If you only discovered Somkhele Idhlama when she won the AMVCA Trailblazer award, I’m sorry to inform you, you’ve barely scratched the surface of how fantastic she is as an actress, model and all around star. Right from her days on Ndani TV’s Gidi Up, Somkhele has brought a depth to every role she’s played, while positioning herself as a nascent fashion icon. She has featured in films like The Wedding Party, 93 Days and some other well known films. She is the 30-year-old who is an ambassador for Multichoice’s DSTV Explora. She is Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama. She is from Delta State.

YNaija had a chat with her and she had some interesting replies.

Who is Somkele?

I am an actor. Being in the industry since 2011. Worked with TV (Ndani TV) and a couple of great movies.

What kick-started your career as an actor?

I graduated from school and said: this is what I wanted to do. I went for a couple of auditions until when I met Obi Asika at an audition and I was picked.

Coupled with acting, how does a day in your life look like?

With personal projects that consume most of my time and my headspace, being a mum and being a family woman, I cannot even begin to describe to you the activities that consume my day, because my day is different every single day. 24 hours might not be enough to do everything but somehow we make it work.

What values are important to you as an actor and a Nigerian?

I believe in the fact that we can make something of ourselves. It breaks my heart that we are not able to harness what other countries are able to harness when we are in their space. When we get in our own environment, it is almost as if we are choked and those qualities that you think Nigerians should possess are absent.

As a Nigerian, I think what we should hold on to is being a team. There is a lot of tribalism that stops us from doing what we need to do as a people. There is a lot of starvation of the mind and so much cultural barriers.

As an actor, I think one thing you should hold on to is integrity as to what you are there for.

What is your biggest let down in your career?

Quite a few, I would be honest. It’s the stereotypes. The stereotypes are: ‘If you are on TV, it’s because you want to be famous’. And it is the saddest excuse anybody can give. I feel there should be some kind of orientation that this is an art and it’s not just about just letting any role go through you.

Biggest achievement?

Wow! I don’t know if I have gone there yet. But I think what I will consider as the greatest is moving people with my performance and pushing them to do something.

How do you think technology has changed anything about the film industry (Nollywood)?

It has evolved the industry significantly. Now more eyes are able to watch what we bring to the table. We are now beginning to do deeper work; different kind of work.

I think a lot more people connect with what we do now and we have wider reach. Technology has changed the way the world sees Nigeria in Nollywood films.

Do you think Nollywood has begun to tell stories such that they can complete with film industries in other countries?

Absolutely, we have greatly improved; notwithstanding the barriers that we face. I have seen the dramatic difference between a few years back and now.

A lot of productions are definitely meeting that mark.

You are an actor in an industry where sexual harassment is a rather constant phenomenon and we have movements like #MeToo and #NoMore rising to address such issues. What do you think of those movements and the epidemic they are rising to address?

I am certainly fortunate to be born in a time like this. If it were earlier, I do not think I will have the opportunity to speak about this without having to step on someone’s toes but sexual harassment is something that I have strong emotions about.

I wish the #MeToo movement and others took up more of a fire, especially in our own industry because I have heard of so many situations where people have been faced with dire circumstances.

In a country like Nigeria, the rape term is still not in the minds of people the way it should be taken on. There is this movie that I did where we tried to take on this whole term ‘rape’ and it sparked a lot of intellectual discuss, which was what we wanted to do. In the movie, a lady consented to sex but she was put in a situation where her future was put in front of her. She had worked so hard to get it but the only way she was going to get it was ‘one more time’ with this guy.

I honestly think laws should be put in place. I commend the voice of the #MeToo movement but I fear that if it comes up in places like Nigeria, it might just end up as a social movement on the internet and that is about it, because the Constitution itself does not contain stringent penalties for defaulters. If the #MeToo movement will work here, a lot of people are going to get a lot of heat.

There is this saying that the difference between an award-winning actor and an actor without an award is the script. Do you think there’s more to an actor’s performance in a film or it’s the script?

Actually no. I don’t know that that is completely true, because we see a lot of underdogs take the stage and win awards that nobody ever thought they would.

You can’t attribute the success/failure of a work to one person – it’s a team. If your film is produced in a time when an issue – like sexuality – is being debated and it is produced well, you might just get a fair chance. There are so many things that come together to make it a beautiful story.

Don’t beat yourself up when you do not get that amazing script.

What is that is one thing you’ve tried to achieve that has always evaded you?

No. I don’t think there’s something that I have tried to achieve that is always running away or keeps slipping from my fingers.

But one thing I always try to achieve is going deeper; there has to be something beyond the surface.

I do not regard myself as a celebrity, not even in the slightest bit because I am not a celebrity. Being a celebrity and an actor are completely different things. Being a celebrity is a lifestyle that I do not envision and it always slips away.

Do you think you’ll grow into an actor that will be sought after as the years go by?

I pray so – for a good reason. I’ll like to be sought after in an understanding that there’s someone out there who’ll commit and produce something that’ll be heart-moving.

Let’s switch roles. If you’re the interviewer, what is that one question you’ll ask that has never been asked?

Yeah, it is: “Would you have it any other way?”… Talking about my journey up to this point and the answer will be no. Not for a second.

I am a Christian and I have asked God to guide me in all I do and it has been an adventure. I never had a plan on getting to this point but God did it.

Let’s go back 15 years or more, how will you describe that time compared to where you’re now?

Quite frankly, I think like I have been here for the past fifteen years, because I have always been told that I think like an old woman.

My mind was never quite a sweet-sixteener. Maybe because I lost my father when I was 12-years-old, so I would not have been your average teenager. I took the route of being a responsible kid instead fighting with the world.

Your dream crew?

I definitely want James Cameron to either direct or write the story. In fact, let him be technical guy. Let Denzel Washington be the director too. Because with Denzel, you get that deeper that thing I am talking about. I relate on so many levels with him. Gideon Okeke is another person that does it for me.

Has Nigeria given you the enabling environment to grow as an actor?

Yes, because Nigeria will test your patience. A lot of things do not work the way they are supposed to.

From the outside, it seems like the environment wants to frustrate you but it has helped me.

What should we expect from you after now?

I am looking forward to you guys watching a project that will be released in December – because I have a different accent there. I want to get feedback on that.

We are pushing the boundaries, trying to be a little different. Not just different but expanding our frontiers.

Do you think it is true that a Nigerian lady has more chances to succeed in the industry than a man?

Don’t you just see how the #MeToo movement is reversed in Nigeria? Well, sometimes, it has this undertone of: “Uhum, we know why they do”?

In our country, we really like our women.

It is more for the appeal of the things we really like to see. You know women dress and there are so many ways we can change up our look. With men, maybe not so much, so maybe that’s why they like to see us on the screen.

Accolades to yourself and others

There are so many. Most of the people I have worked with.