Uzoamaka Onuoha: From Nollywood Up-And-Comer to Breakout Star With Lead Role in Diiche

Uzoamaka Onuoha might be a relatively new face, but her impeccable acting skills and the ability to embody her roles perfectly have ensured her rise from an up-and-comer to a breakout star. Honing her trade as a screen talent and a stage actress, Onuoha belongs to the generation of stars redefining Nollywood through their diversity and sheer passion. 

The Imo-State-born actress has appeared in several films, television and theatre productions. Some of her appearances in film include If I am President (2018), Ordinary Fellows (2019), Omugwo (2020), Stories by Her (2021), Visa on Arrival (2021), and Blood Sisters (2021).

Her stage appearances include a lead in ‘Folly of Men’ directed by Joshua Alabi (2019), ‘Emotan’ directed by William Benson(2019), ‘Chapters’ by Maduegbuna productions (2020) and ‘The decision’ (2021), which was staged at Terra Kulture, Lagos State, Nigeria. 

Onuoha received her most notable role yet by playing the eponymous character in Showmax’s 6-part psychological thriller Diiche. Diiche is the first Nigerian original limited series and it debuted on September 29, 2022, exclusive to Showmax. True to providing premium entertainment, Showmax’s Diiche has been delivering the goods in telling authentic African stories that explore themes that Nigerians can resonate with. 

Commenting on its release, Executive Head, Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, Dr. Busola Tejumola described Diiche as a journey into culture on a grand cinematic scale. 

“We were very intentional about telling stories Nigerians will love and identify with. The story of Diiche is one of fate, culture, beliefs and the battle between good and evil. We believe the story and our stellar production values will draw audiences in. We’ve co-produced with Feemo Vision on this first limited drama series with many more authentic Nigerian productions in the pipeline”, Tejumola said.

Directed by James Omokwe, Tolu Ajayi, Fiyin Gambo and Ifeoma Chuwuogo, Diiche centres on an actress who goes to great lengths to vindicate herself from the high-profile murder of her fiancé, Nnamdi. 

Onuoha had always been interested in film from a young age. She had been mimicking stars she saw on TV, reenacting their actions and mouthing their words. No surprise, then, that she made up her mind, even at that early stage, that she “wanted to go into film’.

I’ve been reenacting since, even when I didn’t know what acting was. At such a young age, I was watching lots of movies and if ‘Nepa’ took power, I’d be by myself in a corner recreating what I had watched. This interest stayed with me till secondary school when I used to perform for the fun of it. So, it was just film for me from the start. 

Onuoha’s interest in film proliferated her dream of studying film formally at the university level. She graduated with a degree in Theatre and Film Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. However, before she could study this course, she had to go against her father’s wishes that “none of his children would study any course that is useless.”

I didn’t know I could study a film-related course. I was really scared of telling my dad I wanted to study Theatre Arts. But when I finally did, miraculously, he just let me be. Perhaps he guessed I wouldn’t do anything else. My family has been with me every step of the way, encouraging me, giving critical feedback and supporting me. 

Driven by her passion and adamant about her acting prowess, Uzoamaka Onuoha turned familial jeers into cheers as she started landing roles in stage plays and films through the plethora of auditions she attended. Nonetheless, landing proper roles and mainstream acting gigs were early startup challenges that she encountered and had to surmount. 

Finding proper, good work was a major challenge. Although every little job got me prepared for the next gig; finding people enthusiastic about making something magical and something that would change lives through film was a challenge. I do not take those small roles for granted because they prepared me for what I am now. But finding a proper job and working with people enthusiastic about creating something that would matter to someone was a challenge. 

Uzoamaka Onuoha considers herself blessed because more often than not, she lands the roles she auditions for. Before her time in Diiche, arguably her most notable project yet, she had featured in a couple of films. While some of the films never saw the light of day, one, in particular, introduced her to someone who would eventually be significant to her career trajectory — James Omokwe, one of the directors behind Showmax’s psychological thriller Diiche. 

I’ve been blessed, honestly. I’m the type that goes for auditions and is always one of the lucky few that get callbacks. For my earliest screen roles, I did something with Annie Idibia that never came out. I then appeared as Kimberly in Visa on Arrival – a comedy film that I loved working on. 

For stage, I did Emotan — directed by William Benson. I also did Chapters which was produced by Obi Maduegbuna productions. Chapters was a two-man play where my character embodied eight different characters. And that was the first time I met James Omokwe whose work I wasn’t conversant with at the time. James saw the play and he thought it was “good work”. 

According to Terrence Mann, “movies will make you famous; television will make you rich, but theatre will make you good”. This view is echoed by veteran journalist Femi Akintunde-Johnson, who believes that “the route to excellence in acting begins with stagecraft”. For Uzoamaka Onuoha, an actress who has had a fair share of roles in stage plays, although she believes stage acting improved her acting and made her more well-rounded, she also thinks acting on screen might be more demanding for her than acting on stage.

Stage acting and screen acting are both incredible. Every actor needs to get on stage, however, because there’s training that comes with it. Equally, there’s a certain freedom of movement that comes with it. And there’s a beauty that comes with acting directly to a live audience: it could be one, it could be two, it could be a million. There’s a beauty that comes with that. 

I see screen acting as a performance too because there are people behind. People say acting on stage is harder for them. But honestly, for me, acting on screen is harder than acting on stage. The camera is so close to your face, so intimate with you and you have to pretend like it’s not there. It’s like you’re practising the art of forgetfulness right there; with the whole crew and production team right there but you’re focusing on your partner on set. So, while I don’t see screen acting as a big deal, I find that more tasking: you have to find your comfort zone and be as natural as possible. That’s hard work.

The stage comes cool and easy for me; so does the screen. But the screen has a lot of technicalities to it. Still, I love both of them equally. I wouldn’t trade anyone for the other.

Playing the disturbed and emotionally volatile eponymous character Diiche in the psychological thriller would take a toll on any actor. Sometimes actors take weeks to get into a character, while it takes even longer to snap out of it. To Uzoamaka Onuoha, Diiche could be a tough role to embody and bring to life, but every prior role she had played — big or small — had prepared her for the complex character Diiche. 

There’s nothing like a small character or a small role. Every little bit of something I have done has prepared me for Diiche. I’ve played this character Diiche before in my head and on stage — not like the same storyline, though. In fact, before that, I did a short film that had me sort of drained emotionally. 

Nonetheless, getting into the full character was tasking emotionally, psychologically and physically. I did have help, though. James Omokwe would always come to my aid when I was about to lose my mind. He would call me back to order. 

So, in terms of getting out of character, I’m not going to call it “snap out” per se because Diiche is there somewhere in me

Onuoha acknowledges Showmax’s ingenuity to merge both veterans and relatively new faces in the industry on Diiche. By focusing on upcoming talents in the movie industry, Showmax spotlights talents and creatives hungry for a big break and addresses the unemployment rate in Nigeria which currently stands at a staggering 33% as of 2022. Onuoha believes one of the most significant lessons from Showmax’s merger is that teamwork and collaboration could make or break a project. 

The team you’re working with is the magic. Working with people that are all about what they came on set to do, which is to create magic goes a long way. The collaborative effort: everybody bringing in the best they can, no matter what’s going on, goes a long way. So, the need for everyone on set to hold on to each other and push through, no matter the behind-the-scenes stress, is the most significant lesson. 

On how she’s handling her newfound fame, the glam and possible paparazzi with her face on billboards, digital ads and TV with the extensive Diiche, Uzoamaka Onuoha believes she’s still the same person. 

Well, it’s been a lot of congratulations but I still take a walk down my street and no paparazzi follow me around (laughs). There has been a lot of recognition from my peers who have seen me work hard from the start. But I’ve been living my normal life. 

As an actress who had to attend several auditions before landing her lead role in Diiche, Uzoamaka Onuoha believes consistency is important for up-and-coming actors. 

There is no small role. Every small work prepares you for the major one. I always use my small jobs as test runs, because you can never be out of practice. You have to keep practising. You have to be hardworking too. I remember being on the red carpet of Diiche and we were smiling and shining but the blood, sweat and tears had been shed behind the scenes by the actors. 

Away from the big screen, Onuoha watches movies and practices her acting skills. If she isn’t doing any of those, you could find her in church. 

 

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Source: TheNet