Movie star Stephanie Linus recently had the privilege of meeting the Queen of England during the Queen's Young Leaders Awards and in this recently published interview with Punch Newspaper, she talks about the QYL while also talking about the Nigerian movie industry.
The soon-to-be mum also talked about her new reality TV show 'Make Me Fabulous'.
Read excerpts below.
On not being a regular face in Nollywood movies anymore: It is not about missing the Nigerian movie industry because I get projects all the time –it's if I want to be involved in them. I am not missing it; in a way we are trying to build the industry. At the level we are, we are looking for how we can build Nollywood to the level that everyone will be completely proud of the industry. That is the stage I am right now. Therefore, it is not about doing or acting in many movies. Movies that I need to do have to be important and strategic –the movies have to be of top-notch quality. I am still a regular face in Nollywood because I am still needed in the industry. People still approach me for various jobs. It all depends on if I want to do the jobs all the time.
On her reality TV show & keeping love alive: If I haven't been practicing it I wouldn't be preaching it. I think my husband and I are good. We know where the foundation of our marriage is and we value each other. We also respect and truly love each other. He's my friend and a great pal at that. We got it right from the very first time by agreeing to be married. He's the right person for me and I am the right person for him. We are on a journey and I think we're trying. We strive for perfection. Marriage is about making sure you and the other person have the right chemistry before going into a marriage.
On lessons from marriage: Marriage is a long journey; therefore, the lessons are continuous. The fact is that we are communal as a people and we love to have companions. Knowing that you have someone who is your friend and you wake up every morning to do things together is a wonderful feeling. It teaches one to be where one has to compromise and recognise the fact that there are two different individuals coming together to form a marriage. You have to be sensitive to each other's feelings and aspirations. There must be mutual respect between the couple. Marriage has taught me that being a loving wife produces a happy husband and vice versa.
On creating awareness for VVF: We have many wonderful laws in our country but they are not being enforced –those are the major challenges. We also need to improve our health care system especially maternal health care because a lot of women still die during childbirth. VVF is a huge health challenge in Nigeria; people used to think that it's something that happens only in the North. It can happen to anybody living anywhere in the country. We have been helping a lot of girls and women suffering from VVF with surgeries. That's why I did the movie to create awareness and let people understand the effect of their female children engaging in early marriage.
On her role with the QYL Initiative: I am lending my voice to this wonderful cause. Organisers of the Queen' Young Leaders approached us on how to support the Queen's Young Leaders promotion campaign. We assisted in promoting the search for the first ever QYL in 2014 and this has resulted in four Nigerians being the QYL award winners this year.
