Doing Life With… is a BellaNaija Features series that showcases how people live, work, travel, care for their families and… everything in between. We are documenting the lives of all people and ensuring everyone is well-represented at BN. Throughout the month of March, we are aiming for the series to be all-women.
Our last conversation was with Amanda Uzoagba. Did you miss it? You can catch up here.
This week, we’re doing life with Onyinye Odokoro, one of the most sought-after actors in Nollywood. Her best-known works include Zara, the lead in the Showmax Original Boardroom drama series Princess On a Hill, Sophia in Unwanted, the International Sky Original Series directed by Oscar Nominated Director, Oliver Hirschbiegel, Africa Magic’s Dilemma as Rekiya, Emuche and Nkiru in Dika Ofoma’s A Japa Tale and God’s Wife respectively, Nnenna in Ifeoma Chukwuogo’s Award winning Phoenix Fury, amongst others.
She is also the Lead in the new EbonyLife Original series, Baby Farm, streaming on Netflix from the 21st of March, 2025.
Enjoy the conversation!
Hey Onyinye Odokoro. How do you feel right now?
I feel tremendously grateful to have been given the gift of playing Adanna in “Baby Farm.” It’s a dream come true. More than anything, I want the stories I’m a part of to give a voice to the voiceless and so doing Baby Farm manifests that.
The first time I ever saw you on screen was in Dika Ofoma’s “A Japa Tale”, and I was awestruck by your performance. That was enough as an introduction to know how incredible you are as an actress. Please tell me the moment you knew or realised you were going to be an actress
Thank you so much, you’re very kind. The moment I realised this was in 200L studying Nursing at the University of Calabar. I had been acting since secondary school in school and church dramas but I never thought it was something I wanted to make a career of until I was in university reading books that spoke about passion and talent and purpose and just like that, I knew.
Can you tell me about your background, growing up, education and an aspect of your childhood that shaped who you are today?
I’m the 3rd out of 4 children. I’m from Enugu State but my childhood was in Anambra State. I remember playing a lot as a kid and it’s one of my fondest memories and also one I sorely miss. I miss climbing trees, playing suwe, dodgeball, and ncho, and even playing drama with my siblings, cousins and the neighbourhood kids. I miss the communal living of my childhood. It’s probably why I am now big on community. These are some of the things that have shaped me. I have a B.Sc in Nursing Science so I’m a Registered Nurse. I’ve, however, never practised.
Oh, that’s interesting to know
I know it, haha.
You’ve acted in many roles and different movies. What character, from the ones you’ve played, reflects a similar form of who you are, or a character you enjoyed so much acting it?
I’ve been privileged to play characters that I have quite several traits in common with and have also enjoyed so this is a tough one. I would say two because it’s hard to pick one. I do have a lot in common with Adanna from “Baby Farm” and also Zara in “Princess On A Hill.”
Let’s talk about “Baby Farm”. Tell us how you got this role and what you particularly enjoyed about your character and set moment
I got a WhatsApp text to come to a closed audition for Ebony Life. I went, auditioned and that was it. Playing Adanna has been a dream come true. I looked forward to being on set every day because the story was one I really liked. It was tasking, emotionally and physically challenging and exhausting but that’s the kind I like, haha. I had to lose almost 10 pounds to play Adanna because of the circumstances of the story and because she’s younger than me so I wanted to do right by her. It was tough, but I was in great hands with EbonyLife and the whole production team. I would do it again.
Speaking of that; you know, representation in film is a big conversation. Do you feel Nollywood is making progress in telling diverse and authentic stories?
Absolutely, and “Baby Farm” represents that too. We are telling our own stories in our own language and rawness and authenticity, and about characters that were never told of before. I think that’s progress in representation.
What do you think Nollywood is doing right, differently and where do you see the industry heading?
I believe we’re on the right path and at the same time, there is a lot we need to do in coming together to build the industry for all of us and not just for ourselves. I believe that if we collectively share that one goal, we will go even farther than we already are.
Is there a dream role you haven’t played? What is it and why?
Oh yes. I would love to play an action lead role. I’m built for it and I’ve been dreaming about it for the longest time. I know it will come.
You read quite a lot and write poetry sometimes. What book, from all that you’ve read, would you like to be adapted into a movie and you would be the lead character?
Purple Hibiscus, hands down! I would have said Kambili but I’m already too old to play her lol. Another book would be Tomorrow Died Yesterday by Chimeka Garricks. I would love to play Deola. So much.
What’s a typical day in your life?
If I’m not on set, I wake up, pray, head to the gym on most days, and then I head on what I have scheduled for the day. You’ll mostly always find me with a book. So no matter what I’m doing, I love to enjoy a good book during breaks. I manage my sister’s fashion brand, Olive Republic; I run a book club and I also volunteer across the board so these are some of the things that keep me busy.
What is the absolute dream for you as an actress and an individual, Onyinye?
It is that my life reflects the goodness and glory of God. I have not always gotten this right in the past but this is ultimately our purpose on earth. Be it through my work as an actor, or in every other aspect of my life.
Thank you for being on Doing Life With, Onyinye
Thank you for having me.
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Many thanks to Onyinye Odokoro for having this conversation with us and answering all our questions – and swiftly too, we must add.
Do you love this content, have any feedback for us or want to be a BellaNaija Features contributor? We’d love to read from you. Shoot us an email: [email protected]. Join us on Saturday for the next episode!
