When it comes to matters of home building and family life, the younger generation always seems to rush into decisions, and it has always proved a recipe for disaster. However, there are still some conservatives who believe the old way is still the best way, as experience and time have proven over and over again.
We bring you one of Nollywood’s finest actresses when it comes to playing motherly roles- Chioma Jessy Daniels. Chioma is one of many Nollywood actresses who have remained scandal-free while pursuing a stellar career in acting while performing her wifely and motherly duties.
The calm-looking and reserved actress is famous on our screens, as she has starred alongside other famous shots in the industry, and she is always doing justice to her character interpretation. News Echo Crew engaged her in a brief interview over the phone and we had a little insight into the actress’ personality, and her views on combining career and family, raising children, and marriage.
Here are excerpts of the interview for your reading pleasure.
May we meet you formally?
My name is Mrs. Chioma Daniels. I am more popular as an actress, but I am first, a wife and a proud mother. I am also an entrepreneur.
You have been in the industry for years now, can you tell us some of your experiences as an actress?
There are a whole lot of experiences, I can’t begin to list them now. You know what they say,… That experience is the best teacher, and we learn through it every day. My experiences have helped me to understand the industry more and also how to relate with people in it.
Tell us what you love most about your career?
Entertainment, flexibility, and socialization. Those are the things I love most about acting as a career. As we all know, the industry is known for entertainment, and having the ability to arrest one’s attention, and have them watch you, admire you, learn from you, and sometimes get inspired by what you display too, is really amazing feeling. On flexibility, I love the job because it doesn’t have strict timing, and I’m my own boss. When it comes to socialization, It’s awesome to get to meet new and interesting people and broaden your circles, those are pretty much things I love about the acting career.
Are there any aspects of your career that you find particularly disturbing?
Well, I believe all careers have challenges. Life itself is a challenge. The only challenge I can say I struggle with most times is having to deal with so much at the same time. So many things require your attention even while on set, you know, it could be family, it could be another outstanding job somewhere that needs you to feature in its story, just name it. Something will always come up and I have to keep up, but asides from that, I actually enjoy acting.
What are your values as a person, outside the industry?
As an individual, my first value is my relationship with God. I am a Christian, and as a Christian, the first thing that should matter is your personal relationship with your father in heaven. He makes everything beautiful in His time. I also hold my family very dear to my heart, they mean everything to me and I put their interests first whenever I am considering anything.
Tell us about some other things you like doing apart from acting?
Apart from acting, I am an entrepreneur and also a businesswoman. I get engaged with other things outside acting. I handle brand influencing, business promotions, and ads, and I also like doing them as well. As you know, my children are all grown up, so I have ample time to devote to both career and business.
What is your advice for young ladies in the industry who aspire to get married someday and keep a home?
I’m a mother and a grandmother too, as I have a daughter who is happily married with her kids, and the same advice I gave to her, I will also give any young lady. Be humble and respectful, a woman should know her place no matter what, even the Bible said the man is the head and it will remain like that. So, if you want to stay in a marriage, stay under your husband. It is really sad that marriages these days have taken a totally different turn, but it doesn’t change the fact that what is right is right.
As a mother, what are some of the decisions that you will not allow your children to make by themselves?
Raising children from infancy is not an easy job, but when you put God first, and focus on raising a good human being who is capable of making the right independent decisions, half of your job is done. Personally, as long as you are an adult, you are allowed to make your own decisions and be sure to face whatever comes after it. I will only support with my own views, experiences, advice, or anything I can offer. But I will never force my opinions or views on anybody, not even my own children, especially as they are adults now.
What is your take on the increasing rate of divorce and separation that we often witness among celebrities?
Generally, the rate of divorce and separation has increased, not just in the industry or among celebrities alone. According to the good book, divorce should be only on grounds of infidelity, but we see and hear of divorce these days for very few reasons. Honestly, it’s not a pleasant thing, but you know people take things differently, and a lot more people are becoming very selfish and impatient. They just don’t want to stick together to work out their differences, and the results are what we are seeing today.
Kindly tell us about your pet project or any other interests apart from acting, that you currently nurture.
I have none for now, even though I have engaged in some projects and achieved tremendous success in the past. Currently, I am more focused on my acting and my other businesses. I do have some interests at heart and I am nurturing some ideas, but I do not want to talk about them for now. Let time tell.
Finally, to my fans, I want to say, BE REAL. Don’t live fake lives to impress anybody. Stay real and true to yourself, it will help you to focus more on being productive in whatever field of endeavor you choose. That’s what I embraced very early in life, and I’m proud to be a role model to many. Thank you.