Actress Mercy Aigbe is teaching her daughter to become a model
Congratulations on your latest award, the City People Entertainment Award. How did you feel winning the award?
I was pleased with myself for winning the Yoruba movie personality
award of the year 2015. I was very happy and excited because that’s
another feather to my cap and I’m grateful to God for the glory. And I
just want to thank all my fans who voted for me; I was simply happy.
There’s this thing about awards; it actually makes you sit back and
think and reflect that there is something I’m doing right somewhere, I
mean some people are noticing what I am doing, so it makes you want to
put in more effort.
Considering the fact that you had several contenders in that category, did you feel you were going to win?
Well, just being nominated alone was a great honour, it’s not easy. It was 50-50; if I won, fine; if I didn’t, just being nominated was just enough for me, but thank God I eventually won; everybody wants to win.
You stepped out with your daughter and it was like a mother-daughter outing, what influenced that?
I just wanted her to come and share in the experience; come on the red carpet, see the way mummy is doing it, so that, you know at times when I have to go off to work, she would probably understand better because she would have experienced it with me. But she was fine, she was only a bit nervous when I told her she was going to go on the red carpet and be interviewed. She wants to be a model and I think modeling is also kind of part of entertainment, I want her to start getting used to the spotlight and all other things.
Does that mean you have nothing against your daughter becoming a model considering the belief of a typical Nigerian about such career?
No, I keep saying it that whatever my kids want to take up in life as a career, I’ll give my hundred per cent support. So, whatever she wants to be I’ll be there to support her all the way.
Let us talk a bit about your movie, ‘The Victims’, what exactly is the movie about, what influenced its conception?
The Victims is about a young lady who has to go through a lot of things in life; things she didn’t call for. A lot of people experience things not brought upon themselves; I would say it’s probably fate, providence or destiny. So, she has to go through a lot of things and how she deals with the issues. It’s a very emotional, intriguing movie, full of suspense. It’s a movie I believe once it eventually comes out and people get to see it, they are just going to love it.
It’s a movie that teaches lots of morals, it talks to parents and also talks about marriage, because I believe that today, people don’t really respect the marriage institution and people who are not patient enough to want to bear so many things that come with being in union with another person. They forget that we are different individuals from different backgrounds with different upbringing, so they are not ready to compromise; so many things, they are just not ready. That’s why most marriages are not even working. It also talks about domestic violence, the home, it’s simply a bumper package and I’m sure people are just going to love it.
The movie transformed from ‘Life after Marriage’ to ‘The Victims’, why the sudden change?
‘Life after Marriage’ was the working title for the movie when we were on set, but after the whole shooting and I sat down and watched it, I decided to change the title because I felt ‘The Victim’ was more appropriate, because the girl, Omoyeni, the lead character who is the victim in the movie and to say the fact, she is not just the only victim, you need to see the movie, there are so many victims. It’s a movie so many people can relate with.
Are you saying it is a life experience?
No, it’s actually based on different people’s experiences; stories I heard from different people, so I decided to put all together in one package. And there’s this particular thing we talked about in the movie; that’s the baby factory issue. There, when you have fake doctors go on the streets to pick up teenagers, giving them the hope that they are going to get rehabilitated, whereas they are going to use them for their own selfish needs; get them impregnated, sell the babies. So, those are part of the things you’re going to see in the movie.
What informed the decision to bring Saheed Balogun and Fathia together on that set?
Both are fantastic actor and actress, they have been in the industry for a long time, they are both my senior colleagues; people I respect so much. Each of them has carved a niche for themselves in the industry. So, when I was casting, I saw that these two individuals can actually play the roles I wanted them to play perfectly well in the movie, that was why I cast them.
Did you have any ‘issue’ with them?
No! These two are professionals and they actually gave me their best. If you were on that set, you would have gotten the better picture.
We also have a Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim on set and it’s so fantastic seeing her speak a bit of Yoruba, I believe for the first time. How did that work out?
Yes, she was excited playing that role, and was also excited learning a new language. You know there’s something about it when you are doing something different from the usual; it’s always very exciting and adventurous. So she was very happy playing the role and it was very good having her on set; she put in her best and I was very happy working with her.
How did you get her to speak the language?
Of course, there was a dialogue director on set, so the director would just tell her “say this” and the camera comes on her and she starts.
The last time we spoke, you said you were also launching your own hair outfit, how far have you gone with them?
Yes, now we have Magdiva hair, which is going to be launched very soon. We have different types of hair. I have my own cosmetic line; it’s just about beauty.
What won’t you ever be caught wearing?
Maybe clothes that show all the parts of my body; I won’t like to wear those.
How come you don’t have tattoos? A lot of your colleagues do have it.
Maybe it’s because I dread pain. But seriously, I don’t like it because I’m like an insatiable person when it comes to having things like that on my body; today I may like a bird, and the following day I’ll get tired of that and want to change it. And besides that, in my job, you’ll have to play different roles, so it automatically restricts the number of roles you can play in a movie, so I feel as a professional actress, you shouldn’t, maybe to an extent, have a permanent thing on your body.
What is your fashion weakness?
The fact is, I actually like everything when it comes to fashion. I think I’m greedy when it comes to fashion; clothes, bags, shoes, everything.
Which one of those items has the highest number?
Maybe shoes, but I’ve lost count and I hardly sleep in my room now. This morning, a thought just crossed my mind that maybe I should do something for my die-hard followers, my fans, if they don’t mind, the clothes I’ve worn not more than once, very soon I’m going to be giving them out to them.
What is your most expensive fashion item?
That will be a wristwatch, which my husband gave me in 2010, I think.
What is that fashion item you can never leave home without?
That will be my purse, aside my bag.
Do you think you can do a movie that surpasses ‘Osas’?
Of course, I’m sure ‘The Victims’ will surpass ‘Osas’. ‘Osas’ is very close to my heart, because it’s actually the first time I was playing a comic role in a movie, and actually the first time I’d got to speak my indigenous language, which is Bini. But I’m very sure ‘The Victims’ will surpass ‘Osas’.
A lot of your colleagues have ventured into music and politics, would you also?
For music, I’m not interested at all, I restrict myself to my bathroom, singing every morning because I think I don’t have the voice. Then for politics, I think there’s a chance, because I have a serious passion for the underprivileged; maybe later, not now, I will do politics.
With several speculations on social media for the record, is Mercy pregnant?
No, I wish I was.
Considering the fact that you had several contenders in that category, did you feel you were going to win?
Well, just being nominated alone was a great honour, it’s not easy. It was 50-50; if I won, fine; if I didn’t, just being nominated was just enough for me, but thank God I eventually won; everybody wants to win.
You stepped out with your daughter and it was like a mother-daughter outing, what influenced that?
I just wanted her to come and share in the experience; come on the red carpet, see the way mummy is doing it, so that, you know at times when I have to go off to work, she would probably understand better because she would have experienced it with me. But she was fine, she was only a bit nervous when I told her she was going to go on the red carpet and be interviewed. She wants to be a model and I think modeling is also kind of part of entertainment, I want her to start getting used to the spotlight and all other things.
Does that mean you have nothing against your daughter becoming a model considering the belief of a typical Nigerian about such career?
No, I keep saying it that whatever my kids want to take up in life as a career, I’ll give my hundred per cent support. So, whatever she wants to be I’ll be there to support her all the way.
Let us talk a bit about your movie, ‘The Victims’, what exactly is the movie about, what influenced its conception?
The Victims is about a young lady who has to go through a lot of things in life; things she didn’t call for. A lot of people experience things not brought upon themselves; I would say it’s probably fate, providence or destiny. So, she has to go through a lot of things and how she deals with the issues. It’s a very emotional, intriguing movie, full of suspense. It’s a movie I believe once it eventually comes out and people get to see it, they are just going to love it.
It’s a movie that teaches lots of morals, it talks to parents and also talks about marriage, because I believe that today, people don’t really respect the marriage institution and people who are not patient enough to want to bear so many things that come with being in union with another person. They forget that we are different individuals from different backgrounds with different upbringing, so they are not ready to compromise; so many things, they are just not ready. That’s why most marriages are not even working. It also talks about domestic violence, the home, it’s simply a bumper package and I’m sure people are just going to love it.
The movie transformed from ‘Life after Marriage’ to ‘The Victims’, why the sudden change?
‘Life after Marriage’ was the working title for the movie when we were on set, but after the whole shooting and I sat down and watched it, I decided to change the title because I felt ‘The Victim’ was more appropriate, because the girl, Omoyeni, the lead character who is the victim in the movie and to say the fact, she is not just the only victim, you need to see the movie, there are so many victims. It’s a movie so many people can relate with.
Are you saying it is a life experience?
No, it’s actually based on different people’s experiences; stories I heard from different people, so I decided to put all together in one package. And there’s this particular thing we talked about in the movie; that’s the baby factory issue. There, when you have fake doctors go on the streets to pick up teenagers, giving them the hope that they are going to get rehabilitated, whereas they are going to use them for their own selfish needs; get them impregnated, sell the babies. So, those are part of the things you’re going to see in the movie.
What informed the decision to bring Saheed Balogun and Fathia together on that set?
Both are fantastic actor and actress, they have been in the industry for a long time, they are both my senior colleagues; people I respect so much. Each of them has carved a niche for themselves in the industry. So, when I was casting, I saw that these two individuals can actually play the roles I wanted them to play perfectly well in the movie, that was why I cast them.
Did you have any ‘issue’ with them?
No! These two are professionals and they actually gave me their best. If you were on that set, you would have gotten the better picture.
We also have a Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim on set and it’s so fantastic seeing her speak a bit of Yoruba, I believe for the first time. How did that work out?
Yes, she was excited playing that role, and was also excited learning a new language. You know there’s something about it when you are doing something different from the usual; it’s always very exciting and adventurous. So she was very happy playing the role and it was very good having her on set; she put in her best and I was very happy working with her.
How did you get her to speak the language?
Of course, there was a dialogue director on set, so the director would just tell her “say this” and the camera comes on her and she starts.
The last time we spoke, you said you were also launching your own hair outfit, how far have you gone with them?
Yes, now we have Magdiva hair, which is going to be launched very soon. We have different types of hair. I have my own cosmetic line; it’s just about beauty.
What won’t you ever be caught wearing?
Maybe clothes that show all the parts of my body; I won’t like to wear those.
How come you don’t have tattoos? A lot of your colleagues do have it.
Maybe it’s because I dread pain. But seriously, I don’t like it because I’m like an insatiable person when it comes to having things like that on my body; today I may like a bird, and the following day I’ll get tired of that and want to change it. And besides that, in my job, you’ll have to play different roles, so it automatically restricts the number of roles you can play in a movie, so I feel as a professional actress, you shouldn’t, maybe to an extent, have a permanent thing on your body.
What is your fashion weakness?
The fact is, I actually like everything when it comes to fashion. I think I’m greedy when it comes to fashion; clothes, bags, shoes, everything.
Which one of those items has the highest number?
Maybe shoes, but I’ve lost count and I hardly sleep in my room now. This morning, a thought just crossed my mind that maybe I should do something for my die-hard followers, my fans, if they don’t mind, the clothes I’ve worn not more than once, very soon I’m going to be giving them out to them.
What is your most expensive fashion item?
That will be a wristwatch, which my husband gave me in 2010, I think.
What is that fashion item you can never leave home without?
That will be my purse, aside my bag.
Do you think you can do a movie that surpasses ‘Osas’?
Of course, I’m sure ‘The Victims’ will surpass ‘Osas’. ‘Osas’ is very close to my heart, because it’s actually the first time I was playing a comic role in a movie, and actually the first time I’d got to speak my indigenous language, which is Bini. But I’m very sure ‘The Victims’ will surpass ‘Osas’.
A lot of your colleagues have ventured into music and politics, would you also?
For music, I’m not interested at all, I restrict myself to my bathroom, singing every morning because I think I don’t have the voice. Then for politics, I think there’s a chance, because I have a serious passion for the underprivileged; maybe later, not now, I will do politics.
With several speculations on social media for the record, is Mercy pregnant?
No, I wish I was.
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