Some actresses bleach to build self- confidence —Queeneth Agbor

Queeneth Agbor is a fast-rising actress who debuted in Nollywood in 2008. In this interview by JOAN OMIONAWELE, she talks about her journey into stardom, her personal life, among other issues.

Why, of all careers, did you feel acting is the choice for you?

I have been an actor from birth, I smuggled my way through everything and I can feign sickness and it would look very real, I can just start crying now just to get attention. Back then in school and church, there was no drama without me, although I never thought of the big screen, because where I grew up, there was less of camera shooting, and then, I also hated arts courses, so I studied sciences.

As an actress, you should have been more interested in the arts courses.

Well, I preferred biology and chemistry to government, so I decided to focus on the sciences more than the arts, although my teachers kept telling me that was not where I was meant to be, so someone volunteered to register me in AGN and someone picked a form for me, and that was how I found myself in the industry.

You started out in 2008, how would you describe your journey in Nollywood, so far?

Well, I thank God, because the journey has been smooth. I have never been rejected from an audition. It has been God all the way.

Who are your role models in the industry?

I love Mercy Johnson, Nse Ikpe-Etim and I love Joke Silva.

You grew up with your grandma and there was really no mention of your father while growing up, where was he?

I grew up without my dad, he is late and my mum was a busy person, so I had to stay with my grandmother.

What project have you been up to lately?

I just finished from a set, my first movie which I had to play my first twin role. It was another experience, switching from Sarah to Sandra was a whole different ball game. This moment,  we are shooting Sarah’s scene and the next moment, we are switching to Sandra, I had to make a conscious effort to make it real.

Some actresses these days resort to bleaching their skin, what’s your take on that?

I cannot say it’s cool or not, but some people feel bleaching will help build their confidence. People, however, should be comfortable in their skin, some people have inferiority complex which makes them feel it’s only the fair people who are doing well. What rocks one’s boat might sink mine, so it’s up to people to do what they want, at the end of the day, you will suffer the complications alone.

How do you handle male admirers?

Even a little girl on the street has male admirers who are all over her. but in the case of acting, it is different, because fans feel entitled, as a  normal person, you call their bluff and move on, but if you do that as an actress, they will say one is very rude, so you need to balance it so as not to push fans away.

So what can someone do to piss you off?

Wow, there are so many things. But it’s not even the big things that piss me off, sometimes it’s the little things that matter

So what do you think should improve in the industry?

We are doing great, although we aren’t there yet, I believe everything will fall in place, but one thing I have observed is that a big face will be paid a large amount of money, but once they call a fast-rising person, they will begin to lower the price, but on a positive note, everybody has paid their dues, because that known face was once unknown, so all it takes is time.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for love?

The good thing about me is that while growing up, my heart was hardened…

Why?

There was nothing like love, because of the situation of things around me. I saw women go through so much at the hands of men, so I made up my mind not to allow any man the chance to come and try to break me.

But I read somewhere that your ex-boyfriend slapped you?

You know some stories are not always true. Yes, I had a jealous boyfriend. You know, some people do not want to marry actresses because there is just something about actresses. Because there is a man who is in love with you watching you kiss another man, it’s not easy. In fact, it takes a strong man to understand that acting is just make-believe, it’s just acting.