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

Ini Dima-Okojie

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.”

READ ALSO: Success in Nollywood Involves Intellectual Work – Actress, Kehinde Bankole

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.

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Celebs

I Won’t Date A Musician Even In My Dreams – Ayra Star

Nigerian singer Ayra Starr, who has never been in a fully committed relationship, has said that when she finally starts to date, it won’t be someone in the music industry. Speaking with American singer Coco Jones during an interview with Rolling Stone, Coco asked her if she would date someone in the industry.

“In the dream world, it wouldn’t be somebody that is in the industry. Probably just like a billionaire. On a yacht. In Dubai. In a thong,” Ayra Starr replied in between fits of laughter. Her response was a nod to a viral social media sound about living a stress-free, soft life.

On the topic of dating, the Rush singer revealed that her standards for relationships have been set very high.

She said, “I’m so happy I wasn’t really dating before I started music. I didn’t know what I was missing. So now that I waited this long to date people, I have very high standards. If it’s gonna be hard to meet it, it’s gonna be bye-bye. But also, I don’t have time for myself; talk less of a boy.”

During a recent interview with Dazed Magazine in September 2024, the singer expressed her longing for a relationship.

“I want to fall in love. I wrote ‘Lagos Love Story’ about what love would look like if I was,” Ayra Starr shared. While she described herself as a lover girl deep in her heart, she also confessed that she is very single.

Ayra Starr clarified that she has never been in a fully committed relationship. “I’m just very strong-headed about it. I have never been in love…I’ve been in certain situations not situationships!—but I’ve never been in a fully committed relationship.”

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Entertainment

Fathia Williams receives Backlash for new movie ‘Efunroye: The Unicorn’

Nollywood filmmaker, Faithia Williams Balogun has addressed the controversy around her new movie, Efunroye: The Unicorn.

The actress took to X on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, to announce the release of her movie, Efuronye: The Unicorn. Captioned, “Power, Trade, Legacy,” the official film poster that she released caught the attention of netizens.

Journalist David Hundeyin, tweeting, criticized the movie, alleging that Tinubu was an “ultimate slave trader.”

His tweet, among others, read, “A deliberate decision was made to fund a Nigerian movie lionizing not just ‘a’ slave trader but the ultimate slave trader, as in the Efunroye Tinubu herself. The one who decided she would rather sink a ship loaded with a cargo of kidnapped African human beings than reduce their asking price to the European buyers. That Efunroye Tinubu. This would be like getting Tyler Perry and Spike Lee to produce and direct a movie titled ‘Robert E. Lee: The Unicorn.’”

Also, the 2023 Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, wrote, “The Yoruba were the biggest victims of Madam Tinubu’s kidnapping, human trafficking and enslavement network. In the British attempt to end human trafficking and her ruthless opposition to it, she was exiled from Lagos. When Nigerians do DNA test like 23 and me, etc., they will see the number of unknown relatives they have scattered all across the Americas and the West Indies. They will realize how close and how deep this chapter of our history is. Unfortunately, Nigerians are still dealing with a ruthless elite that amass their fortune at the detriment of their people.”

Amid the backlash on the yet-to-be-released biopic movie, the actress clarified that there was no political intention behind the movie production. She was more than a warrior, she was a ruler who rewrote history. ‘Efunroye: The Unicorn’ is coming to your screens soon! Are you ready?” the post said.

The post sparked a lot of controversy especially because the movie is about Efunroye Osuntinubu, born in 1805, a Yoruba aristocrat, merchant, and slave trader in pre-colonial and colonial Nigeria.

She is said to have used her connections to establish a successful trade network with European merchants in slaves, tobacco, salt, cotton, palm oil, coconut oil, and firearms and allegedly owned well over 360 personal slaves.

As a wealthy woman, Madam Tinubu was able to influence economic and political decisions during her time. She had a massive security force composed of slaves, and she sometimes executed orders usually given by political leaders during the colonial era.

Fathia Williams, however, took to her social media to address the controversy around the film

“Firstly, “Efunroye: The Unicorn” is not a promotional piece intended to glorify or whitewash a divisive historical figure like Madam Efunroye Tinubu. Nor does it carry any political intent or affiliation. This film is purely a work of artistic interpretation and storytelling. As a filmmaker, my goal is to bring Nigerian stories to life on screen, and this is no exception. The movie attempts to present Madam Tinubu’s life in a balanced and nuanced way, showcasing her triumphs, challenges, and the complex legacy she left behind. It is not an effort to reshape or glorify the historical narrative. “Like all historical figures, Madam Tinubu’s story is layered, and this film aims to capture both her strengths and controversies,” the post said.

She also stressed that the movie is inspired by true events and added that it is important to explore our history.

“As with any artistic work, it draws from history but takes creative liberties to make the story more engaging for modern audiences. I believe that through this film, we can explore important parts of our history, but it is important to understand that it remains a work of fiction inspired by real events,” she concluded

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Entertainment

Davido Hits the Runway At the Lagos Fashion Week

Fans of Nigerian singer Davido have expressed their excitement over the viral videos showing him walking the runway at the ongoing Lagos fashion week.

In the viral videos, Davido was seen dressed in a stunning piece from his friend Ugo Monye’s new collection, which was being exhibited at the critically acclaimed fashion show. Ugo Monye, who designed Davido’s looks for his traditional wedding in June 2024, also walked the runway during the exhibition.

The singer rocked a brown traditional piece from head to toe, paired with a breath-taking walking stick. This is Davido’s second time on the runway, following his 2022 debut when he walked for Puma at the New York Fashion Week in a custom tracksuit.

Nigerian’s took to social media to react to his appearance at the fashion event, drumming their support for Davido.

A person wrote, “One thing about Davido, he takes his job very seriously, and he understands visibility in Showbiz. He’s the GOAT, no doubt!!!”

“Davido is the kind of friend everyone wishes for in his circle, always coming through for his homies😍😍” said another.

“Them even put him music for background 😂😂😂, na fashion week Abi na film premier una gather Dey do there 😂😂😂😂, said one Instagram user and another wrote, “Man like OBO. A very supportive friend and boss, always carrying everyone along. God keep blessing David Adekeke”

“When I tell you obo is a big deal Una go the cap 🧢…….very humble very demure ❤️❤️❤️❤️money na water”

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