Her name is Anita Joseph. She’s an actress cum musician. She is also controversial. But she would not look for your trouble unless you look for hers, so she says. She is a toughie and she would not hesitate to tell you that.
Her name has been linked romantically to Governors, musicians and most recently a footballer.
What makes Anita tick was what our Entertainment Editor Ogbonna Amadi set out to find when he hooked up with the Anambra State born entertainer during the week.
Enjoy;
You walked into this place wearing a micro-mini, doesn’t it bother you that people would be starring?
I like it when people look at me, it makes me feel good. But sometimes, it could be embarrassing, I like it all the same. If you’re a chic and nobody looks at you then you should go back and look at the mirror if you’re okay. I like short things a lot. I live around here and it’s evening so I’m wearing it to stroll.
So what happens when you stroll wearing such?
I don’t stroll around like this. I have a car so I drive. But whenever I have to stroll around the estate then I have to really wear something long.
Why do wear very long dresses when you just said you prefer short ones?
Yes I do long things too, but not very long dresses.
What’s in you that attracts men?
I don’t know. They say my body and the way I walk.
What’s with the way you walk?
I catwalk
Are you a model?
I used to model.
What kind of person is Anita?
I’m not a quiet person. I like making friends and making people around me happy. I’m nice to people but sometimes people take it for granted. But if you give me shit, I reciprocate-I don’t take nonsense from anyone but I’m very nice.
It’s like you’ve had a bad experience with people?
Yes.
Can you remember any of those experiences?
There’s this girl I met. We became friend. I liked her because she’s intelligent. But something happened sometime ago and she latched into something that she read about me in a magazine and started going about saying those things.
We had a fight. She then said one of those things to me and I was shocked to hear that she believed the story. I was so mad at her and showed her what stuff I was made of.
Did you do what they said you did?
No I didn’t and that was why I got upset. Then she told me that she liked me and that I’m a different person from what she read in the papers. People said I’m a snob. So she then went back to that same story that she said she didn’t believe. I found out that she only wanted to get close to me, to be my friend.
You seem to be surrounded by controversies. Why?
I think I’ll change my name. But I don’t know.
Some of those stories had it that you date governors and that some of them even send cars to pick you up…
Oh God.
What kind of things do you do?
I sing and model and I’m sexy. So people will say things about me. But it only makes me stronger. I didn’t do those things
Why can’t you maintain a eye contact with me?
I can’t look straight into your eyes because I can’t. I didn’t do those things.
So who is Ebube Nwagbo?
Ebube is not my friend but a colleague and we work together. You only got to meet with these people when you work with them. After the work, we don’t even really hook or hang out. And if we meet, we just say hi once in a while. We met in Anambra State at a location.
I heard both of you were friends?
We are not friends.
I heard both of you fought…
We didn’t fight. And that K.C of the KC Presh fame story happened
What about the KC story?
About me and Ebube dating K.C. The story was that I took Ebube to K.C’s house and then they started dating. Ebube was never my friend.
Did you date K.C?
Yes I dated him and that was a long time ago. And we separated in peace before they started dating and I didn’t have problem with that.
What about dating him after he married?
We never dated again. I have a man in my life. And when I’m in love, I don’t do shit. But I have male friends.
Why do producer give you bitchy roles to act in movies. Are you the type?
I think it’s the way I look. I look very mean. I can do anything. Then if the script and the money is good I’ll go for it. Because I have to take care of myself.
So you can act nude?
No I can’t.
When did you actually start acting?
I started in 2005.
How?
When I was in University of Calabar, I saw friend of mine, Linda Azuka in movie and told her that I’d like to act. Then she said she’d take me to the National Theatre whenever I came to Lagos. And when I finally came to Lagos, I first registered with Emeka Rollas and did my first movie, Good Samaritan with Obi Maduaga and that was it.
It wasn’t waka-pass role?
No it wasn’t. I did one-scene but it was a good one and it was very long. There was time I picked a phone number that was rolled at the end of a movie-I thought it was Obi Maduaga’s number not knowing I picked the wrong one. So I called the number and told him that I’d like to act in his movies.
So one day when I finally met him, I approached him and told him I was the one who’s been calling him. But he said he wasn’t aware of any calls from me. And when I told him I wanted to act, he auditioned and gave me one scene in his new movie. I was very happy.
How much were you paid for the role?
N2000. But it wasn’t the money, it was facing the camera. After the first movie, I didn’t work with him again. I did job with Emeka Rollers, A to Z and others.
Have you ever experienced sexual harassment in the course of getting roles?
No I’ve never
So you don’t know about the existence of such?
I only knew about it after I read publications about it and when journalists ask such questions.
What about lesbianism?
Yes I’ve heard about that.
Have you been approached?
No
Why do they think you’re bot out out for such?
Yes they know I don’t have time for such
That’s not true
Laughs. There are people like that in my industry
At what point did you go into music?
Since my secondary school days, I’ve been doing music but not professionally. But the idea of going professional with it was born when marketers went on strike.
So one day, I went to Ojeez. So we got talking and said that since the movie marketers were on strike that I should try my hands on other things. So I told him I wanted to do music. Im went back and sterted singing. Then I called Ify Arinze and asked where she produces her songs. And that was how I went to the studio and met Shobo. Since then, I’ve been doing music.
Aside your single, which other songs have you released?
Two-Time No Dey and No Something with Flavour. And I’ve done two videos.
How did the marketers’ strike affect you as a person?
It didn’t affect me much because I wasn’t really into movies then. I was just into it for the fun of it. I like to show off a lot so I just wanted to appear in movies for the fun of it so that people could see me. So it didn’t really bother me because I wasn’t getting too much from it.
What does it take a man to date you?
I like men that are calm, calculated, someone I can learn from. My boyfriend teaches me whenever I don’t understand something. So I like learning from someone that’s very playful like my boyfriend. I like a man that talks well and not loud-mouthed people.
When did you meet your boyfriend?
I met him in a garden where we were both dancing. Then I said in my mind that I liked him, he’s cute.
Did he know you before then?
No he didn’t. But he said he knew me from the movies. So he asked that we danced together. But I told him that I don’t like someone holding me while we danced but that he could watch me. So he started watching and he said he liked me. I just shrugged it away. We got talking, he made me laugh and everything I wanted was in him. He was like magic.
Where’s he from?
Anambra
Are you thinking about marrying him?
Anything can happen. But right now, I’m not thinking about marriage.
What are you both talking about here?
Enlargement
Enlargement in your career or in his?
Both.
How did your parents react when you went into movies?
My mother used to sing before she died. My father sings too. My father likes it when we make him proud and people call him lucky man. He likes to show off too because he looks like Bill Cosby. So he’s happy about it.
How do people react when they see you outside?
Some want to be my friend. Some proud ones feel too big to say hi.
Which is your most embarrassing day?
It was a day when someone hit me on my butt. There was a movie I shot titled Open And Close. I acted as a chic who slept with all sorts of men. It was comedy kind of , Mr. Ibu and co were also in it.
So the guy came to me and said he liked the way I shook my butt in the movie, wanted to know if I could do that in real life. He then asked if I would do him. It was embarrassing.
Can you really do many men at the same time?
No I can’t.
What does sex mean to you?
My brother, I can’t talk about sex here.
Is it something that you take in the morning as breakfast or once in a while?
Once in a while.
How do you like your man, strong?
Strong.
Some ladies say for them to be submissive to their men, the men have to be strong.
I’ve never really thought about that. When I saw my guy, I knew if he’d strong. So before I agreed to date him, I knew he is strong.
