Do you think your role as Cordelia in Jenifa’s Diary reflects the society?
Yes. My character comes out as a single mother, a calm girl that got pregnant for someone she didn’t know. This leads to her becoming a single mother. The role is a slice of the life of single mothers. With Cordelia, you would know that it is not easy to be a single mother and that after getting pregnant, abortion is not an option. My role defines single mothers; how it is not easy.
Does it also capture the baby mama mantra?
From my own perspective, I don’t think any woman in the world plans to be a single mother or baby mama. I am not a baby mama, though I acted as a single mother in Jenifa’s Diary. But I don’t think any woman plans to be a single mother or baby mama. But when life throws lemons at you, you make lemonade. Na condition make crayfish bend.
Highlighting your role in College Girls, how did you react when you discovered you were going to play a lesbian?
I was tensed. When I got the script, I was afraid at first. Why? I come from a very religious family, but the thing is I have signed up for acting for life. If I wasn’t acting I will still be acting in some other levels. I was scared because of my dad and my mum. But acting is what I signed up for. Whatever role I play, I strive to interpret it well. When I got the College Girls’ script and found I was going to act a lesbian role, I told myself that if I was to do it, I would have to do it well. It is make-believe; I wanted to make people believe it’s true.
You have faced a number of backlashes for the roles you have taken, your role in College Girls for example. How do you handle them?
You know in this country people judge actors a lot. After College Girls, everywhere I went people and journalists kept asking if I was a lesbian. I don’t know why people keep saying I am a lesbian. And they have not caught me with anybody yet. Looking at the brighter side though, I guess I acted the role right. But to be honest, I do not care what people say about me anymore. Some people think I am a lesbian. Some people think I am a single mother, that I am pregnant because of my role as Cordelia in Jenifa’s Diary. People say many things about me and if I am to consider these things, I might probably die young. But if you know me you will know I am not those things. And ultimately I don’t care.
Beyond College Girls, you have acted many other challenging roles. You have acted a mermaid, single mother, tom boy among others. Would you go against society because of your passion?
An actor is an actor. Any role you are given or you have accepted to play is a debt to society, to mirror the role believably and convincingly. Anything short of that is failure. And people should know that your character is not you even if it is against the society’s accepted standard for morality and ethics. We only want to tell the world that these kinds of people exist. I mean someone has got to play that role regardless. I want to be able to play a character so well that no one knows the difference. But I think it is wrong for people to associate a character to the actor in real life.
As a role interpreter, do your characters have imprint on you? Do you sometimes find yourself behaving like some of them?
I wouldn’t lie to you. When I started playing Cordelia, I hadn’t done such role before, I have never played a character where I am required to be calm and quiet. Funke Akindele helped tremendously in putting me through. In the middle of the character, I realised that my perception of life began to change. I started seeing life differently, I stopped judging people. The role changed my perspective about single mothers and all. Sometimes I forget that I am Paschaline, the Cordelia thing comes in and I find myself advising people the way I advise Jenifa. Now, whenever my friends needed help they call me for advice.
Do you agree that roles that actors take sometimes affect them?
I don’t know about other people, but I know about myself and yes it does affect them especially if you play the role for a long time.
Were you affected by your role in College Girls as well and what did you pick?
I didn’t pick anything. But I learnt so many things from the character. I learnt not to be a bad student. I learnt not to bully people. I learnt not to indulge in some bad habits. I didn’t pick anything because I didn’t play the role for a long time like I have played Cordelia.
True. After College Girls, every director started giving me scripts about secondary school girls and lesbians. But I do not want to be stereotyped. Typecasting is partly the decision of the actor. There are people who are comfortable playing a particular role. But for me I love challenging roles and because I don’t want to be put in a box I reject some of the roles. However, most of my roles have been either tomboy or a razz girl because naturally I know I am quiet, but I can be a gbazaquine tablet (weird person) at times. And this is why I am grateful to Funke Akindele for casting me as Cordelia in Jenifa’s Diary because it kind of took me from my comfort zone changing the impression people have about me.
Are you really a quiet person?
I am not a quiet person, but I am a people’s person. I am always engaging people around me and all, but inside of me I am a loner. I love my privacy.
You studied French. Have you had an opportunity to interpret your role in French?
Yes, there is a movie I did for Chinwe Isaac, I played the role of a French teacher. I spoke French in that movie.
How do you react to scandals about you and which affected you greatly?
When I came to the industry I was a soft person, but after reading a lot of things about me on the internet, I wore a thick skin. Today, nothing anyone can write will bother me. The only time I broke down was when a blogger posted my birthday pictures online and people started saying all the kind of hate words, people calling me prostitutes and some hate names. I was like I wish these people knew me. Since then, I stopped checking comments.
Do you also receive laudatory comments? And which is the best you have received?
The best comments I have received are from my fans, who pray for me on my Instagram page. They tell me I am beautiful, that they watch my movies and that I am a great actor. They don’t know that those words have great impact in my life.
Beside scandals, what are other factors causing depression among celebrities in your opinion?
Let me tell you, celebrities are the loneliest people in the world. First, people forget that celebrities are human beings. And when we are passing through some challenging situations, because we do not know who to trust that wouldn’t use it against us, we don’t talk to anybody, we talk to ourselves instead. We don’t have anybody to talk to except family members. And there are things you cannot tell family members because they might not understand it from your own perspective. So, more celebrities tend to muzzle up their problem and these can cause depression. These days a problem shared is a problem scattered to the whole world. I think celebrities are the loneliest people in the world.
And is this why they resort to escapist measures like smoking and drugs?
People should not accuse celebrities of these things. Doctors do take drugs, bankers smoke and why is it different when a celebrity does same?
Earlier you mention that people do not understand celebrities. Most people think they live reckless lives. Your responses will shed light on why they do what they do. It is not an accusation, it is a form of enlightenment.
I can only speak for myself. For me when I am depressed I do not do drugs. When I am depressed I go to the beach to look at the water. And if I want to cry, I just play sorrowful music that will make me cry and talk to God.
What are the three things people don’t know about Paschaline Alex?
People don’t know I am a loner, I like my privacy. People don’t know that I am a child, like I have a childish spirit. I play a lot. I like to take garri with milk and groundnut. I always go to location with my Ijebugarri, milk and groundnut.
After a busy week, how do you cool off?
I go to my house, my bed. I love my bed and my space. If I am not at home, you will catch me at the beach, and with friends, I do indoor grooving. You can only catch me in the club once in a while.
What qualities in a man make him eligible for engaging in marriage covenant with you?
He must have the capacity to encourage me to pursue my dreams, one with whom I am comfortable expressing my thoughts and feelings openly without fearing his judgement and ridicule. And he must have money. OK, let me rephrase: he must have prospect in life.
Can you marry a poor man with prospect?
A man with prospect can’t be poor.
What if at the stage he only has prospect?
He should have a future, he should be hardworking. I don’t believe in the word poor.
Are you in a relationship?
I am single and ready to mingle.
and then