Beautiful and curvy Anita Joseph is an actress, singer, dancer, and philanthropist. She has always loved acting right from when she was a young girl. She joined the movie industry in 2005, but came to limelight in 2006, after starring in a movie entitled: “Tears In My Eyes”. Since then, she has featured in over 150 movies and still counting.
Anita is tagged a controversial actress mainly because of provocative photographs she shares on Instagram, and also because she is blunt to a fault. In this interview with City People’s Senior Showbiz Reporter, BIODUN ALAO, she explained why she is controversial and unknown to many, there is a sweet side of Anita, which most people don’t know.
Once she decides to stand by you and support you, she stands on her words that to the latter, and that was how, she got the name, “Mother Hen”. She explained why she has put her music career on hold. Her quarrel with Uche Elendu, her best friend, for 12 years and lastly, why she will never touch her skin, no matter what. Below excerpts.
Why is Anita Joseph tagged a controversial actress?
Truth be told, I am a no-nonsense person. At the same time, I am very humble, kind and nice, but that doesn’t mean I am stupid. I give it to you as you bring it on. If you want fire for fire, I give you a double dose. If you want peace, I give you peace. I don’t go out of my way to look for trouble, but when it comes, I don’t leave it standing. People tend to always misunderstand you when you are very kind and calm. So, to those who feel I am a very controversial person, that is far from the truth, Anita is a very cool, calm and collected, but I don’t take nonsense, so I think to some extends, I am controversial.
Why are you controversial?
Honestly, I don’t know, it just happens. People tend to always misunderstand persons like me. I enjoy doing things differently, like wearing coloured hair, wearing short things. I have a very good body, so anything I wear, fits me perfectly, so they just conclude Anita is this and she is that. At the end of the day, there is actually nothing.
What happened to your music career, you were really active a few years ago?
Actually, I didn’t put that to rest. It is just that I need money in music, I need a sponsor and a helping hand. I have a lot of things I need to do with money, I can’t use money I am expected to use for other things to do music. Doing music in Nigeria and being a woman in the industry as well, is not an easy task. Also for me, music and movie for me are hard, I have tried severally to combine both but honestly, it is hard to marry. By the grace of God, I can still do both, but I need a sponsor and a helping hand to excel in the two industries effectively. I need a good record label, I know I have the talent, but unfortunately, it is dying, I need a helping hand, I can’t do it alone.
What brought about the name “Mother Hen”?
I started bearing that name when I started supporting Alex of the Big Brother House 9ja. In one of my many posts, I said it unconsciously that as a Mother Hen “I will protect you” I didn’t even realise, what I said, the next minute people started calling “Mother Hen”. Initially, I didn’t know if to accept it or reject it, my sister said “Mother Hen”, it is not too bad, the other one was like “Mother Hen”. It makes you look old and all that. The other explained further, that it simply means I have a lot of children, I am taking care of. So, after much debate, I embraced it and that was it.
You exhibit two different personalities, you support and encourage people to the extreme at the same, you fight and get angry to the extreme when you are angry, how do you manage these two contradictory personalities?
Like I earlier said, I am a very good person, I am a very sweet soul. When I love someone, I do it to the extreme, no matter the negative story I hear about the person. Such a story even makes me love the person more, I don’t even care, so when I love, I loved hard and when people see me, they always get the wrong impression about who I am, truly. It is only when you get close to me that you will know my true personality. You can see on social media when I support someone, I go all out for the person, not caring about others’ opinions about it. The last one I did, people really insulted me and called me different names, but that encouraged me to do more.
So, I am used to it. I just like to be myself, to be real as ever. People say Anita Joseph is provocative, when I do things, they blow it out of proportion. They conclude Anita is unusual, Anita is not normal, but at the end of the day, I am just me, I am normal, I am just being real, no faking it. I love standing by the truth, I don’t care how anybody feels or what anyone feels about it.
What inspired your skits on social media and how have you been getting material for it?
If you notice, I don’t do my skits regularly. I do it, as it comes, it is in-born, it is natural. It is not the normal everyday comedy, I don’t say things that someone has said before, it comes naturally from me. I can just pick my camera and someone might just say something behind me, I pick it and that is it, I might just be talking and it comes, I will just hold my phone and record.
How did acting start for you?
Some people would say, they started acting from their mother’s womb. When I was growing up I loved movies, I started developing an interest in the career and that was how it started for me. But I have always loved music first.
Why have you not been featuring in movies back to back, the way it used to be back in the days?
I have. It is just that people concentrate more on African Magic these days. I have featured in movies lately such as Instagram hustlers and so many others that I can’t remember right now.
Recently, you called out your best friend of over 12 years on an issue. Why?
Honestly, I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to be making people popular.
Can you tell us the difference between the Anita we see on screen and the real Anita?
They are two different persons. On the screen, I am acting, I was paid to do a particular thing or better still be another person. It’s me being in another person’s shoes, interpret any role you give to me perfectly. But real life, that is not me. Movie is my job and I was paid to do it.
Why have you not even consider toning up your skin?
Oh! I love my skin, my skin is caramel. It is pretty expensive my dear. It is something one can’t buy, but I can buy fair skin. You see this skin, once you touch it, you can’t get it back, my grandmother personally begged me not to ever touch my skin, I told her not to bother because I love my skin colour a lot and there is nothing that will ever make me touch it. As you can see, no blemish, no discoloration.
So I can’t touch it, it is very expensive. Black skin is very expensive, so I can’t dare it. Black skin is very rich, we don’t go through the stress, the fair, skinned people go through and one can’t buy it.
How long have you been in the industry?
I have been in the industry for like 12 years and still waxing strong.
Would you say acting has really paid off for you?
Yes, it has, it has really given me fame and lots of other positive things. It has been beautiful acting till date, no regret or whatsoever at all. Though it comes with its ups and downs at times, but it is really beautiful. At times, you are not in the mood to talk or take photographs, but you just have it, to satisfy your fans. Though me, I am always in the mood to take photographs. I am always ready for my fans, at least, to put smiles on their faces.
Have you ever regretted being an actress?
Yes o, at times, when I act some terrible roles and people throw things at me on the streets and give me lots of embarrassment.
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