Talented Nollywood actress cum model Idia Aisien has explained how she was able to overcome criticism of her skin colour after featuring in a blockbuster Nollywood movie classic which was released in 18th December 2020.
The sultry thespian who was born on 4 July 1991, in Lagos to champagne magnate, Joe Aisien, and jeweler, Emmanuella Aisien, opened up on her challenge while sharing her experience playing Nneka in the remake of the movie ‘Nneka The Pretty
She noted that when the movie hit the cinemas, she was met with mixed reactions and was also heartbroken by some of the comments people were making about her not being light-skinned.
Idia Aisien said; “When it first came out in the cinemas, I was a little bit heartbroken by some of the comments that people were leaving. Comments about me not being light-skinned or Ibo, about me destroying what meant something to a lot of Nigerians. Nigerians love their veteran actors; they love their Nollywood classics.
‘‘So, it was something that I just wished people could see how much passion went into it at the time. But, with the international market, and the kind of feedback we are getting, I am getting messages from the Philippines, French Guiana, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and Los Angeles.
‘‘I was hurt at first, because Nneka is a fictional character and anyone could bring something different to the character but I don’t think that tribe and skin colour should matter. I mean, Black Panther was Americans pretending like they were in Africa. A lot of people who criticized it (the film- Nneka the pretty serpent), criticized it because of the choice of Nneka, which broke my heart.” She added.
However, Idia Aisien who is of Nigerian and Cameroonian descent noted that her performance in the movie singled her out for praise eventually after some of her critics saw and evaluated her role in the film without bias.
“When Nneka came out, some were like, ‘we heard Idia killed it o’. This very famous female said, ‘abeg, I am sure she paid for that job’. She saw me recently and was nice to me. She said she finally watched it, and it was great, but you know when you hear stuff, it’s like, ‘do I take the one I heard you say’. or ‘do I take how you feel now that you have watched it’. This is why it is important to give people a chance,” she said.
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Idia Aisien also took time out to share her experience playing Nneka in Nneka the pretty serpent – her debut in acting. She said, “it was an amazing experience playing the role of Nneka in the Nollywood movie. I think it turned me inside out. It felt like I started over in my life, in my thinking and in what I could do as a person.”
Idia who obtained a B.A. in journalism from American University in Washington, D.C., and an M.S. in International Public
‘‘I am not doing what I came to Nigeria to do. When I came to Nigeria, I was working for a private equity firm in New York. I came here because they were investing in banks across Africa, and at that time they were working with Union Bank. It was a great job, and a great opportunity for me, everything was going well for me in New York. And I came to Nigeria and destiny took me.” She proceeded to share that the difference in earning power, the stereotypes and labels in Nigeria, and putting her life in the public eye, are her regrets about moving to Nigeria.
On the loss of her father, Idia Aisien who describes herself as being smart, strong. Funny, complicated and deep said, “the business show on Arise was my dream job. But something quite terrible happened to me in life and I just wanted a fresh start. I lost my dad, and I just didn’t want to do anything I was currently doing ever again. My dad raised me. The stuff that people say about their mum, that was my dad to me. My dad was my hero. He had a car accident and he died.”
