My career, my pain -Rita Dominic

AMAA award-winning actress, Rita Dominic took a firm decision to cut-back on her movie appearances few years ago and ever since, her career has not remained the same. That decision meant one thing for her die-hard fans in Nollywood and beyond; their darling screen diva would rarely be seen but for the actress, it was the beginning of a new phase.

“A couple of years ago,” she reveals, “I decided to start looking for great stories and great

 roles, I needed to play more challenging roles in good quality productions to move on to that next phase of my career.”

In two years, the Imo State-born screen diva has not only emerged as one of the most endorsed Nollywood personalities by corporate organizations but also as the Best Actress in Africa’s biggest movie award, African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).

Rita Dominic’s incurable knack for new exploits has seen her take on a new challenge as a producer as she gets ready to make a debut with the premiere of her first movie entitled The Meeting on October 19. In a brief exchange with Entertainment Express, she opens up on her career and forthcoming movie projects.

Congratulations on your recent AMAA crown, would you say your emergence as Best Actress in a leading role was the highpoint of your acting career?

Thank you. I would say it is definitely one of the high points of my career. It is always great when you are recognized for your work and as you know, AMAA is also one of the highest award platforms for actors in Africa so I was very excited to win.

Let’s take you back to the movie that won you that award, did you see yourself winning an award for that role?

A couple of years ago I decided to start looking for great stories and great roles, I needed to play more challenging roles in good quality productions to move on to that next phase of my career. I read this script by a Kenyan producer and felt it was very good. The character was unlike any I had played but I gave it a 110% and left the rest to providence.

We understand that it has been a busy year for you, could you please share some of the projects that has kept you busy this year?

I tell you it has been extremely busy but I love the kind of busy that I have been. I started the year with this fantastic role in a British/Nigerian production called Streets of Calabar. It is a black comedy that stars Wale Ojo, Keppy Ekpenyong and other London-based actors. The production quality is very nice and it’s premiering in December in Calabar.
After that I worked on Izu Ojukwu’s period film produced by Adonai Owiriwa called 76. I was on set for five months in Ibadan and we shot on film. It also stars Ramsey, Chidi Mokeme and Ibinabo. I had to add extra weight for the role because I was playing a woman who was about to give birth.

As you know, I co-produced my first film called The Meeting and we are working on premiering it this October. All in all, I have three films premiering this year in cinemas and I hope people will go and watch them.

Now let’s talk about The Meeting, what inspired the story and share your first experience as a producer.

The story is by Tunde Babalola and he can best tell you what inspired the story. He submitted the script about two years ago when he heard we were looking for a romantic comedy to shoot as our first feature film. It is a beautiful love story with lots of comedy.
I must say it has been amazing seeing how things work from the producer’s point of view. The job is challenging especially when you have to combine it with acting in the film as well. I am learning new things everyday but the journey has been exciting.

What role did you play in The Meeting?

I played the role of this crazy receptionist in a government ministry. They had to age me to 50 years to play the role. When you watch the movie, you will not believe it is me. I had fun playing Clara Ikemba – that is the name of the receptionist. People will laugh a lot watching this movie but they will also learn a lot.

What challenges did you face and what lessons have you learnt from producing this movie?
I learnt that as much as Nollywood has achieved over the years, we still operate in a very hostile environment. It is difficult raising funds for quality films because banks and investors don’t understand our business. Also finding locations to tell the story is very difficult. Again acting and producing at the same time was very challenging for me.

It must have been a handful for you, what do you do to avoid burn-out and fatigue?

I have not had a holiday in two years and I am definitely due for a long one. I can feel my brain packing up so I need to go away to rejuvenate. Meantime, I make sure I get to the spa for some ‘me alone’ time. I also exercise almost everyday to deal with stress.

We also learnt that you spent two months on the set of Izu Ojukwu’s historical movie in Ibadan, can you share that experience with us?

It was a tough and challenging production. We were away from home for five months not two months. By the time we were done everybody was exhausted. My role as an army officer’s wife was a very emotional one and it drained me physically.

Are there things you would do differently if you had a chance to live your life again. What and how?

That is a question you ask people who are in their 70s and 80s. I still have a lot of living to do and I am thankful each day that God has been good to me.