Born to an indigent family, she had to hawk pepper and tomatoes to make ends meet. But 19 years after she made her entry into Nollywood, actress-cum-moviemaker, Queen Blessing Ebisiegon has carved a place for herself.

 

In this chat, the Edo State-born film entrepreneur opens up on career, current projects and why she set up an NGO to cater to widows and the less privileged among other issues.

 

 

Growing up was not a bed of roses. I was not born with a silver spoon but I have managed to create my own silver spoon (laughter). I had to sell pepper and tomatoes to pay my way through school.  I studied Mass Communication so, I would have been just a TV presenter but I chose acting because I love it more. In 2000, I got into Nollywood and the hustling continued. However, after 19 years in Nollywood, I thank God for everything I have achieved today. I must confess that the hustle is real and time waits for nobody.

 

 

Yes, I have four films I am working on currently – two English and two Yoruba movies, Ife Otito and Adakeja, which are now ready.  Fix It or Kill, my English language film is also ready. I am equally working on Hatred, another English language film, at the moment. All four films were written and produced by me.

 

 

Every movie has its own challenges; trust me. When I say it is not easy to make a perfect story, I mean it. But with each movie I make, I see a lot of improvement. So, I would say they are all challenging but if I must pick, I would pick Temi Ni Kan, because after we finished shooting, it crashed and I lost over 80 per cent of the job, so I had to start shooting all over again. I was so frustrated and depressed, my man told to go on vacation to the United States and while I was there, I decided to shoot some scenes so as to make it one-in-two film. It was a very big lesson I learnt, which was not to leave everything about backup to the editor. Now, when I am on location shooting, as the editor is copying and backing up, I am also copying the rushes.

Talking about how I became a moviemaker, I got into Nollywood as an actress, but after a few years, I decided to become a producer as well. So, I can tell stories that change lives.

 

 

Queen Blessing Foundation is an NGO I started because of the hardship in Nigeria. It is my own way of giving back to the society that has given me so much. I believe that rather than complain about how bad the situation in our dear country is; I would rather ask myself, ‘how can I make a difference in my own little way?’ So, I use my birthday through my Foundation to celebrate the less privileged children in different orphanages. On February 14 every year, I celebrate the widows through my NGO. What we do is host between 500 and 1,000 widows; give them clothes, sewing machines, foods, drinks and little cash to a selected few to start small businesses of their own. The Foundation is 11 years old now. Last year, we celebrated widows and mothers of our fallen heroes in the military. This year, we didn’t do it because of the elections that clashed with the Valentine’s Day.

 

 

All my awards are precious and very dear to my heart. I believe to whom much is given, much is expected. The more awards and recognition I get, the more hardworking I become. But if I must pick one, I would pick the Nollywood Humanitarian Ambassador award I received in Germany in 2016 and the Humanitarian Ambassador award I received from the Nigerian Army in 2018. They are closest to my heart. These awards made me cry, as I was not expecting them at all.

 

 

That was the day I went for an event and a crazy fan tapped me from behind and said he has been dying to do that for a very long time. Funny enough, I did not say anything to him; I just kept walking.

 

 

I shot a comedy movie last year featuring Mojisola and Charles Inojie among others. Watch out for Hatred! It will blow your mind away. I think Genevieve has done well for herself and you can’t take that away from her. It is the dream of every producer to make a movie that would put him or her on the global stage.

 

 

Wow! I would say lots of hard work, determination, faith, honesty, integrity and above all, God Almighty.

 

 

My ideal man must be honest and God-fearing. It does not matter to me if he has all the millions in the world, because I know how to make my own money, so money for me in a relationship is important but secondary. No, I can’t marry an actor. I have never dated one. The life of an actor is very demanding; so to have a balanced family, I don’t think it’s right to have all my eggs in one basket.

 

 

It is seeing the faces of my fans when they run into me and ask for selfies.

 

Also, the recognition I get in public places and the respect that comes with being a role model to a lot of people make me happy.

 

 

My saddest moment was when I lost my pregnancy in 2014. I would have loved to have that baby; at least, my prince would have had a sibling by now.

 

 

I am a very simple lady. I was trained by my mother and grandma who taught me so much in life. Let me put it this way, because I work so much to give my son and I a good life, and because too many people depend on me, I really don’t have time to go after the things that can create scandals for me.

 

 

Yes, I am in a relationship and my man is one-in-a million. My man is my world; he is my best friend and confidant. We have been together for years now and we are very happy in our relationship, and when we are both ready, we will walk down the aisle. Trust me when I say you will be the first to be invited (laughter).

 

 

Patience, patience and more patience. Also, hard work and having a spirit that never gives up. They must learn not to be faster than their shadow. They must understand that money is not everything, but money is important and they must go about it the right way. Integrity is expensive; they must not trade it for anything in this world. Those who started Nollywood with us but decided that the fast lane was the best are nowhere to be found today. So, if you know you have what it takes, you would not need to sleep with any one to make it. It would take time, but I tell you, it is better to take a step that never goes back. So, slow and steady is the only way to go.

 

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Source: Sun News