Popular TV host, model and actress Idia Aisien who played the lead role in the remake of the 1994 horror mystery film, ‘Nneka the Pretty Serpent’ has said relocating to Nigeria wasn’t a good choice for her as she’s currently not doing what she came back home to do.
The actress also shared her experience playing the role of Nneka in the horror, ‘Nneka the Pretty Serpent.’
Featuring in this week’s episode of #withChude, Aisien said moving back to Nigeria wasn’t a good choice.
“I am not doing what I came to Nigeria to do. Before I came to Nigeria, I was working for a private equity firm in New York. I came back home 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. I came to Nigeria and destiny takes me,” the actress added.
The Edo state-born actress described her experience starring in the 2020 film, ‘Nneka the Pretty Serpent’ as amazing saying, “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.”
She also shared the mixed reactions she got after the release of the film. She said: “when it first came out in the cinemas, I was a little bit heartbroken by some of the comments that people were making. 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 the film (Nneka the pretty serpent), criticized it because of the choice of Nneka, which broke my heart.
According to her, 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.
Idia Aisien studied at the American University in Washington DC ,where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. She later got her master’s degree in International Public Relations and Global Corporate Communications from New York University.
