Picture source – Bella Naija
Padita Agu was considered one of Nollywood’s ‘It girls’ when the film industry began to bloom in Nigeria. She made a name acting as everyone’s favorite young, innocent damsel but took a break from acting for a few years.
She later re-merged in the public consciousness as a content creator, quickly becoming a social media sensation, playing irreverent, comedic roles. Padita is also back to making movies, and with a career that has spanned decades, she describes herself as versatile, “I was born to be an artist and found my way naturally to acting without struggle.”
Her career ambition as an actor has always been to interpret different characters. In her words, she constantly aims “to become anything and anyone” when needed.
Acting/Content Creation Journey and Character Inspirations
As someone who has already started displaying relevant talents from childhood, Padita has always known she is destined to act. Engaging in dancing, singing, drama, acting, sculpting, crafting, and molding with clay during her early years, it was only a matter of time before she naturally found her way into the movie industry.
Picture source – Instagram
Growing up in the Northern part of Nigeria with Igbo parents allowed her to develop proficiency in Hausa, Igbo, and English languages. Padita also found it easy to create unique voices using different accents when needed. She would do Arabic, Asian, African, and Western accents for any character requiring such to add more realism. The urge to make content from these talents had always burned in her. And when the opportunity showed up, she took the step.
Padita currently portrays comedic characters in her content and videos. Fans have come to love characters like Akajiaku, Duchess, and Erectus. It all started during lockdown when the lip sync TikTok became popular. She started by lip-syncing funny characters, leading to the emergence of Erectus, a character that her fans have come to love and look forward to seeing.
Opinion On Old And New Nollywood
Padita Agu sees the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood, as a single entity across all ages. Unlike the incorrect perception of the old vs the new, the industry simply has actors and actresses that resonate with different generations.
‘Before me, there were people older than me in the industry, and those older than them are still alive in the industry or have passed on to glory. It’s just the circle of life right now. We have different generations of actors in the industry. We even have very, very young ones as child actors who would someday become veteran actors.’
She believes the industry should have films featuring actors and actresses across generations. Such a movie will be a beautiful experience for the viewers. The reason is that everyone will relate to characters that resonate with them and awaken a lovely sense of nostalgia.
Image source – Instagram
‘I might just insert that I am a young actor. I still find myself very young, not so young, but very, very, young.’ – Padita Agu.
Benefitting From Training As An Actress
Despite her natural talents in acting, getting relevant training from reputable institutions has benefitted her a lot. Padita Agu studied Theatre Arts at the University and proceeded to attend the New York Film Academy twice. She trained in film-acting the first time and filmmaking the second time.
While she believes that acting is something you are born with, it does not undermine the place of training and hard work. However, the naturally talented will always stand out whenever you observe a group of actors. They become what she calls the actor of actors.
In her case, she added training to her talents, making her more proficient at her craft.
Telling Our Stories VS Adapting Foreign Themes
The Nigerian movie industry puts out lots of movies every day, both on streaming platforms like Netflix and in the cinemas. According to Padita, Nollywood is doing a good job of telling our stories.
‘I mean, look at Netflix. We do have a lot of epic stories there, like the Yoruba legendary stories. All the epic themes that we have there, which showcase the history of the Yoruba people, you know, and a lot more like that. I think we have stories that are local to us.’ – Padita Agu.
Image source – Instagram
In addition to telling our stories through movies, Nollywood also adapts foreign themes for some movies. The veteran actress points out that the industry has all sorts of movie themes, which include local stories and plots.
The Challenge Facing Storytelling In Nollywood
Padita applauded Nollywood filmmakers and appreciated their efforts in the industry. She pointed out the fact that filmmaking in Nigeria began with individuals who funded their movies with their own money. This is connected to the main challenge facing storytelling in the Nigerian movie industry.
Nollywood filmmakers lack the proper funding and sponsorship to make movies like their Western and Oriental counterparts. Padita stated that while the industry has started seeing some big sponsors, the funding has only been available to about 10% of the industry’s filmmakers.
Image source – Instagram
In her words, access to more money for movies will allow filmmakers to express their storytelling fully and put it on par with international industries. Having big sponsors will inevitably increase the quality of scriptwriters since the investors will have a standard for any movie they decide to fund.
Interests And Hobbies Outside Acting And Content
When she is not acting or creating content, Padita enjoys watching movies and working out. Although she works out mostly at home, she joins a gym sometimes, depending on the season. Padita prefers to stay indoors, which is perfect for her side hobbies.
‘I don’t enjoy going out. I don’t enjoy being out there. I enjoy being at home. So, to others, my life is boring, but to me it’s fun. It’s amazing.’ – Padita Agu.
Challenges Of Financing A Movie In Nollywood
Financing a movie in Nollywood rests heavily on the type of budget for the film. According to the veteran actress, movies with small to medium budgets can be easy for one to three people to pull off.
Getting the funding for a big budget takes more effort and needs more process, but it is possible. ‘When it comes to a big budget, it takes a process, but is it possible? Yes, it is possible, but it takes a process. And if you go through the process, you’ll get the big funding for the film.’
Experience Shooting Her Current Series
Padita Agu is currently working on the Nana series with Roc Productions. While she shot seasons 1 to 4 last year, she spent two months shooting seasons 5 – 8 in Benin, Edo state. The veteran actress described the experience as uncomfortable and stressful but necessary and satisfying.
‘If you watch this series, you see the hairs, the hairstyles, they were magnificent. They were out of this world. They were glorious, you know. But as beautiful as they were, we sometimes come on set in the morning very early in the morning, and we get makeup done, and this is not modern-day makeup. We get into makeup, wear this costume, put on this hair. We could be there till nightfall.’
She reiterated the importance of doing what you are called to and what you enjoy. Such challenges and situations can be discouraging for anyone lacking a passion for acting and filmmaking.
Diaspora Fan Base
With fans from all over the world liking and commenting on her works, Padita knows she has people in the diaspora who love what she does. But she does not know if a fan base exists anywhere.
She acknowledges that her fans worldwide encourage her, motivating her to continue putting out content. Their comments and shoutouts go a long way in her heart.
Picture source – Instagram
Padita expressed her eagerness to meet and connect with her fan base if there is one out there.
‘I don’t know if there’s a group of people that come together in diaspora to create a fan base. If there are, hola, they should hola at me, I would really be honored to see them all, to connect with them.’
Creating Content That Appeals To Africans In Diaspora
When answering how to create content that appeals to Africans in the diaspora, Padita emphasized the need for authenticity and originality. Instead of copying elements or other people’s stories, we should tell the African/Nigerian story the way it unfolds around us.
Padita gives an example of making a fight scene. ‘For example, if we have a fight scene in a movie, let’s fight as we see it on the streets. If you look around on the street where people are fighting, how do they fight on the regular?’
She explains that when portraying such a scene, the fight should occur in a way that gives the viewer enough immersion to make it more realistic. Still standing on the importance of originality, she concluded by stating that we should continue to be authentic.
‘So, yes, to answer your question, we should continue to be our authentic selves,’ Padita said. ‘That is how we win the love of others. Either you love us, or you love us just the way we are.’
Belinda is a contributor for FunTimes Magazine. She runs creative writing clubs in high schools and lives with her husband and three children in Lagos, Nigeria. Her other passion is child literacy and she manages a charity working to improve reading levels of kids in low income communities. She is becoming adept at stealing time here and there to finish her novel. Belinda holds varied degrees in Theatre and Film, Public and Media Relations, International Affairs and Pre-Primary Education.
