Akwa Ibom State-born Rachel Emem Isaac is an actress, model, events planner and an aspiring movie producer. In
this chat with, Sam Anokam, the daring graduate of mass communications at The Polytechnic, Ile Ife, Osun State, speaks about her career and other sundry issues
You are many things rolled into one, which come first?
Modelling came first. The first real job I did was a modelling job before I went into acting and events and the experience has been good. I have modelled for a couple of companies and outfits such as Dangote Sugar, and a fashion designer. I am one of the faces of Amigo hair, Bet Naija. I was part of MTN 10th anniversary theme song.
How many movies have you acted in and when did you start professionally?
I started acting about five years ago, then, I have been on and off; I wasn’t ready for the industry then, I just felt it was something I could do because I was just out of school. You know how it is when you have passion for a thing and you are ready to get into the industry. I thought I could do it then, I knew I wasn’t ready for it, I left but now I’m back. It’s been a wonderful experience though. There have been times when I had to cry because I was really tensed; the pressure was too much and at times there are roles that will shake you and you will feel like calling them to call off the job but then, there had been this push that has kept me going.
How many movies have you done so far?
I have done series like Clinic Matters, one that is going to be out this year, it’s a situation comedy. I also did Calabash, then, something for series series, Unayi Health Centre, I played this funny character known as Mabel. Others I can remember include The Valley Between, Separate Lives, Mr. Ehis, Dead End. I had experiences working with amazing actors. You know how it is when you see actors on screen and you hear that you are to work with them; you look forward to it.
Which of them has been the most challenging?
It is Daisy, a feature film. It was the first feature film I did. I acted with big actors, I was the daughter of Olu Jacobs and Ebele Okaro, I played the role of a girl, who has passion for entertainment. She wanted to be an entertainer but then her father wanted her to go to school and face her studies but she didn’t think that was the perfect thing for her. She was really passionate for music, the industry and she felt like it was her time to do something and shake the industry but then her parents didn’t feel so. Along the line, they found out that she wasn’t their biological daughter, they had to take her from her father’s house, that is the parents she grew up with, people that she called parents from when she was a baby, to her real parents who were in Ghana. So I had to go from being this loving girl to an emotional and stubborn girl. It was really difficult. We shot the movie in Nigeria and Ghana. There were times I would be on set and the director would be shouting at me to cry, produce tears. He shook me so much that I lost weight. It was the most challenging. And I got nominated for the role I played. When it comes out, you will see why it’s the most challenging so far.
What is your impression of the entertainment industry?
We are growing. I remember when I was younger; it was a different story. We used to sit in our houses and watch just foreign artistes and wish we had artistes that could compete with them. Now, we have some award ceremonies where they nominate our own artistes alongside their own. I have also seen some collaboration with some big foreign musicians. We are really doing well. Now the acting industry, Nollywood, is not where it used to be. When I was growing up, we had some known faces like Genevieve and Ramsey Nouah but now we have lots of other fantastic actors and actresses. We also have actors that are going to Hollywood to do stuffs with them. You see some producers like AY featuring Davis Offor, you see our actors act alongside them and you can’t tell the difference. You see both of them interpreting their characters the same way. We are doing well but it can be better. We still have some flaws that would need to be addressed but we are doing very well, we are growing at a fast pace. It is really cool.