Saw dis on Vanguard

She began her journey into the world of
entertainment after she won the Miss Face of
Detlta State University, as an undergraduate. She
went on to emerge second runner-up in the Most
Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) in 1999.
But following the passion she has for acting,
Grace Edwin-Okon delved into acting, as she
featured in many films and soap operas such as
Tears in Heaven, Extreme Measures, My Dream,
Prodigal Brother and Doctors’ Quarters, before
disappearing into thin air. In this encounter, Grace
explains why she disappeared from the screen.
She also talks about her marriage and the movie
industry.

YOU have been away for a long time, did your
husband stop you from acting?

Interestingly, that was not the case. My husband
is actually very supportive. He likes me as an
actress but I was the one who needed to do a lot
more with myself. I have pushed myself all the
way as a beauty queen to acting, script writing
and producing.
Now, I am an author because I just published a
book. I strive to break new ground. My new films
would soon be released into the market .
I’m hitting the screen again. But this time around,
I may not be as active as I used to be in the
past. I decided to take a break after featuring in a
couple of films because I getting scripts I didn’t
like.
Getting scripts
One of my friends later encouraged me to go into
film production. That was when I wrote a script
that took me almost three years to package. The
film is yet to be released into the market, but I
have released other films since then.
How do you feel disappearing from the screen?
The surprising thing is that years have gone by
since I disappeared from the screen. But people
still recognize me everywhere I go. I think my face
has not changed in such a way that my fans still
make me feel special. I hope to stage a comeback
with my own films and I promise not to
disappoint my fans.

Would you say marriage made you to dump
acting?

On the contrary, my husband wants me to return
to acting. I took the decision myself to take a
break from acting. I needed to learn the ropes
properly, because film making is not a child’s
play. I had to go and learn the art of film making
because as a person, if I do not understand the
concept of something, I would rather not venture
into it. Marriage is not responsible for my
disappearance from the screen.

What connection do you have with modelling?

I used to be a model while I was an
undergraduate at Delta State University. I
emerged the Campus Queen then, and later,
second runner-up at MBGN in 1999.
Does it mean that you started your career as a
model?
Yes, I started as a model and later ventured into
acting.

What was it like being a beauty queen?

Well, it was an experience on its own. One of the
things I learnt as a beauty queen was confidence.
No matter the situation I find myself in, I’m never
get scared of anything or anybody. Most people
do not realize that pageantry goes beyond ladies
parading in under-wears. But is also, a grooming
hub for young ladies.
It teaches etiquette and confidence and makes
you believe that you can go anywhere, stand on
your own as a strong woman. Pageantry for me
was a bedrock and a stepping stone, a launching
pad to raise my standards to greater things. My
first film entitled “Heavy Beauty” is a pageant
film. I put all my experience as a beauty queen
into writing the script. I have actually produced
two similar films which will be released before the
end of this year.

Why did you dump modelling for acting?

Honestly, film making is very intellectual. While I
was into modelling at the time, I realized it was
not as mentally challenging as it is today. The
terrain has changed. When I discovered that
script writing was something that required a lot
of work, I put in my best into it and today, I have
written well over 10 scripts, and already, six of
them have been produced into films.
As a producer, people such as Emem Isong
influenced my decision to go into film production.
I had the feeling that I could also be a part of the
change, or the improvement of the Nollywood
industry.

Did you set out to become a model or an
actress?

Interestingly yes. A lot of people would call it
‘cliche’ but for me, it was not so. Right from
childhood, my family members and friends used
to call me ‘’Fulani’ (even though I am not from
the North) because of the kind of features I
possessed. Any time I sustain an injury, my
mother would tell me, “ you have injured yourself
now, and you would not be Miss Nigeria again.”
That dream stuck into me because she liked
pageantry a lot. I had an Aunty, Joy Nwariso who
was once Miss UNIPORT and she used to tell me
that I could also go for pageants. All of these
contributed to my decision to go into modelling.
From childhood, I have always liked the television,
and I can vividly recall a lot of old programmes
because I watched them with keen interest. I
knew I wanted to become an actress. I can say
now that fate directed my steps.

How did you feel the first time you were on set?

I remember it was a Zeb Ejiro film. At that time,
AY, the comedian, used to be my manager and
his girlfriend who once represented Nigeria at the
Miss World pageant went for an audition and
asked me to escort her. When it was time for her
reading, they needed someone to read with her
and I did.
It occurred to them that I was good also and that
became my first time ever to see or even read a
script.I had no former knowledge whatsoever but
I got the role and it happened to be a lead role.
My first experience on set was a learning process
for me and an exciting experience because I
studied English in school and was not quite sure
what I wanted to do with my life after.

Have you had any ugly experience in marriage,
given the rate at which celebrity marriages are
crashing in Nigeria?

I have been married for nine years now and I am
still in it. Day by day, we encounter obstacles but
we cross it and get to know each other better. My
career would have been a challenge because it
was an expensive one. But my husband saw how
determined and focused I was and he decided to
support me by giving me the money to shoot my
first movie.

Fula-kini
Be very kiafu!
Beht you are a fine girl...

Niger Fulani to be precise...she try...










Small

Right from childhood, my family members and friends used to call me ‘’Fulani’ (even though I am not from the North) because of the kind of features I possessed.

They didn't call her "Fulani" because of her beauty but rather because they believed her features were characteristic to the Fulanis.

Begonia:


They didn't call her "Fulani" because of her beauty but rather because of they believed her features were characteristic to the Fulanis.

yeah on point..

Because I dnt think beauty is unique to Fulanis...
Some of them r pretty sha Y some r not so handsome , just like every other tribe..no biggie..

She's beautiful, never heard of her though

Of a truth.. "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder."

God forbid I read this

Your family is a disgrace for lying to you

She is beautiful.

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