Bukky Abaniwonda: Actress speaks about her sojourn to acting

Bukky Abaniwonda might be a new entrant in Nollywood but it looks like we have a star in the making on our hands.

Bukky Abaniwonda is one of the newest faces in the Nollywood industry and she is obviously here to stay for a long time to come.

Wondering where Bukky has been all this while, the beautiful actress has been in Canada before she finally decided to relocate back to Nigeria. Prior to her return to the country, she had featured in a number of movies in Canada including; "Bridges," "Awkward Things About Losing Weight," "The Carperdian."

In an exclusive interview with PULSE, Bukky Abaniwonda popularly called "Bukky Wonder" talked about her journey through acting, coming back to Nigeria and the story so far.

 

When asked who inspired her to acting, she talked about her she got the inspiration from secondary and decided to pursue that path.

"It was quite an interesting one; I was always told that I talk a lot and that I should go and study law [laughs]. I also had some people say I should act, but I had a eureka moment in SS1 while in Abuja, where I spent practically all my childhood, a lady who was also in same class already released her first single and I was quite shocked as to how she is doing what she loves at a very young age. Hence, that really pushed me to chase my passion, although I have always had a flair for acting and tried to be in most plays at school but that singular experience with the lady at school really spurred my desire.

"My childhood experiences played a huge part, and one thing about me which I realized is that I get bored doing the same thing all the time so I never saw myself doing a white-collar Job. I always longed for something that involved me doing things that had different facets to it, not having to be in front of a desk all my life, so it was not necessarily an attraction to acting that got me here but I always had a flair for arts so acting came along the way and needed a life which was spontaneous in nature. Though acting is not all I do because I’m a creative person and love things that are challenging and not static which permits room to be fully creative; so acting is one of the various avenues I use to do that," she said.

We also got to talk about the roles she prepare to star in  and her acting style, she uniquely said include Sci-Fi movie roles and the traditional romantic and drama related roles. For her acting style, Bukky said her style include an infusion of method and classical  acting styles.

"The roles I prefer at the moment, Nollywood does not have them [laughs] but the roles I would love to be in are more in line of Sci-Fi, heroic kind of roles but the roles which can be ideal for me in the world of Nollywood are more in line with romance, drama, roles that are deeply challenging and need a whole lot of emotions involved. So basically those are the type of roles I do prefer.

"My style is an infusion of method and classical, which aids me to deliver a a stellar portrayal of any role given; when it has to do with a deeply plagued emotional character which is quite challenging," she said.

 

As usual actors usually go to set sometimes in bad shape or mood but have to prefer professionally and so we asked her to give us an instance when she had to act despite being a horrible mood and also the toughest challenge she has faced while on set.

"That’s quite an interesting question [sighs] it was the moment I lost my dad while on set during my first major movie, it was very challenging for me because I was riding a wave of emotions which made me lash out on set. Not everyone knew about it, only a few; my Director [Deola] being one of them. My Director really motivated me, kept feeding me with words that I needed and reminded me that my dad did give his blessings. Also, my fellow actor who was my love interest in the movie helped me a lot, although he didn’t know what was going on, He was a light in my dark hour.

"The toughest challenge while performing a role was when I lost my dad. I was shooting a movie that was related to weight struggle and the movie was meant to be humorous but I got carried away with emotions due to the fact that I could relate so much with the character. My Director helped me through it all and I am forever grateful," she said.

 

Bukky also revealed how she has been able to handle stardom and her latest project which she said is a Canadian film.

"One just has to be level-headed and always be focused on why you got into the business in the first place. Everything which has a beginning has an end, so always stay humble and grounded.

"I am working on producing my first Canadian film which is a heroic movie; a black Canadian film. It’s going to be a mix of African and Canadian. The main character will be a woman who will be from Africa obviously [laughs]. So I’m sourcing necessary funds to bring it to fruition," she said.

Bukky apparently has a thing for American actors because when we asked her to reveal her favourite actors, the names were quite interesting and foreign.

"Viola Davis, definitely! She is an amazing actor who delivers excellently when it comes to intense roles. There’s a way she just switches from being happy, to very emotional and I constantly study her to hone my skills. I also love Kimberly Elis," she said.

 

Bukky Abaniwonda has a number of charity works and skills acquisition she has been involved while she was in Canada and share them with us.

"Before I got to Nigeria I was involved in some charity work which was connected to my church, we served meals to an old people’s home. We spent some time with them and did loads of other interactive activities with them as well. Also, I try to assist in making people’s dreams come through in my own little way. For example, I have sponsored some individuals through some training such as makeup school. A lady who I assisted through makeup school is currently my make-up artist who aids in making me “slay” always, but if there is a look she can’t really pull of, I seek alternatively, but she stays to observe and learn which I really commend her for," she said.

For Bukky Abaniwonda, the right time to go into acting for any promising actor is at the very young age even though it doesn't mean starting at an older age is bad though.

"The right age to begin ideally is when you are young. Like the saying goes, “train up your child the way he should grow”. One of the things which frightened me while coming into this industry was seeing people who have been acting since when they were young, although to start old does not mean it’s too late for one’s acting dream to come through. Some actors like Taraji is a perfect example that there’s no age barrier when it comes to acting. Hence, there’s really no age fix as to when to pursue a career, just be determined when you begin the journey," she said.

We couldn't end the interview without asking the gorgeous actress to a word of advice to people who are looking at become actors.

"The most important tip I would give an inspiring actor is patience… patience… patience… because it takes a while to hone one skill in acting. Like they say, it takes a while to get good in a particular skill in life. When pursuing your dreams, patience is always required. When I look back at the earlier movies and short films I featured in, all I see is progress. Learn to accept criticism and not take it personally so as to learn and grow. Never take it personal and take it all in your stride; always stay laser forced and always go for it," she concluded.

Bukky Abaniwonda also known as Bukky Wonda, is a focused and driven aspiring actress who began her acting career in Canada. She has featured in various films such as Bridges, Awkward things about losing weight, the Carperdian. She comes from a family of seven and is the second of five kids {two brothers and two sisters}. Attended Command Day Secondary School, Abuja for her high school studies and then went ahead to Bowen University for higher education where she bagged an accounting degree