British-Nigerian actress, Diana Yekinni, who made her film debut in 2009 with a strong role in the award-winning Ije: The Journey alongside Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, has said that being on stage comes naturally to her.
She made this known in an interview with TheNiche, while responding to the question about which, among the big screen, television and stage drama, is easy for her.
“I think stage comes naturally because the bulk of my training is in theatre and I appreciate the process,” she said.
Recalling her first screen experience, which was in Ije: The Journey, the up-and-coming actress explained that it took her a while to wrap her head around the idea of doing multiple takes despite all the training she had in film and theatre.
“But I now have a hang of it,” she stated.
Anyone who is in doubt need only see the recent works of the winner of the 2012 GIAMA Screen Icon Search Awards, which include the just premiered Lunch Time Heroes that opens across Nigeria on August 28 in which she plays Banke.
There are also All That Glitters (2013-2014), Lagos Cougars (2012) and, of course, Ije: The Journey (2009).
That is not forgetting the stage plays: For Coloured Girls, Saro: The Musical and Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives as well as television series like last year’s A New You (EbonyLife TV) and Reaching Heights (Africa Magic).
Those who saw her in the first edition of Saro: The Musical still wonder why she didn’t return for the second edition.
Diana, who counts being part of the production an amazing experience, said her absence was due to scheduling conflicts.
She said returning to Nigeria from UK has taught her to have a lot more patience and not lose sleep over things that are beyond her control, explaining that comparing productions in the two countries would be an unfair exercise.
“The obstacles against us in Nigeria are way greater – power is one of the biggest. The major difference would be the timeframe in which we shoot our movies and television shows,” she stated.
Among the heroes or mentors of the actress who was on the set of Jenifa’s Diary (Funke Akindele’s TV show) at the time of this interview are female thespians like Joke Silva, Cicely Tyson, Kimberly Elise, Angela Bassett, Nse Ikpe Etim and Viola Davis, with the last three exerting a great influence on her.
So what steps does she think an up-and-coming actor should take to make headway in the Nigerian movie industry? “Auditions are very important so keep going. Opportunities don’t just come; you have to work hard for it. Invest in your craft and you will reap the fruits of it,” said Diana, who is also involved with other projects she is not allowed to divulge.
The most important lesson she has learned from life so far is that no condition is permanent, perhaps this is why what she loves most about herself is her honesty which she said gets her into trouble.
Managed by Restless Talent, an agency that focuses on African film and television talents, Diana is a trained tap dancer. She studied theatre and dance at the Brit School of Performing Arts in London and at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Her BA in Theatre she earned from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.
