Entertainment

Blood Sisters – Ini Dima-Okojie Opens Up About The Emotional Stress of Acting

Ini Dima-Okojie is an exceptional actress in every sense of the word. When she’s on-screen, it’s easy to tell that she is a thorough professional who puts in every effort required to embody her role. The actress butressed these facts in her latest interview with Pulse Nigeria where she spoke about the emotional demands of embodying a character especially one as broken as Sarah, her character in her latest outing – Netflix’s Blood Sisters.

Sarah is a new bride who is emotionally and physically abused by her husband. She excaceberates her woes by killing him and what unfolds for her is an emotional roller-coaster. The producers couldn’t have chosen a better actress for the role. Thanks to her track record of acing similar characters, Dima-Okojie was contacted by producers for the role. She was picked to portray Sarah after what she described as a rigorous process.

When asked by Pulse what her most challenging character was yet, she said;

Sarah definitely was a hugely challenging role on different fronts. There was the physical aspect to it, and it was a different kind of physicality cause it is not an action film where you train and stuff. It was a physicality where she had to struggle in that journey.

It was crazy what we did. We were in Makoko, jumping canoes, going for hours on the run. In Epe we were barefoot half the time. But even more so challenging was the emotional aspect to Sarah.

It was challenging for the character and for me. As an actor, I am unable to emote from the surface. I am not one of those actors that can get their eye ducts to produce tears at will. If I am going to break down, it has to come from within. It is how I am able to perform.

To effectively portray Sarah, Dima-Okojie had to break through a wall she had put up in an effort to protect her emotions after a disappointing experience she had with Ndani TV’s series Oga Police. She had earned the role of Laitan, a character she described as the most beautiful and intense she’s ever had. Having “unlocked” the character and given it her all, she was left devastated after producers canceled the show after airing just a single episode. Speaking on the aftermath of the fiasco she said;

I was in a place as an actor where I had sworn never to break myself for any role and this stemmed from Oga Pastor. I remember that character like it was yesterday. Laitan was the most beautiful, intense character ever and as an actor, I unlocked the door to the character. It felt like a drug, being able to be there but not really be present. There is no way that doesn’t impact your life. There were scenes where I just wasn’t there to a level that it was almost scary.

When the show got cancelled, it hurt more than a heartbreak. I cried for at least a year. Like I would think of Oga Pastor and would literally start crying. It really shattered me. It just didn’t make sense to me. I thought about the point of giving so much of myself to a character that no one got to see, then swore never to go that deep into a character.

So when I got Sarah, I was like Wow! Not again! I knew I was going to have to break that wall and give it everything I could cause you see, Sarah is broken on every level. She’s bullied by her friends and family so much that she is unable to stand up for herself. There are a lot of layers to her which is why the scene when she finally tells Kola no is so monumental.

Her most emotional scene while filming Blood Sisters, the actress revealed, was when Sarah and her best friend Kemi are discussing running away to avoid jail time for the murder they had just committed. “It (the scene) played out completely different to how it was written,” she said. “They were having a conversation and Sarah was more like her gangster self. However when we were filming, Nancy (Isime who portrays Kemi) and I burst into tears. We were crying and they just kept rolling. When they yelled cut we just kept crying.”

Thankfully, Ini Dima-Okojie is able to relief herself from the emotional burden of playing broken characters by immersing in her favorite guilty pleasure – bringing on reality TV shows with a bottle of wine to drown all of the stress that comes with embodying fictional characters. Then, there are also genuine friends on whom she relies for honest feedback.

Dima-Okojie’s performance on Blood Sisters has received rave reviews from viewers across the nation. Many have taken to social media to praise her performance, something that leaves the New York Film Institue alumnus feeling incredibly fulfilled and grateful. In her response to these praises, the actress encouraged people to chase their dreams no matter how late it seemed while referencing that she dumped her investment banking job to pursue her dream of a career in Nollywood starting out as a production assistant.

Entertainment

Kanayo O. Kanayo demands lifetime streaming royalties for Nollywood stars

Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo has stirred up a conversation the industry has been quietly avoiding for years. The award-winning actor and lawyer recently proposed that the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) implement a policy mandating lifetime royalty payments for all Nigerian actors and actresses featured in films uploaded to streaming platforms.

He also called for a dedicated agency to oversee and enforce compliance nationwide, arguing it would ensure performers earn from their craft long after the cameras stop rolling. The timing of the proposal is telling. Stories of financial ruin among once-beloved Nigerian actors have become alarmingly common.

Last month, veteran actor Abiodun Ayoyinka, widely known as Papa Ajasco, spoke openly about his financial struggles despite decades in the industry.

Two years prior, Hanks Anuku made headlines with public pleas for financial assistance after falling on hard times post-Nollywood.

Patience Ozokwor recently put it bluntly: “The reason why Nollywood actors and actresses are poor is that we don’t get royalties for what we do, we only get paid for our appearance at the shoot.” Her words, along with the others, show a consistent pattern of demand.

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from industry figures. Writer-director Jadesola Osiberu responded with sarcasm, suggesting that if actors want royalties, perhaps they should also contribute to covering a producer’s losses proportional to their screen time, a dig at the one-sided nature of the demand.

Producer and actress Bolaji Ogunmola was more direct: if actors want backend earnings, they should negotiate equity stakes and invest in projects upfront rather than seek guaranteed payouts after the fact.

It’s a fair challenge. The music industry comparison many have reached for doesn’t quite hold up here.

In more structured film industries, residuals are tied to carefully negotiated distribution contracts and enforced by unions, organisations built over decades with legal infrastructure and industry-wide buy-in.

Entertainment

Wizkid & Burna Boy Clash Over DJ Tunez Brawl

Hours after DJ Tunez publicly addressed the alleged altercation involving Burna Boy’s camp, Wizkid took to X with a series of posts that appear to directly mock Burna Boy over the incident.

Videos circulating on social media appear to show DJ Tunez, the Nigerian-American DJ, being physically attacked by individuals allegedly linked to Burna Boy’s camp. The incident, believed to have taken place at a private gathering at Obi Cubana’s residence, has sent fans of both artists into a frenzy online.

According to a source in Burna Boy’s camp, the confrontation ensued after DJ Tunez, who played at the event, accompanied the legendary Afrobeats superstar D’banj to Burna Boy’s section of the VIP lounge. The source said an argument followed between the Grammy-winning megastar and DJ Tunez, which then led to a scuffle before Burna Boy was quickly dragged away from the scene by his security.

In one tweet, he wrote: “Pussy nigga jump a DJ with 10 man carry Diddy towel dey dance. I never see fool like this diddy babe for my life,” a line that quickly began circulating across social media.

The post references the claims that multiple people were involved in the confrontation with Tunez, while also dragging in the ongoing online jokes linking Burna Boy to embattled American music executive Diddy.

Wizkid doubled down shortly after, posting an image of Johnson’s baby oil, a not-so-subtle callback to the same “baby oil” angle that has trailed Burna Boy in recent days, particularly following comments made by Speed Darlington that have since taken on a life of their own online.

The timing is also quite interesting. Wizkid’s posts come just as the situation between DJ Tunez and Burna Boy continues to escalate, with the Nigerian DJ Association already announcing a temporary nationwide ban on Burna Boy’s music pending further investigation.

Burna Boy himself has yet to issue a formal statement on the incident. What this does, however, is shift the tone. Until now, the situation has been judged to be somewhere between a personal dispute and an industry issue.

Wizkid’s involvement firmly pulls it back into the long-running, often tense rivalry between the camps, one that has historically played out through music, subtext, and the occasional online shade.

Entertainment

Kunle Remi Blasts Government on economic hardship, asks Nigerians to hold government accountable

Nollywood actor Kunle Remi has joined growing public frustration over the rising cost of petrol, using his platform to call for more open conversations about the country’s current economic strain

The actor pushed back against the idea that public figures should stay silent on political or economic issues. “Usually I say things like I don’t really get involved with politics… No, that’s the most stupid statement from anyone in Nigeria right now,” he said. “We should be discussing, we should be talking about it, we should be trying to fix… There’s nothing like sitting on the fence.”

Remi linked his concerns to the direct impact of fuel prices on everyday life, pointing to the ripple effect across businesses and households. “Today I bought petrol for 1,300-something naira,” he said, noting that everything from shopping malls to small barber shops depends heavily on petrol to operate. “I have a child, so I’m thinking not just for myself.”

He also questioned Nigeria’s sensitivity to global oil market shifts, particularly ongoing tensions in the Middle East. “I don’t understand why Nigeria is one of the first countries to be affected by the war in Iran. My spirit is very angry. All the things I’ve been working for is for what?” he said.

His comments come amid sustained pressure on petrol prices across Nigeria. Despite the start of domestic refining operations, including the Dangote Refinery, pump prices have continued to reflect global market volatility. Industry stakeholders have pointed to international crude oil price movements and geopolitical tensions as key factors limiting any immediate relief.

Recent market data shows that a nearly 20 per cent increase in petrol prices implemented last week remains in place, with a national average of about N1,300 per litre. A decline in crude oil prices earlier in the week has yet to translate into lower pump prices, raising further concerns among consumers.

Online, Remi’s remarks have drawn widespread support, with many users commending him for speaking out on an issue that directly affects daily living. Some described his comments as reflective of broader public sentiment, especially as more Nigerians grapple with rising transportation and operating costs.