Veteran Nollywood actress, Uche Ogbodo is a multi-talented filmmaker who is known for dedication to her craft. In this interview with The Sun, she gets real about the joys and struggles of raising three children, navigating a relationship with a younger partner, the lessons she has learned and wisdom gained along the way.
Motherhood is a continuous journey, yet not an easy one, where do you draw your strength from?
Motherhood is the sweetest, most stressful, fulfilling, adventurous, encouraging, and hardest journey ever. I draw strength from my faith in God because I believe that with God all things are possible.
It’s not easy for me, but I am a praying girl. So, I draw strength from my children’s love, the love they have for me, and my God. Prayers help me keep going. When I’m confused or tired, prayers keep me going. Just knowing that God is there for me and He’s helping me do the things that I cannot do.
You have been scarce in movies due to marital and family demands. Does it worry you?
Yes, it worries me a lot that my career had to be put on hold for me to have a family. But, something has to give way. Well, it’s time for my career to be a bit on the back burner because I have to hold my family tight. But I’m still in the system. I’m still working. I’m still doing my thing. I’m back fully now. I’m working now, back to back. I am getting jobs and doing what I can do.
You’re known for versatility as an actress. Is there a particular role you enjoy playing the most?
Well, I’m a versatile actress; I cannot be stereotyped. Years ago in my career, I was stereotyped as someone who could only do comedy movies because I featured in a lot of movies with the late Mr. Ibu, the late Monaco, the late Dede One Day, and comedians like Charles Aurum and Charles Inojie. I started alongside many of those comic legends, so they stereotyped me.
However, I struggled to pull myself out of it, and I’m glad that after everything, I have been able to prove that I’m a versatile artist. I can swing in and out of any character. There’s no particular role I love playing more than another; a job is a job to me. I just try as much as possible to enter the character and become the character.
With your growing influence in the industry, do you feel a responsibility to portray certain types of characters or stories?
I don’t feel that any good story works for me; I just give it life. The job of an actor is to give life to a character, so I try to give life to every character that I portray. I don’t have a particular kind of role that I play as long as the character is challenging and good for me. Weak or poorly written characters are a turn-off for me. I like challenges; I want to be challenged in my craft. So, challenge me and bring something strong for me, and I’ll do it.
What would make you reject a script?
Poor screenplay! Some screenplays come out boring when you read them, but after editing, the movie can be nice and interesting. As an actor, when I read a script, I can identify a poorly written screenplay. It’s a big turn-off for me, and I will reject it from the beginning. It’s not about the financial aspect; I am passionate about what I do. So first, it’s not about the money; it’s about the job and the script.
What’s the most painful (or maybe annoying thing) you have read about yourself online?
The fact that people think that I am a 50-something year-old woman because I started acting quite early is annoying. And the truth is that I’m not. They think that Genevieve and Rita, the people I call auntie, are my mates. It doesn’t hurt me so much but it makes it seem like my husband and I are years apart.
He is in his 30s and I’m in my 30s, we are just a few years apart. But people make it look like I am 10 or 15 years older than my husband. It is kind of painful because as soon as I finished high school, I joined Nollywood at age 19 when I was in year one.
That was in 2006, if you’re counting, you should know how old I am but people just want to say rubbish.
You are been profiled for marrying a younger partner, does it get to you sometimes?
Well, it doesn’t get to me because I don’t see it in any way that my husband is younger than me.
I’m married to a younger man. I’m happy. I’m living my best life. I have my freedom. I have a partner that I can communicate with. We have conversations. I cannot do the marriage where I’m being bottled up. I cannot talk. If you want to talk, the fear of the husband will be too much. No way! So I feel good. I feel free. I’m like a bird in my marriage. Communication is key for me. And my mental health, I have peace of mind. He gives me peace. You know, I’m stressed out with daily activities, but my home is not my problem. So I’m good. I’m happy. I’m grateful that God gave me this man who is younger than me, and that understands me. I’m good. He fights for me, protects me, you know, I have everything I want, to the glory of God.
Marrying a handsome man who is also into entertainment, what were your fears during the first few months of your marriage?
I was with my husband for three years before we got married, so it wasn’t new to me that he was handsome. Yes, he’s handsome, and that’s a plus. I love him so much. I love that my husband is the most handsome man in the whole world. Beauty in a man is not something that captivates me anymore because I have everything I want. If I want to dwell in beauty, I look into my husband’s eyes. His eyes are amazing, and I fall in love with them over and over again.
Do you fear that your love for each other will grow cold?
I’m not scared or anything. We love each other, we support each other, and I pray and hope that we’ll be together for the rest of our lives. God willing, that will come to pass. I don’t have any fear of our love growing cold. Why would I? I love my husband for life, and I’m sure he loves me the same way.
Who apologizes first?
He apologizes when he hurts me, and I apologize when I hurt him. It’s not a competitive thing. I’m not the type of girl who always wants my man to be the first to do everything. If I notice he’s in a bad mood and I caused it, I’ll say, “Baby, I’m sorry,” and if he does the same, he’ll apologize to me. There’s no pride in it.
What are those little things that he does that excite you?
My husband is a sweet man. He does little things that are funny and fun to be around. He’s a quiet person, but when he’s in a good mood, he just wants to chit-chat. There are so many amazing things that make me happy and make me love him. He’s a very kind person and a very good lawyer. He’s a good person, and there are so many things he does that make me fall in love with him over and over again. He’s very supportive of his friends. He’s a good man with so much love to give. There are just things that tell a lot about a person. I don’t want to change anything about my husband. I just want him to be himself and live his life. God made him the way he is for a reason.
What lessons have you learnt about marriage?
Marriage is a tough institution, I must confess. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. It’s worth doing, it’s worth being in, and it’s worth striving hard to keep. Marriage is beautiful. There are so many beautiful things that come with it. It’s tough sometimes, but communication is everything. We walk through it one step at a time.
