Uzoamaka Onuoha: I’m Honing My Craft, Hoping forSuperlative Rewards
Nollywood actress, Uzoamaka Onuoha is a fast-rising actress with several works to her credit, including, If I Am President (2018), Inside Life (2022), and Blood Sisters (2022). This year, at the just concluded Africa International Film Festival, Onuoha, who played the lead character, won Best Female Performance for her role in ‘Agemo’, a feature directed by Moshood Abiola Obatula. The supernatural title explores themes of manipulation, power dynamics, and the consequences of exploiting the vulnerable. The actress speaks candidly about her victory, its significance to her craft and career and her journey to this moment. Excerpts:
Can you share with us how you felt when you found that you emerged winner?
I felt great. For some reason, I just couldn’t stop cracking up. I was laughing. I did watch my film ‘Agemo’ so I knew we had something in hand. We had done something good, something incredible. The nomination didn’t come as a surprise to me because this is good work. But the win was just like a great moment. At the end of the day as a creative, for me, it’s just me working. We were not expecting a nod; we were just working and doing our best. The recognition was really beautiful. It was like a pat on the back. I kept smiling and laughing.
Take us through your preparation for this role, and what part of it felt the most challenging or rewarding for you?
My preparation was intertwined with constant interaction with my director because it was his vision. It was a story created by him and written by Esther Olayinka. I needed to know where his head was. Normally when I get a script, I do a run-through and get an idea of what it is. Next, I discuss it with the director so I know if what I read is in alignment. We had enough meetings before the actual production. This is the best set I ever came on. It was collaborative; we bounced ideas off each other. Whatever I felt was tasking, I knew I wasn’t going to carry the burden alone. We had limited time to shoot and we were running on adrenaline to do this. What kept us going was the collaboration. The rewarding aspect was coming every day on set and knowing you had something in the bag.
What does winning the Best Female Performance award mean to you personally and for your career?
It means so much to me. I am an artist who was nominated alongside incredible artists. I don’t know what it means yet for my career. I am hoping for something incredible and something great along my journey. Being nominated is a pat on the back. It’s saying, ‘I see you, you did good work, and this is an exceptional film’. I watched my film and I said, “Uzoamaka Onuoha well done.” The visibility too is great and we’re hoping for better opportunities. I came into this line of work wanting to tell stories and that is what has kept me going. If I get bigger and better opportunities and tell stories, I will do that. That is what I am hoping for.
AFRIFF is all about celebrating African cinema—how do you see your role contributing to this mission, and what excites you about the future of African film?
It’s such a growing industry. One of my hashtags is #africanstoryteller. That’s reflected in my art. I am African first of all and I believe we have lots of stories to tell. There’s so much to translate in our art and AFRIFF is such a great initiative when it comes to pushing the culture forward. It is one of the awards I regard and hold in high esteem. If they give you your flowers, you really deserve to sit. I feel like the future of African cinema is great. The films that screened in AFRIFF this year, my goodness; you know the future is safe–incredible filmmakers, it was absolutely beautiful. It’s because of initiatives like this. It inspires filmmakers to do things like this. They paid attention this time. I’m thankful to be part of the movement.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in the industry, and what advice have you found most valuable in your journey?
I watch everyone and everything. Kate Blanchet, Hrithik Roshan, I love that he acts with his eyes. Halit Ergenç, Jeremy Irons. I believe there’s something to learn even if the actor might not be great, I don’t mind. I watch actors and works from as old as the 50’s. But these actors inspire me. In Nollywood, Femi Adebayo is my favourite at the moment. I loved him in King of Thieves and Jagun Jagun.
What was it like working with the cast and crew on this film? Any memorable behind-the-scenes stories you’d like to share?
I’m an avid promoter of the crew members. In every set I have been to, the crew members have always been good. On the set of ‘Agemo’, we had crew members who wanted to do their work and do it well. Sometimes you can be on set and not know what they are doing but this set; everyone was on their toes. They loved the story. We had a director who was a leader. If you have your directing right and the right producer, things will show. The set worked so well because we had crew members who made collaboration easy.
Are there any dream roles or projects you hope to take? Where do you see yourself going from here?
There are so many roles and I am very imaginative with these roles. I just stay and act it out by myself. The hope is to get more good jobs, more channels and avenues to be translative in my art. For now, the goal and the objective is to do roles that challenge me. I watched ‘Agemo’, and there was a scene that ended, and a tear just dropped from my eyes. The vision is to watch yourself and truly forget that this is you, to watch yourself and say this resonates with someone out there. There are lots of characters I want to play.
