role, knowing my personality. I love tomboy roles.
Also, acting in ‘Coming Back From Congo’ was another interesting experience like my first movie. It was funny and also a first for me with the genre. The make-up, the character I played, being head over heels for a guy whom I knew was getting married to a girl just back from Congo with her Congolese lifestyle. It was a battle between us both to keep him. My movies have proved to me that one is as good as we say we are. It all depends on if we want to remain in our comfort zone or take each opportunity that comes our way a notch higher than the previous one.
WM: There are still complains of females having to do untoward favours before being cast in roles. What’s your take on this?
Ogiri: No-one goes into Nollywood without the decision that it is what they want to do. If somebody makes a proposition to you that you are uncomfortable with you, it is your decision to agree to it or to decline. It’s entirely your choice to decide what your priorities are and what price you are willing to pay to achieve your goals. If it’s going to cost you more than you bargained for, it is all in your hands to work away with your head held up high. Nobody has a gun held to your head forcing you to succumb to their indecent proposals. It happens because you agree to it. If you don’t get a job from one source, you will get it from another.
WM: One of your roles raised a lot of comments about your dancing ‘nude.’ How did you handle it?
Ogiri: It was an unfortunate incidence. Photos of me in that role were leaked while we were still in production and that’s what most people saw. But that didn’t in anyway affect me or the other roles I have played after that. In our country, there is no way any character can do anything nude. It just won’t happen. I was very well made up for that role and it was so convincing. But we in the industry and others who bothered to pay close attention to my character in that scene would have noticed the makeup and seen that I wasn’t nude in any way.
As an entertainer, you have a role, which is to entertain and this is different from other professions. The role one plays determines the costumes. You cannot play a prostitute and be decently dressed up. Sadly, females actresses are still judged by their roles and many don’t know where to draw the line between what they see on screen and reality.
WM: What project are you working on at the moment?
Ogiri: I am working on my own movie. I don’t want to let it out just yet. I’m putting it all together and getting all it needs. I am looking to be married and starting my own family whilst working to position myself as a household name and brand.
WM: Being in showbiz, and settled in Abuja rather than Lagos, what kind of impact does this have on your career?
Ogiri: I know that Lagos is still go-to place for a career in showbiz in Nigeria and being in Abuja has its effects on my career, especially with attending events and red carpet, and all that. A lot of these I am unable to attend because I am in Abuja. Interestingly, I have never shot a movie in Abuja. I have always gone to Lagos or whatever location I need to work in, and then return to Abuja after it all. I love the calm and serenity of Abuja and still very much prefer living here.