Excerpt: of sexy Ghanaian actress,Yvonne Nelson in her interview on 19th July, The actress was in the country to premiere her latest movie,
“House of Gold” at the Silverbird Cinema, Lagos, yesterday, and opened up on
sundry issues. Now bears Nigerian name, Damilola:
How are you enjoying your stay in Nigeria?
Did I tell you I’m half-Nigerian and half-Ghanaian? I was given a Nigerian name
recently which makes me half-Nigerian. My Nigerian name is Damilola. It has
been wonderful, I always say Nigeria is like a home for me. When I’m here, I do
not feel like going back home again. But it’s just that everything seems to be
faster here.
You are in the country to premiere your latest movie. What’s the movie all
about?
The movie is titled, ‘House of Gold.’ It is a family-oriented comedy, and I
want people to come and see two of Africa’s music stars Ice
Prince and Omawumi make their debut in a movie. I produced the movie in
partnership with Media Ghana.
“House of Gold” tells the story of Dan Ansah Williams, a high-flying
entrepreneur, business mogul, polygamist and socialite who is battling with
cancer and has six weeks to live. With the help of his long-time
associate and
legal representative,
he embarks on a mission to recall all his children, most of whom were born out
of wedlock, back home.
Dan’s last wish is to have all his children under one
roof for seven days so they will get to know one
another and bond due to the fact that they share the same blood line. However,
that reunion proves a little more than everyone bargained for as each child
indeed returns with an agenda, and this sets the stage for the most hilarious
and bizarre seven days of their lives. I’m urging people to come and see
the movie because they are going to laugh and have a nice time.
How did you get Ice Prince and Omawumi to star in the movie?
It was very challenging given the fact that they are busy people, always
performing at shows. I have my own way of doing things. I spoke to them and
they gave me their time and
schedules,
so I worked with it. We spent about 15 days on set.
Your first movie, ‘Single and Married’ was also directed by Paschal Amanfo,
what do you have with him?
Paschal is one of the best directors in Ghana. He is a very
straightforward director and it’s very easy working with him. You would like to
work with somebody who helps make things go smoothly while on set.
What’s your experience like working with Ice Prince and Omawumi on set?
They were amazing on set. Ice Prince was the one who really shocked me because
he had a show
a night before
joining us on set. He did not even sleep, as he took
the next flight to Ghana and the moment he stormed the
set, he started reading his script and mastering his lines. Omawumi was so good
that I was tempted to ask her why she’s not into acting in Nigeria. I also had
the funniest Nigerian actor,Francis Odega, on set.
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| Yvonne Nelson |
Why did you decide to star the duo in your film?
It’s my own marketing strategy as a producer. I believe they have their own fan
base and audiences. I wanted to spice up things. When you watch my movie,
my cast are usually very interesting. People are sick and tried of seeing
the same Nollywood and Ghollywood faces in our movies. I could have used
notable Nollywood actors, but I just wanted to spice up things because I don’t
think people are expecting what they are definitely going to see in the
movie.
Controversies have been trailing your acting career in recent times;
from your break-up with Iyanya to
accusations
that you bleached your body and more recently, an article posted online
where you lamented that Iyanya used and dumped you. Why all these
controversies?
Did anybody hear me say that? Nobody used and dumped me. As journalists, you
should know that your colleagues are fond of using sensational headlines
to drag traffic to their blogs and websites. At the end of the day, I did not
say somebody used and dumped me. I don’t remember saying anything like
that.
But what actually happened between you and Iyanya?
I guess it is out there. I granted two interviews on this whole thing; Bella
Naija and Toolz(The Juice). I don’t want to repeat myself. My interviewers took
what they wanted to take away from the interviews I granted them. I don’t have
any control over what they decide to publish or put out there.
You have moved on after the break -up?
It happened last year. The reason I granted those interviews was to let my fans
know the truth about what transpired between Iyanya and myself. Sometimes,
one’s fans desire to know what’s happening to their idol.
How do you address the allegations of lightening your skin?
Do I look like someone who is bleaching? One thing people should understand is
that we use a lot of photo tricks.If you watch our movies, for instance, I look
a little bit dark but if you see my pictures, I look fair in complexion.
Commonsense should tell anyone that the pictures are treated. What happened is
that I posted my new picture online and people started alleging that I was
bleaching my skin. That’s how the whole thing started. My mum is fairer
than me, and my siblings are all fair in complexion. I don’t bleach
and I don’t intend lightening my skin.
Do you feel hurt each time you read negative stories about yourself?
I don’t. I don’t even know why they say all the things they say about me. To
some people, if you tell them you can fly, they would believe in you.
Whatever they read in the dailies, they believe in. It’s good for them. So, I
can’t go into everybody’s home to tell them, “Look at me, I haven’t bleached
before.” I’m happy with myself.
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| Yvonne Nelson |
Are you in any relationship at the moment?
Not that fast. I’m now a “sacred virgin,” meaning you are not a virgin
but after a long time, you become a sacred virgin. There are some special
people in my life that I hang out with once in a while. But I’m not in any
relationship at the moment. I just want to take my time. It’s not as if
I’m looking for guys. I believe that when it is the right time, they will come
looking for me.
But are you not thinking of settling down?
It’s something that I’m thinking about, but I just want to take my time.
More so, I’m still young. However, if it comes my way, why not? But definitely,
not with somebody in the entertainment industry.
Meaning that you wouldn’t want to date an entertainer again?
Not at all.
Is it because of your
experience with Iyanya?
I guess everybody knows that. It was quite a shocking experience.
Even after your break-up with Iyanya, there were some tweets meant to be an
apology to you from one of your contenders, Tonto Dikeh. How did you receive
the tweets?
Like I said in my interview with Bella Naija, I hate a situation where you
bring a third person into any relationship that I’m involved in. I don’t want
to mention names. There are certain things I wouldn’t want to talk about here.
I know that those tweets were actually meant for me. There is no problem. I
hope she’s happy now because she did whatever she had
to do. She advised me to move on, and I wish her good luck.
After reading your interview in Bella Naija, we sought Iyanya’s reaction and
he told us you were free to say whatever you wanted to say. Has it got to that
extent?
Fine! You guys should go back and read the interview again. We are in a
business where everybody is trying to protect his or her fan base. Most
of his fans are women while my fans are basically men. So, I would do anything
to protect my male fans just as he was trying to protect his female
fans. He can’t run away from the truth. I decided to open up
because I didn’t want to disappoint my male fans. I was ready to talk about it.
And nobody could stop me from doing so.
Given this situation, would you turn down any offer to be on the same set
with Tonto Dikeh?
I don’t have any problem with anybody. As a professional, if I get a phone
call from a producer and the script is something I like as well as the person
directing the film, why not? I will. I’m not fighting with anyone, even
though we are not friends. But all the same, whatever tweets she
posted were meant for me. It’s okay, there’s nothing wrong with
that. We all have our lives to live and were brought up in different
backgrounds. I don’t have to respond to anything.
At this point, would you say you were heartbroken?
I once was.
What’s the healing process like?
Just like any other person. I guess everybody goes through heartbreak. It’s a
natural thing and as time goes on, you get over it. I can’t sit down at home
and cry all day long. I’m occupied with a lot of things; I have movies to
shoot, I’m travelling and handling other projects.
How would you describe Iyanya?
Great guy with great talent. He’s like the best singer I’ve ever known and he
gives me good reason to think so.
Before the breakup, were you envisaging a situation where the relationship
would lead to marriage?
I don’t know.
But you gave the relationship your best shot?
I’m sure if you are in a relationship, everybody gives his or her best to
it. We all gave our best.
What was the real problem?
The real problem was what I spoke about in the two interviews I granted to
Bella Naija and Toolz.
What is it that people don’t know about you?
Back in Ghana, you hardly see me hanging out with any guy. This is because
I’m always indoors even when I’m not shooting a film or travelling out of
the country. But here, in Nigeria, the reason people get so many stories to
tell about me is that each time I’m in the country and they see me in the
company of some of my colleagues, they will start drawing conclusions that we
are dating. That has been my problem in Nigeria.
I cannot control what people say about me because I don’t live here.
Sometimes, I need these guys to take me around. In Ghana, I drive myself around
and do my things in my own way and nobody says anything about me. It looks as
if I can’t have friends any more.
If anybody they see me with is going to be an issue, then there is already
an issue. Am I the only person that hangs out with friends? All these
things doesn’t disturb me either because I’m a free spirit. I think people
should stop linking me with guys. I’m not hiding anything. If I have a
boyfriend I should be proud enough to talk about him.
