Genoveva Umeh is a Nigerian-British trained actor, an alumni of Identity School of Acting, United Kingdom; Ebonylife Creative Academy, Nigeria; and an LLB Law graduate from the University of Surrey, UK. Through her acting prowess, Genoveva has been able to carve a niche for her brand. In this interview with MUTIAT LAWORE, she spoke about her role in the just released movie, Soft Love, her passion for acting among other issues.
You played Chioma, a supportive role in Soft Love. How did you bring depth to this character?
Chioma embodies the beauty of Lagos and Nigeria; a self-aware, resourceful and cool young woman, fully capable in her own right. To bring depth to this character, I made sure she felt like a breath of fresh air amid the drama between my brother and his ‘situationships’. I tried to keep her warm and grounded.
What was it like working with the ensemble cast, especially Cindy Mahlangu and Efa Iwara?
I am a huge fan of every cast member of ‘Soft Love’. Cindy’s work has always impressed me, especially on the popular ‘Blood & Water’, and Efa is someone I admired even before entering this industry. It has been amazing working so closely with everyone, and I am grateful that we will have this film as a lasting memory of our time together.
How did Nemsia Studios foster a collaborative environment during the production of Soft Love?
Nemsia deserves major credit for taking a chance on first-time producer and director Holmes Awa. Holmes married to South African producer, Pabi RD, did an incredible job fostering a positive working experience for both South African and Nigerian teams.
What do you think Soft Love reveals about family dynamics in romantic relationships?
‘Soft Love’ reveals that Obi’s mother wants him and Amaka to be together primarily to help her business, without considering if the relationship would be right for them personally. I admire how Obi handled this situation, staying true to himself despite the pressure.
What was your favourite part about filming Soft Love?
Working with Director Holmes and the team was a fantastic experience. Collaborating with talent from across Africa made it truly unique, and I am grateful to have been part of this film. I believe we need more projects like this that bring diverse voices together.
You have featured in some movies, how did it all start for you?
I fell in love with acting in high school; I found that my drama class quickly became my favourite subject. The two hours we had wasn’t enough so I fell in love with the idea of stepping outside of school to explore – going to the theatres, watching plays and also enjoy playing. I think my soul loves playing and I really fell in love with that. I found out about a drama school, Identity school of acting, which I kept attending; it felt like an extra-curricular activity that I enjoyed. As I grow older, I felt like it was just a hobby perhaps because of my culture; because I knew I was first generation immigrants, my parents worked so hard to come to the UK, so I felt that mentioning an art-related subject to them will be a disservice especially when the idea was to come over for greener pastures. So, I studied law but I quickly figured that law wasn’t what I wanted and so I went back to acting and it felt like a comfortable ground. As I watched a lot of Nollywood, I knew I would find my ground there, so I did a lot of networking while I was in the university. And the rest is history.
At what point did you decide to come home to join Nollywood?
That was in 2016, I just finished my first year in the university; as much as I enjoyed studying law, I wasn’t passionate about it. I looked for opportunities and just wanted to get back to my hobby – acting; so I searched online, looked for acting opportunities, I sent in self-tape for auditions and an opportunity came through, so I had to travel to Nigeria, Enugu, to film for a month same 2016. Everything great and awful happened and with that experience I knew I would try to work in this space – Nollywood. So, when I graduated in 2018, a week later, I was in Nigeria.
What has been the experience like for you since you launched out in Nigeria?
I have learnt that it is very important to be yourself, know who you are and being true to yourself when it comes to Nollywood and life. I think I approached acting from a passionate point of view and I feel like because I have approached it in that way, I have been open and blessed with opportunities coming my way. For me, I wanted to work hard, experience opportunities, watch films and appreciate the work that people are doing in this space. So, I think it’s been challenging, especially having to adjust to living in Nigeria; it is a really tough place to live and celebrating the wins when they come. It’s been a learning experience for me.
Are there roles you cannot take on?
Ironically, no, I love the challenge. So, I am really open to roles that make me uncomfortable because the more the challenge, the better for me and I can really get to work. I look forward to playing a more challenging role similar to the Woman King, because it will require intense training and I look forward to them in future.
Are you considering being in Hollywood yet?
I am open, and by God’s grace if it comes to my plate and I get to audition hopefully in a place where I get to tell authentic African stories, that will be great. As long as it is representative of the true character and the kind of role I want to play, that is fine.
If it wasn’t acting, what profession would you have settled for?
I would just be an acting coach. I will be watching people and making sure that people get it right, those things excite me. Put me in any room where there’s an acting setting, I love it because it challenges me and it is really fun.
What do you consider basics for getting into acting, for young people?
I think it is important to note that it is a really tough profession and if you are a young person eager to learn, passion will take you very far because passion will drive you to show up to things that you can learn from, including film festivals, watching plays, meeting with people you are inspired by, support the industry. If you are passionate about acting, go for it, it will be tough, enjoy it and make sure you are keeping tabs of your ways.
