Fast-rising actress, Tamara Eteimo, who won the Next Movie Star reality TV show in 2011, recently produced her first movie titled, Somewhere Down the Line. In this interview with Reporter, REGINA WHENU, she shares her bitter sweet experience to stardom.
Who is really Tamara Eteimo?
Tamara Eteimo
She is an actress and a graduate of University of Port Harcourt. She won best acting student award at Delyork International, Stephenie Okereke-Linus’ school; as well as the Next Movie Star (NMS), in 2011. Since then, I’ve been acting.
How has the journey been?
No journey is smooth; you have loopholes here and there. But you can always fix the loopholes. So, it has been fun all the way.
You have done a couple of movies and recently you premiered your own movie, Somewhere Down the Line. What inspired the movie?
Somewhere Down the Line is (a couple of) different ideas that we decided to make into an idea. There was a day Mrs. Pat Ogiri and I were heading back home from a location, then she shared a story which sounded interesting to me.Somewhere Down the Line is a very interesting story. It is a script that anyone you tell to re-enact a role will just fall in love with because the story is rare in this part of the world. It was not something I rushed into; that story took a whole year to put together, and with the help of Mr. Sola Fajobi, it came to pass. We had scriptwriters who we told. We rejected scripts because we had a vision. We knew what we wanted, but the scriptwriters were not hitting the nail in the head. So we had to push till they got it right, and then we hit the location.
Surrogacy, of course, is common in the country. But in this part of the world, it’s not so common; it’s not new. A lot people know about IVF (in vitro fertilisation). Some people actually do surrogacy, but they hide it. So the essence of the film is to let people know that it is not a bad thing. The child is yours. Yes! Your womb is not strong enough to carry the baby, but then someone can carry it for you.
So is Tamara going to do this?
No, I am not doing this; it is just some story a lady told me and I just fell in love with it.
Being the first movie you ever produced, how was the experience?
It was challenging? I respect producers. Before, Somewhere Down the Line, I always went to locations and leave when I am done and get my money. In fact, before you go to some locations, you would have gotten your alert. So I have never felt the stress of a producer, although I had an idea because I used to organise cheerleaders back then at Port Harcourt. So, producing is part of organising. I understand little of what they do, but it is different because you do this every day: managing over 30 people, knowing well enough that most of them are older than you, and you have to mind the kind of words you use, so you wouldn’t offend anybody. It was a different and interesting experience for me. I learnt a whole lot from the cast to the crew. Being my first, I got help from the director, even from my senior colleagues; the likes of Aunty Bukky Wright and Yemi Blaq. They really assisted me on set. There were times I snapped, but it was fun.
That means you would do more of producing.
By God’s grace, yes I will.
How has the NMS you won in 2011 helped you in your career?
Before NMS, I was doing stage productions, and then performing. I used to sing, but when I came into the NMS house, I decided to let music be. Acting has always been my first love, any day any time. I do not need anyone to force me to go to location, except the script does not make sense (to me). Acting is part of my life; it is what I live for actually. I started professionally as an actress after the NMS. My first movie was with Emem Isong and Uche Jombo titled Mrs Somebody. But then, I had done soaps like Dormitory 8, Meet the Neighbours and Itohan (Superstory).
How far can you go?
I do not see myself as only a role model to people; acting is what I do, and what you do for a living should be able to make a statement. You should be able to touch people’s lives and deliver a solution to someone who needs help. That is the essence of the job. We are more like the mirrors of the society. If the script does not say that, then I do not see me doing that. First and foremost, I need to fall in love with the script because before I portray any character, I already see myself doing it and sometimes I go extra miles to research. That is how deep I can go. I might decide to visit some places, just to see how those people behave, so that I can interpret a character. I wouldn’t just pick up any script. I am not desperate; else I would have been in the industry earlier. But I decided to take my time. Acting nude has been abused; I do not think I will do it.
This is relatively the third year in your acting profession; where do you see yourself in 2021?
By God’s grace, aside endorsements, I should not only get the nominations, I should also get the awards. I am talking about Oscar, because my eyes are really there and I am really working towards that. I am not really letting the cat out of the bag because I have a lot of things that I am planning to do. By God’s grace, I know I will get there. The sky is my starting point.
What do you do at leisure?
I own a salon. Sometimes I make hair. I make all my wigs. When you see me wear (artificial) lashes, I do them myself; except my make-up artist is around, and then she will do everything. I try as much as possible to be busy if I am not acting. I do not like being idle at all; it makes me sick. I am not the kind of person that loves staying in one place; I like travelling, exploring. That is one of the reasons I love acting. It takes one to different places, you interpret different roles, and you are different persons at different times. A lot of people say we actors do not see our movies. That is a fat lie. I see my movies. I see a lot of Nigerian movies. It is not just saying I want to make a statement. What are you doing? Are you really interpreting that character? So I watch and learn every day.
Who are your role models in the industry?
Any day Genevieve (Nnaji) will always stand out. She has carved a niche for herself. She has created a bar that some people might not be able to reach. She does not need to stress herself, but she is doing it. I might not be close to her, but I learn a lot from her. Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde is one of the most influential women in the world. That is another one for us in Nigeria. By God’s grace, I might be the next. You never can tell. Stephanie Okereke-Linus is one very strong willed woman that I admire so much. She has a very positive spirit. She is a nice person. Sometimes you see people from afar and you start judging them. But when you go close to them, you realise that they are totally different. Stephanie is an amazing person. I have been on her set before and she did not treat us like up-and-comers; we were treated like stars. She is my role model. On the international scene, Angelina Jolie.
What are you working on presently, or are you relaxing on the completion of Somewhere Down the Line?
Somewhere Down the Line is not out, and I made promises that we are screening in schools. I have jobs that I am working on too. Gradually, I will start revealing the names when I have been permitted to do so.
Now you are an actor and producer. Maybe we will soon see you directing.
(Laughter) It is not a competition. But I actually thought I would be a director before becoming a producer. It is not something I am planning to do anytime soon. I just started as a producer; so I am a baby producer. I need to be grounded first.
