[size=14pt]Fans Have Seen Part Of My Chest, What Else Do They Want To See? -Monalisa Chinda[/size]

Saturday, 09 April 2011
Fondly admired for her unique interpretation of scripts, Monalisa Chinda acts her roles with professionalism. The Theatre Arts graduate of the University of Port-Harcourt and mother of one spoke with Adunola Fasuyi. Excerpts:


Monalisa Chinda

HAS becoming an actress affected your life, either positively or negatively?
It has thrown up a lot of goodies really and surely, more than the bad ones.

Becoming a celebrity, by the grace of God, has opened lots of doors for me.

It has made me to be aware of myself. A lot of people might not say this, but I know that I have discovered a lot about myself; some hidden abilities that I have, which are coming out now.

It amazes me when you find out that some movies in which you have acted, in the past, have somehow touched sombody’s life and have changed the person’s life completely.

It is exciting and you want to do more. It has really opened doors, people call me from abroad and want me to do some endorsements for them, people want you to grace their events.

Again, you find out that children also want to associate with you. It’s true, nobody wants to associate with a failure, so, kids want to be with me.

What it has taken away from me, which is the price I have to pay for becoming a celebrity, is the fact that people have refused to separate the actress from the real person. They just feel that what you are on the television is what you are in real life. It is quite disturbing. And they throw it in your face. It is worrisome, but as you grow older in the business, you just take it with a pinch of salt and move on.

Can you tell us how the journey started?
I didn’t set out to be an actress. Acting wasn’t what I wanted to do. My parents wanted me to become a lawyer, and as of that time, I wasn’t sure what I wanted for a career, which made matters worse. But I later decided to study Theatre Arts.

And it just happened like that. Maybe I would say it is divine, because no one influenced me.

I just don’t know now what the motivational force behind it was. I mean, I just got into the University of Port Harcourt and I went for it. Honestly, I don’t know what pushed me into studying Theatre Arts, but I just enrolled and that was it.

Also, as a student, I did a couple of movies. In 1996, I did Pregnant Virgin, that was my first major movie and subsequently, when I finished school in 2000, I did Above the Law and a couple of others.

What were your parents’ reaction when you opted for acting?
My parents objected completely. They didn’t find it funny, but they later got used to it. My father didn’t understand why I would want to be an entertainer for the rest of my life. He didn’t really come to terms with the profession back then, but not anymore. Right now, they have accepted the profession and are proud of me.

Despite your fair skin, you don’t seem to expose your body in movies. Why is this so, is it due morals?
I am a professional actress. The truth is that my person has nothing to do with my profession. For my person, I am morally grounded. I do not like to reveal too much or show too much skin.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/klieglight/3799-fans-have-seen-part-of-my-chest-what-else-do-they-want-to-see-monalisa-chinda.html

. . . Your butt cheeks, your vajay-jay?