Queeneth Agbor: My ideal man must be prayerful, good in the other room
Nollywood dazzling star Queeneth Agbor, after graduating from the University of Calabar, as a Microbiology graduate enrolled at Royal Arts Academy, a film school situated in Lagos to equip herself for the task ahead in the make-believe industry.
The screen goddess has never disappointed her staunch fans since she debuted on the movie scene in October 2014.
She is arguably one of the most sought-after actresses due to her deftness in churning out her roles on set.
Aside from acting and farming, she is also the face of an Ankara Beauty outfit where she produces ‘Ankara with Class’, she makes good-looking dresses with a mix of Ankara and English fabrics, and she has designs of shoes, face caps, bags, ear-rings and suits for male including females with Ankara fabrics.
The beautiful thespian is so passionate about her brand, that she said; “I have a huge love for my brand, when I started it, people working with me weren’t getting my explanations, so I decided to enrol in a Fashion and designing school where I learnt the nitty gritty of sewing techniques, now I can sew whatever pleases me.”
Queeneth who is a typical example of Jack of All Trade master of all took a few questions from CREEKVIBES OLUWADAMILARE DANIELS. Excerpts;
What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing your industry today, and how do you think it can be checked?
Nollywood is currently facing segregation when we are supposed to be in one accord, you will hear Enuguwood, Yorubahood, Asabawood etc with some of them flaunting their logos here and there, then Lagos is referred to as the King of classic wood; for those in Lagos, Asaba is trashy, Lagos actors grab all the awards, you will hear stuff like Yoruba actors are ‘zero’. When it comes to the TV channels you will hear stuff like ‘Oh he is an epic face, we can’t use him to showcase our movie, and comments like, ‘he is an Iroko Channel face’.
I just don’t get it. There is so much segregation in the Nigeria movie hoods; it is exhausting it is not meant to be so, I guess with time, we will balance these anomalies because it’s bringing down great talents.
If I am opportune to be in a vantage position, I will cancel all that rubbish!
How do you maintain authenticity and stay true to yourself in an industry that can often be superficial and image-driven?
There is a famous quote my late mum sank into my head when I started my career during my early days. ‘Do you the world will adjust, never lie to yourself’. There is so much fake life in the industry.
For instance, you bought an expensive fabric and paid a huge amount of money to make a unique dress and after you’ve worn it once because you are a celebrity you can’t wear it again, how is that possible?
I will repeat that dress because I have spent a large sum on it, that’s me the world will adjust. I can’t tolerate fakeness, I won’t steal to impress neither will I sleep around to impress, nope! I will be true to myself; I won’t go above my means to impress people because I am me Queeneth Agbor, the world should adjust to my ethics, God bless my mum, may her gentle soul rest in peace, I love her so much for making me a great woman that I am today.
What values do you try to inculcate in your work and personal life, and how do you stay true to those values?
I will never bend or adjust to suit a particular being or situation, practically I will not change who I am just to fit in, I remain authentic to myself, to my craft, and to my business.
Can you briefly share a moment when you had to take a stand or speak out on a controversial issue, and how you handled the fallout?
In my early days, I was very controversial, I said things as they were, and many times I was misinterpreted, and the next thing Netizens would start to drag me, at times it went on for months, sometimes for a year.
There is this one that became a tribal war for what I didn’t say, so it became something huge, Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba verbal war, I had to come out to do a disclaimer, and after a while, it fizzled out.
There was another one that got me laughing, At some point, I was used to being dragged across social media platforms. I was just wondering how could people be this naive.
The question was, ‘Am I scared of a man cheating?’ I said I wasn’t scared because I know my onions, what I meant by my ‘onion’ was that I know my worth, why should I be thinking of a man cheating on me when I have my businesses to think about, I have my career to build, for crying out loud, I was misunderstood, stuff like; ‘that is how they do juju’, ‘too much confidence’ and a whole lot of trashes, how does knowing my onion connected to ‘juju’?
It got me wondering how it correlates.
How do you manage stress and maintain your mental health while navigating the pressures of fame and success?
I have learnt to maintain a healthy career in my life, I pray, meditate, take a deep breath, re-plan my relationship and focus on the goal because my body is a special tool to my career, so my mental health is important to everything I do. Whenever anyone tries to steal it from me, I will cut him or her off. Sometimes I travel for vacation because, in the end, the goal is to make it right
Will you be tribalistic when it’s time to choose a life partner?
When it comes to marriage, I am open to any tribe but, I won’t convert my religion from Christianity to Islam, although over the years I have learnt to never say never because you never can say where love will lead you to. I know my Lord will direct my steps to my expected end; I am not tribalistic when it comes to marriage, and as far as I am concerned ‘marry right.’
What is your ideal of a real man?
A man with power and affluence that can empower me, a good listener, one that commands respect, full of wisdom, a man that will pamper me, spoils me with money, a man that can kabbash better, so when the demon comes he can kabbash dem out, he must excel in the other room, good in romance, sweet kind with a good sense of humour, a man that will respect me, and women generally.
How soon are you getting married?
How do you know I am not married? (General laughter) Oh my God…sooner, God is God of all by himself when it comes to my marital life.
Aside from acting what else do you do better?
I am a proud farmer, I plant fruits and vegetables, name it. From Cucumber to Watermelon, to vegetables, I am involved in every process concerning farming from filthy to fresh harvesting.
I am also a good cook, I can be referred to as Jack of All Trade.
Are you still connected to your roots; do you still maintain your childhood friendships?
I don’t believe in meeting new people to dish the old ones.
Yeah, I still have contact with my childhood friends, they know me, and keep me calm, when things are going south they are there and when it turns to west they got me covered.
How do you stay open to feedback and constructive criticism?
Of course, you need to listen to the good, and the bad feedback, in a way this constructive criticism helps you where you are lacking, you might think you are doing it right, and someone tips you to do it the other way, when you tilt you discovered that you have a better outcome.
For me, I listen, filter the criticism take the good ones and trash the bad ones because, I know I am good, and that feedback doesn’t change who I am.
What keeps you motivated despite challenges and obstacles?
It’s my late mum, you see that woman, making her proud, motivates and pushes me to want to do better, my siblings too are also stalwarts.
How has it been approaching, collaborating, or working with people who have different perspectives or values than your own, how have you managed that?
In life, I have learnt and learned, my mum taught me a lot of things, may her soul rest in peace, she said just because you don’t reckon with people’s opinions does not mean you are right, and that doesn’t mean they are wrong, a lot of people express their opinions because you thought you are right whereas you may be wrong.
I learned to work with people based on their believes, it does not change my belief, I accept them the way they are and then manage them and make the best out of them.
Any plan to run an NGO?
Yeah, I plan to establish an NGO very soon, by His grace, it’s been long overdue a plan.
Everything I do I put God first.
In another five years, where will you be?
In another five years, I will be a global brand, receiving my award on an international podium by His Grace.
How much will you charge to act in an epic nude movie?
Hmmmm, I will charge 500 Trillion Dollars
I will charge 500 Trillion Dollars to act epic nude movie…(general laughter.)
Can you tell us about the unusual part of you?
I don’t drink alcohol, beer or wine.
photos/video: Queeneth Agbor (@agborqueeneth)
