Chioma Jennifer is a Nigerian actress, who plays the role of ‘Abena’ in the family-oriented television series, ‘The Chronicles’. Born and brought up in the Eastern part of Nigeria, Enugu State, to be precise, Jennifer is a graduate of English Language from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State. In this interview with IFEOMA ONONYE, she talks about taking on more challenging roles and showcasing her acting skills to the world

Tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to be an actress.

My name is Chioma Jennifer. I am from Enugu State. I’m from a family of six and I am the fifth child. I chose to be an actress because that is something that has been in me right since when I was a child .Okay, I always saw myself being this big actor. So, I started from church. I’m a Catholic. That was where I started. It was something that whenever I do, people could be wild. I actually won a lot of awards for my church through acting. So, I said to myself, I’m going to take this up.

When did you start professionally? What was your first role?

So professionally, I started in 2020 because there was a time after my university when I came to Lagos. Meanwhile, I went to Nnamdi Azikiwe University. I studied English Language. In 2020, I came back to Lagos again. I went to film school and then I launched my career.

What film school was that?

Royal Arts Academy.

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What have the three years been like?

It’s been a gradual process but it’s been awesome because I’ve done some good movies. I can tell you that the process hasn’t been easy but I’m enjoying it. I mean, you can go from one, and then skip all the numbers and jump to 100. You have to follow it step by step till you get there.

So far, what will you say is the biggest production you’ve been in?

The biggest production I’ve been in so far is ‘The Chronicles’ by director Seun Arowojolu. That’s the biggest and most challenging I’ve been in.

What made it challenging?

So, this is a series about a family and its challenges. So, I played the role of Abena, the mother of a family. Abena is a mother to three grown adults. The role was challenging in a way that I have to accept that I am a mother to these three grown adults, right? I had to do a lot of work to be in that character to make it believable because people thought that there’s no way I could do it. When I received this script, I had to start working on myself, and put on some weight because I needed to fit into that role. I had to look at the part. I had to look like I am truly their mother.

Apart from putting on weight, I had to start monitoring mothers around me, mothers of that age too who have grown up adults. So, when I came back onset to kick off, I was nervous initially but with the director, Arowojolu, you can’t be nervous because this is someone who works through your heart and spirit and brings out what you have. It is a very emotional series, and throughout the series, Abena is still feeling emotional all through. It was only in one episode that she was happy. And normally, I’m a very happy person but anyway, we did it.

Talking about Arowojolu, was he difficult to work with?

Not at all! One thing with Seun is that if you know what you are doing and you are ready to do it, it doesn’t matter if you know how because he will bring it out of you. So, just be ready for him, be a good listener and then do as he says.At the time I was like, oh my God, I think the director needs to rest a bit because he was the cameraman; he was the director; he was the script writer and he bore the burden of everyone on that set. But it wasn’t difficult working with him at all.

Did the role make you look forward to motherhood?

Oh yes! As a matter of fact, after we finished shooting, some of the cast were still calling me mother. I enjoyed being a mother and yes, I look forward to motherhood.

Are you in a relationship?

At the moment, I am very single.

Are you deliberately remaining single?

Oh well, I’ve had my own fair share of relationships that didn’t work out and I am taking my time to actually find the right person.

By your standards, who is the right person?

The right person, for me, is that person who sees what is in me and helps me bring it out and supports me all the way. The person who sees the light in me and makes it shine brighter. All I need is a supportive partner. A very understanding, kind and supportive partner.

People say that all the time but we agree that the physical looks also have something to do with it. So, what do you look out for in somebody physically?

So, I am not too big into people’s physical looks because we do not create ourselves. We all came to this world; we see ourselves and we now believe ‘Oh, I am beautiful, oh I am this, I am that. So, most of the time, I don’t care about a person’s physical attributes. I just care about the heart. If you have a very beautiful, gorgeous partner and tomorrow, something happens and maybe they lose a hand, I don’t pray for this. Are you going to leave them? I am not looking at any- body’s physical attributes.

Others may want to ask, what are you bringing to the table?

Oh well, you know this question has caused a lot of arguments. So, personally, I don’t like that question. I am a woman, and when I am asked what I’m bringing to the table, it kind of offends my spirit because I am the table. I am that one who’s going to hold the family together. I am the one who is going to be supportive of my partner. I am that one who is going to hold everybody in the house together; in sick and good times. In all times. So, yes. I am the table.

Back to acting, are you working on any project at the moment?

At the moment, I am working on a project. It’s a web series titled ‘Soko and D Gang’. It’s a comedy series and I’ve been on it for some years now. Right now, we are shooting another season.

A lot of actors and actresses are going into movie production. Is that something you are considering too?

For now, I am not thinking about going into producing movies if that is what you mean. A lot of times, people move from here to there without understanding properly what’s involved. Right now, I don’t have any intention of producing. I am more about honing my skills. I am more about my craft as an actor. I think I need to get it to a certain level.

I don’t want to say okay, I have acted for three years; so now, I think I’m ready to be a producer . I don’t k n o w anything a b o u t that. The p e o p l e who are p r o d u c e r s have gone through a series of trainings and all of that. I have no such training. Maybe, in the future but right now, I’m focusing on acting.

This is November. How would you say this year treated you?

Let me tell you something. This year hasn’t really been so kind, regarding the economy. A lot of plans were made but then, they were not all met. But I am so grateful to God because I really achieved so many things this year. ‘The Chronicles’ is a project that I am so proud of. I gave it my all. It brought out the actor in me that I didn’t even know existed. So, I’m really grateful for this year and I look forward to doing more films, more series. I look forward to it.

When you started, did you face any form of intimidation from the oldies?

When I started, I didn’t face in- t i m i d a t i o n from any- body, mostly because I am s o m e o n e who is so focused on why I am here. I’m glad I’ve met a lot of celebrities because of how cordial they are. And that’s it. I’ve also met a few oldies who called me by the side and told me to be patient and that my time will come. Just keep putting in the work. Those words meant a lot to me. So no, I didn’t face any intimidation.

I think those people are actually kind. Most times, they are kind, especially if they see that you’re not here to compete with them. You’re just here to showcase your own talent. So no, I so far haven’t, you know, been faced by any intimidation from anybody. I’m just starting anyway. I’m just three years in the industry. I don’t know if you know, we still haven’t happened yet.

They say female actors rise faster than their male counterparts in the industry. Has that been your experience? I don’t think so. I think the whole thing about being female is, we are easily seen, right?

The whole beautiful dressing up and looking good makes us easily seen. So, I can do one movie and my male counterpart, will do five but I’ll be more noticed because I am a woman. People are likely to talk about me more just because I’m a woman. So, I don’t think one gender rises faster than the other. We are all trying to survive. We are all trying to showcase our individual talents. We are all trying to put ourselves out there and hoping for the better.

It’s not easy in the industry, especially if you don’t already have connections and know a lot of people. Somebody like me, I came in and I didn’t know anybody. So, it was like starting from scratch. I don’t think that’s true. It’s your job to keep trying, keep pushing. You can’t sit one side and say, because you are female, you’re going to rise faster because you’re not.

Recently, there has been a backlash about actresses doing more than just acting to fund their lifestyle. Do you have any response to that?

I am not somebody to concern myself with people’s private lives or whatever people do to fund their lifestyles. But, I think the world is preaching multiple streams of income. So, if I do a job and I am paid handsomely and I decide to maybe open a boutique and, you know, take that up as another hustle, it’s not bad. That is not bad at all. It’s not bad. So, when they say an actress is doing more than just acting to fund their lifestyle, I don’t understand what they mean, honestly speaking.

And if you want me to talk about people’s private lives, like, I don’t have anything, any business with that. I think people spend a lot of time criticizing other people, trying to know what’s going on in other people’s lives than they spend time trying to improve their own lives, trying to, you know, invest in their own lives and be successful. So, I am somebody who is not really into what people do behind closed doors. If that’s where this question is going.