Uru Eke: Leaving tech biz for acting was difficult

Weekend Magazine: Could you share with us what your experience has been like acting for stage and for screen production?Uru Eke: They are both completely different. On stage you have to project and be a bit more audible so that people can hear you. The performances are different. How you deliver your lines. There’s not […]

Weekend Magazine: Could you share with us what your experience has been like acting for stage and for screen production?
Uru Eke: They are both completely different. On stage you have to project and be a bit more audible so that people can hear you. The performances are different. How you deliver your lines. There’s not that much of fluidity on stage as against acting on screen. But it was something I enjoyed.
WM: What kind of performances did you have on stage?
Eke: Well I belong to a group called the Association of Multinational Performing Artistes (AMPA) in the UK but since I have been acting in Nigeria, I haven’t done any stage performances.
WM: Is that something you miss?
Eke: Well, I still prefer acting before the camera. Some people prefer stage, but I definitely prefer the camera. No particular reason why, if you ask me. It’s just my preference.
WM: You have acted in different movies and in different roles, which so far has been your most challenging part?
Eke: I just finished my first production that I wrote. It is a movie titled ‘Remember Me’ and I think this is my most challenging because the part of it I was acting was that of a woman who had astral projections. She saw people who had passed on but who hadn’t moved on because they had an unfinished business. You think there is something wrong with the individual but there isn’t. I wrote and produced it and I am also acting in it. Sometimes I try to step out of my duty as producer in order to fully act my character. I would be acting and remember something for the production manager. Sometimes, the director has to remind me, ‘Uru, you have to stay in character.’ Then sometimes, I am in character and it’s difficult to take on my role as producer. I was struggling between these two. I was the lead character but I had three main characters and my character was one of them.
WM: What’ the motivation behind the story line?
Eke: It came from my wanting to promote social change and advocacy. I was playing around a few subjects I wanted to work on. I had written a couple of stories where I had script writers do the scripting because it just happens that the course you are going through, the subject matter reflects it. Like what Nigeria is going through at the moment as regards the issue of corruption and the change or what the country has been talking about the most which is the elections. Coincidentally, the subject relates to us now. I’ve been working with my NGO on some projects and our slogan is ‘Be the change you want to see.’ In order for us to have change around us, it has to start with us. We all need to be the change we want to see happen around us. Change can start from us as individuals without having to wait for government to do them. The film focuses on corruption. This is a subject that affects everybody the world over not just in Nigeria.
WM: Did you also have problems disassociating yourself from the character you were writing and knew you were going to play?
Eke: It wasn’t difficult because I’ve always wanted to do something that will push me and I created that role purposely to do that. I’ve acted husband snatcher, spoilt brat and various roles like these. I really wanted something different. That’s why I wrote the character the way I did.
WM: How easy was it making the switch from ICT to acting?
Eke: It wasn’t easy at all because I had been doing IT for a while. I was used to it. But I got to a point where I wanted to do something different. It took me a while to make that switch mentally and change how I live, who I interact with, change my friends. It was a major move. So, it took me a while to pick myself up and make it. Even when I did make the move, it took a while I sometimes still felt like going to work. Then I had to wake up early, catch the train and all that. But it’s different now.
WM: Would you say you are the better for it?
Eke: I would say I am happier (laughter). I wouldn’t say better off because I was earning a lot more money back then. But I feel more fulfilled doing this. Although I have started making the kind of money I used to make. I didn’t feel the pressure much back then but at the end of the month I knew that I was smiling. For actresses around the world, a time comes when you’ll make all the money one needs to. So, I have no problem with that.
WM: Do you love shoes?
Eke: Yes.
WM: How many do you have?
Eke: Hmmmm about 220 pairs. I have some in boxes I haven’t yet opened.
WM: What would a script have to have for you to be a part of the production?
Eke: A combination of things. Dialogue is key because this puts the actor in good light if you are speaking good English where it is demanded. It also depends on who is directing, you have to have a feel of the angle the movie is going to take. Then, the director, the story, the script, these are the things I look out for.
WM: In all your experiences as an actress, what do you consider your biggest lesson?
Eke: Asides just being an actress, I think the biggest lesson has been to be me. In any career, if you try to be somebody else, it kind of affects your psyche. You keep thinking about what you have to do to march up or try to do what the next person is doing and then they are not working for you and getting you to be who you want to be. It’s best to focus on yourself and keep up what you are doing. Your mind is for the better and you are mentally healthier.
WM: How have you been able to keep your reputation, scandal and bad press free?
Eke: I think it’s mainly because I particularly do not like drama. I don’t have the head for it. I say my piece and just walk away. I won’t linger or stay there. Also, I mind my own business. If it doesn’t concern me, I don’t poke my nose into it. I’m very private. Whatever I’m doing, I keep myself to my immediate family. I don’t tell people anything I don’t want them to know. Whatever you know about me is something I have told you.