Meeting Honey (transformed from Onuora) Ikemefuna for the first time, you can’t help but love his personality. He has an energy about him that is infectious. He finds it incredibly easy to mix with people anywhere he goes. He has an aura about him that pulls people to him. If you do not notice him because he dresses well and loves to look good all the time, then you will love the fact that he can be an intellectually stimulating personality to have around. He knows just about a bit about everything and loves a good, robust intellectual discuss. But this tall, good looking Delta Igbo gentleman is not just engaging, he is a hugely talented actor as well, having featured in quite a handful of movies and television commercials. He has been in the industry for quite a while and believes very strongly that his best is yet to come.
And when you spend just a few minutes listening to Honey speak so confidently, then you understand where his confidence is coming from. City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) had an engaging time speaking with the very talented Onuora Ikemefuna and he opened up about his journey into acting and his desire to go into movie production. Enjoy excerpts.
We understand you speak Yoruba very fluently, tell us about your back ground, where were you born? Where were you raised?
Its my honour and pleasure to be here ,and I must hasten to thank you immensely for this great gesture .I am Onuora Nzemeka IKEMEFUNA, Popular known as HONEY, a Nollywood actor and a business man, born bread and buttered on the Lagos Mainland. I grew to recognize and relate with my environment in a place called Lawani street in Surulere to be precise. humorously I often tell People I was raised in Ojuelegba where I had my Primary and Secondary education,and subsequently went to Federal Polytechnic Auchi Edo state and Ogun State Polytechnic now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta were I obtain ND and HND in mass communication respectively. Now, can you see why I speak fluent Yoruba?Proudly and happily married to a Real Yoruba woman ; Abolanle the daughter of Pastor (late) and Evangelist Akintunde from Igboora in ibarapa LGA of Oyo state. Again, you see why my Yoruba is fluent or should be fluent.
That’s really impressive. Before you got into acting, what were your initial aspirations as a young boy? Or did you always want to be an actor?
Hmmm…. Let me put it this was ..My Growing up as a young boy was quite adventurous with seemingly opaque aspirations, but what I clearly remember was my love and desire to be news caster. I remember seeing myself glued to my father’s brown SANYO black and white television box at 7pm or 9pm to listen to the flawless diction of Joe Ebuwa of the blessed memory, Ruth Benamaisia Opia, Julie Coker , Sienne Allwell Brown and host of other Nigerian legendary Newscasters and Presenters even though I bearly understood what they were saying. Yeah, I remember one of the nights I was listening or watching my mentors cast the news and my elder brother walked into the palour as we called it then, looked at me and asked ” what do you know that they are saying? Tell me what he (Joe Ebuwa) just said? and I was mumbling.Wow!…. seriously This is nostalgic , it just occurred to me that I was actually born an Artisté and a media personality, now I see where it all started from. I think I didn’t diligently follow through the path of my Godly gift, nonetheless I give all the glory to God almighty for bringing me thus far, He will accomplish His purpose for me .
So, how did acting start for you? How did you get your big break into the industry?
(Smiles) I like the phrase ” Big break “In my own personal assessment of my journey so far in the movie industry is that it’s been fair and progressive and I can only remain resolute in my pursuit of the big break. In retrospect, Jeta Amata and Ayo Adesanya were instrumental to my acting career. Jeta gave me the opportunity to feature in his very first Nigeria science friction movie in 1998 as an extra and also the production continuity boy. shoyrtly after, Ayo Adesanya introduced me to a guy called Rowland who auditioned me for a role in godfather a movie produced and directed by Ralph Nwadike and Tunde Bamisegbin and the journey began . Somehow I founf myself in the Yoruba movie industry with my first with Otelemuye produced and directed by Omogoriola Hassan who is now a traditional ruler. He inturn introduced me to Bakky Adeoye the production manager to Wale Adenuga Production who gave me opportunity to feature in all wale Adenuga productions, progressively from SuperStory ,Papa Ajasco, Odd world and This life television series , it was at this stage I learnt the rudiments of being an artisté. And that was how the journey began for me and we thank God for the little we have achieved.
What particular challenges did you have with your colleagues in the industry, considering that you are an Igbo guy breaking into the Yoruba movie sector back then?
Wow ! The question itself is challenging. Challenging In the sense that it has a tone of tribal sentiments which as a liberated mind I have identified ethnicity as one of the common ills militating against our just and egalitarian society. I have sown to an Oath never to he part of it and to fight against it; so you see I really don’t like placing comparison of both tribes because it makes me culpable. However for the sakes of this interview and my fans, I will attempt the question . Breaking through the Yoruba movie industry as a man from the Ibo speaking part of Delta state in all honesty was seamless and intriguing for me. This maybe attributed to my ability to speak and understand Yoruba coupled with my artistic prowess over time. Please permit me to say at this juncture that the Yorubas generally are the most hospitable tribe and it reflects in the way and manner I was embraced. This is not to say however that there are no pockets of tribal bigots amongst us in the Yoruba movie industry. Thats fair enough.
So, how was your experience on the set of the movie, Jenifa? And how was it like working with Funke Akindele?
I usually feel emotional whenever I’m asked to speak on my working experience Funke Akindele. Bros if I start today the gist no go finish till tomorrow ooo…Funke Akindele is an asute Nollywood Artist and a Prolific Movie producer of our time that has touched lives and made many and I am humbled to say Funke Akindele undoubtedly brought me to limelight with the movie “Jenifa” and her subsequent movies like Awa Obirin, Omo ghetto. I say a big thank you to Funke Akindele. My role as an Igbo merchant in used clothing popularly known as Akube bendown boutique of okirika in “Jenifa” was a short scene that compliments Funke’s first comedy display. My Ojuelegba Yaba Tejuosho lifestyle experiences while growing sharpened my Artistic Delivery of my role as Bobo Ibo .Who were the actors you loved watching and looked up to back then?I have always been a great fan of the likes of Olu Jacobs, Liz Benson, Pete Edochie and some of other fantastic actors of that generation. These were the great talents that got me enthralled while watching Nigerian movies. And they were largely instrumental to my becoming the actor that I am today.
You have also made appearances in some television commercials, how were you able to break into that sector as well?
Marketing and advertising Industry sector in most cases are an extension of the Nollywood industry. So coming into the television commercial industry is like leaving one movie location to another where same equipment are used to achieve visual expression but with different procedure and purposes. So for me there was no big deal about my appearances in some Television commercial. Just find a agency and plug in to it.
Which of the television commercials did you find most challenging working on?
It all depends on your resilience to different stress conditions. So far, for me, I haven’t had any challenges in all my tV commercial appearances.
What about your movie experience, which has been the most exciting for you?
We never stop learning, doing what you love and doing it over and over and over again to achieve a better expression of your dynamism. I remember having this butterflies in my stomach once I went on set at the very beginning of my arting career mostly when I’m on set with veterans or accepted up coming artistes. It makes it worse when he or she takes pleasure in outshining you and killing your moral. Some immaturely go as far as making a mockery of your performance, but as time goes by and you greatly improve on your performance, up your reading and script mastering, facial expressions, blockings and bodymovment to every camera angles in one or two takes, you soon begin to see how they slowly start to warm up to you.I recall being on set with Abbey Lanre directing Awa Obirin and I was playing the role of a Fraudster kingpin, so the artistic director and the continuity was trying to dryrun my lines with me and Abbey Lanre said to them ” stop ! Honey ( that’s me) knows what to do to deliver this role” that was one most exciting moment for me in my acting career.
What should we be expecting from you within the next few years?
Expect great and mighty thing as God taking me from grace to grace.More Movie appearances, movie productions, and tv series productions but before then I should have accomplished my plan to study for my master in cinematography. This i believe will drive home my authority and skills to produce and compete favorably with the very best, both here at home and at international level.
