Chiege whose angelic face has
been scarce on movie jackets lately, reveals the reason she has been away for
so long, what she has been up to and also her very unique selling point, in
this up, close and personal chat.
Enjoy,
You recently set up an NGO.
What is it all about?
What I had in mind when I set
up my NGO was to use the platform to reach out to the less privileged people in
our society. You know, somebody might be looking good but inwardly, he or she
has a lot of problems bothering him. So, we really want to see how we can
assist them in our own little way.
Have you reconciled with your
husband?
I don’t know. I hate talking
about my private life. But what I know is that I have a child now.
Which part of your body do you
like most?
There are certain things God
blessed with that make me to feel like a real woman. They are my Melons and my
face. I am not saying that anybody who is flat chested is bad, the person still
looks good. But if I dress, i will first admire myself before the mirror, I
always thank God for making me a complete woman.
Like something you know many
are paying to have, I have it naturally. And I thank God the way he made me. I
am very grateful, I cannot ask for more.
Like how much can you insure
these places you like most?
Money cannot be enough when it
comes to those areas. I don’t pray for anything to happen to these places. I am
ok the way I am.
Are you comfortable with the
kind of movies that are coming out of Nollywood?
I am not comfortable at all.
Though there are some good movies, the fact remains that Nollywood needs to
step up its game in the area of production. Because, majority still need
amendments here and there. I want the industry to produce quality movies . I
want them to come out with something more challenging.
How has married life been with
you?
Well, married life is good.
Though there are ups and down, it is sweet at the same time, it is sour. You
cannot just say it is all bed of roses but it is good. It is good because when
the going is sweet, you love it the more but when the going is bad, you will
still be there provided it is not life and death.
Does your marriage affect your
career (Acting)?
No, it does not.
You stopped acting for a while
now, what happened?
No, actually, I didn’t stop.
But somehow, you do not need to act one million movies in a day. You have to
advise yourself, I am the married woman that wants to combine my family with my
career, and then you have to compromise. You think about your family first. No
matter what you do, your family comes first.
How did you start acting?
Well, that was in 1998. When I
left secondary school, I took JAMB; and I entered into the movie industry. To
me then, it was a sort of whiling away time while I was still waiting for my
JAMD result. Not like now you see people desperately want to act. It was not
like that for me.
Was it like a passion you
wanted to use to pass time?
Number one, I love acting
because, I use to act drama in secondary school then. Secondly, I was waiting
for my JAMB result so I want to use that to while away time. Because, I don’t
like staying idle. Even as a child, I used to do one or two things. I have
always been an independent person. I would say that I started acting because I
hate idleness.
How many movies have you acted
this year?
I don’t really know but it is
not much.
You live outside the country
most often?
I live here in Nigeria but most
times, I travel out of the country because of the project I’m embarking on. I
shuttle between Nigeria and the outside world. There are certain things I need
to bring from there to this country that is why I travel most often. Like my
cameras, I brought them down from there. Like the house of service I told you,
I need some in Nigeria and likewise outside the country.
Like other actors and actresses
who have ventured into the music industry. Are you planning to do the same?
I love singing, I have sang so
many songs. But, we cannot keep acting all the time. Because if you continue
like that, you can never have your time, you can never give your family that
time they need. You act, you get another thing to fall back on incase if you
are not there.
At the same time, you cut your
shot. What I mean is this, if you are the boss of what you are doing, you can
say, let me give this time to my family today and your assistance will take
over. Also, tomorrow you can say let me go to work/location today. I don’t want
to spend all my time in working (acting). Where I can be answerable to somebody
without being answerable to my husband.
So, you have to initiate
something on your own by so doing, you can tell your workers, go and do this
thing and you will go and relax. You can also be doing other things that will
give you time to attend to your family. That does not mean I would not act for
anybody anymore. I will act for people but I can never be the same like when I
started as a young girl who does not have anybody to answer to.
Does it mean you choose the
roles you act now?
Yes. I choose. I see the
script. If I am not satisfied with it, I will tell you that I cannot act the
script. If I am satisfied with that, I will go on with the script.
Do you think you still have a
chance in the industry considering the number of actresses who are eager to
act?
Well, I don’t look at people’s
faces. I believe that whatever you are, it is on your own. If you are good, it
is for your own good. I always tell people to be confident in themselves.
If you have self-confidence and
a dragon is by your side, you can even say hi to the dragon and go your way the
dragon would even turn back to follow your footsteps. Just be contended with
yourself, how you act,, do you thing in your own way.
Don’t mind how people do
theirs. You will find out that a lot of people are out there who are following
your footsteps without your knowledge. So I am not scared.
What are the challenges you are
facing now?
Talking about my challenges
now, I think it is what I am building up that is giving me lots of challenges.
The other challenge an actor/actress can face is that professionalism in the
field, knowing what you are doing. By God’s grace, we have the professionals in
the industry. In fairness, I even love challenges so much.
What is your driving force in
creating your own studio?
I decided to create my own
studio because, I wanted something different apart from my acting. It is a kind
of gradual step you have to take when you want to be there. I do not really
want to have problem when I am there I will start looking for cameras or
anything. I want to gather everything before I start the NGO. So that when I am
out, they can finish everything without problems.
What do you intend to do with
your NGO?
Ok, we want to reach to people
because, so many Nigerians are hungry and I think I am happier if I am eating
and the person beside me is eating as well. If am eating and the person beside
me is hungry, I feel so unhappy. I derive joy in making people happy.
When do we hope to hear about
the NGO well?
Not now because we are still
working on it.
Tell us about your background?
I am Chiege Alisigwe from Orlu
Local Government Area of Imo State. I am the last in the family of Eleven. I
read fine and applied arts. I did my OND at Federal Polytechnic, Oko, before
proceeding to IMT Enugu for Higher National Diploma. I did my youth service and
now on the verge of doing my masters.
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