Medicine, Acting, and I – Kiki Omeili

 As an actor, Nkiruka “Kiki” Omeili is as spicy as they come. Competent and respectful of her art, the Anambra State-born actor speaks to eelive.ng about her training as her medical doctor, how she ended up behind the camera and a variety of related issues.

What would you consider the greatest advantage of the choice of acting, given that your life should have taken a totally different direction as a medical doctor?

 The greatest advantage to me is the fulfilment of a passion. Doing something that you are made for. They say: “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life”.

That being said though, I do believe that my life has taken the exact direction that it was supposed to take. I love advocacy and speaking up about certain issues. So, being a doctor and knowing what I know, I use my platform as an actress to speak up about certain health issues and educate people the best that I can.

I even bring health education into the movies that I produce as anyone who has seen my movies RUN and Unprotected can testify.

Did you see acting coming at any time before you entered medical school and if you did, why did you go ahead to study medicine?

 No, I didn’t see it coming. I loved acting and performing but the belief back then in senior secondary school was that the “intelligent” students should be in science class. Medicine Engineering, Pharmacy, Architecture were all the rave for science students and the professional courses that were erroneously thought to be worthwhile for the so-called intelligent students.

So, I chose to study medicine like many other people in science class. Looking back now, it’s obvious that we just lacked proper guidance and counselling. I excelled at literature despite being a science student and even won prizes as the best literature student in the entire set so it should have been obvious what direction I was supposed to go, but alas!

Looking at medicine and the art of performance critically, one could find a nexus, a relationship in the way both of them offer therapy to people and society as a whole. Has this helped in making things easier for us in shifting between these two endeavours?

Ans: Even though one can find a similarity between them in the fact that they both offer therapy, two professions could not be farther apart. One is as formal as it gets while the other despite being very serious business is largely practised in an informal setting.

The one major similarity shared by both professions is discipline. I can tell you for free that it is impossible to excel at either of them without being disciplined. The discipline that I have brought from my medical background has been a lifesaver in the entertainment industry.

Do you still practice medicine in anyway?

Yes, in the form of health advocacy and education. But I don’t practice clinical medicine.

Tell me, have you ever been exposed to couch casting? How do these stories make you feel and what do you think practitioners can do to bring it to the minimum?

I made a video some time ago addressing the issue of couch casting in Nollywood and that video was specifically aimed at letting the younger generation of actors know that they didn’t need to offer any sexual favours in return for acting roles.

In that video, I also stated how I was already done with medical school and had worked for a while before I came into Nollywood so I pretty much was confident about who I was and I strongly believe that I never experienced couch casting as a result.

Predators can always sense desperation and eagerness and that is what they prey on. If they see that they aren’t likely to get through to you or intimidate you, they won’t try to.

That said, these things exist in practically every industry in Nigeria, not just the entertainment industry and it is sickening. It is my opinion that perpetrators should be called out without fear, legal action should be taken against them and adequate justice/punishment is meted out if they are found to be guilty.

I think that harsher punishments will serve as a deterrent and will result in fewer cases of such.

READ ALSO: Anger in Nollywood Over Sexual Harassment Accusations

And how do you think this society and Nollywood can make things better for ladies who aspire to be in the industry?

Society as a whole needs to stop shaming victims of sexual harassment/rape and offer them support and comfort instead. This is what will encourage other victims and survivors to speak up and call out their accusers.

Many keep quiet because of the fear of being shamed and the perceived stigma that they believe will be attached to it. So, we as a society need to stop being judgemental and stop with the harsh words. We need to stop saying things like:

 “why are you just speaking up now?”

”you’re only doing this for clout”

” what were you wearing?”

And all the other stuff that people say to shame victims into silence.

The Government also needs to push for harsher penalties for perpetrators that are found guilty.

If we fix the societal problem, the Nollywood problem will automatically be fixed as a result.

You are a very outstanding actor but there are three performances I can never get over; the one in Lekki Wives, What lies within and a short film, whose title I cannot readily remember. What does it for you? What do you do to get in and out of character?

Thanks for the compliment.

I choose my roles carefully and make sure I go for roles where I can completely understand the character; what her motivations for doing certain things are. It’s important for me to understand the character’s back story and thought processes. That is what informs how a character will react in certain situations. It is what enables me to bring the character to life. Its real for me at that point, I believe it, so the audience believes it too.

You debuted as a producer with Run in 2018, what was the experience like and what is up next?

I actually debuted as a producer in 2016 with my short film Unprotected. RUN was my debut feature and it’s currently on online platforms like Amazon.

What’s next for me might be a documentary targeting one of the numerous societal ills that have seemed amplified in recent times. I will keep you posted on that.

What are the major aspirations for your career, something we can describe you with in 20-30 years?

 I aspire to be someone who not only entertains but also educates. Someone who advocates for the masses and speaks up for people who cannot speak for themselves.

Someone who makes people’s lives better/makes the world a better place by “doing”.

Any advice for aspiring actors?

Hardwork and consistency will always pay off of you are talented. And also learn to deal with rejection. it’s a fact of life especially in the industry. It’s not personal.

Also, you DON’T have to offer anyone sexual favours to get ahead. I can’t say that enough.

So, who is Kiki Omeili? Tell us about you, your background; the principles that govern your life and what you would love to see of this country.

 Kiki Omeili is an actress/medical doctor, a health advocate and a go-getter. I’m easy-going, fun-loving, down to earth and I abhor injustice.

I come from Anambra State (people seem to express shock at the fact that I am an Igbo girl). I’m very versatile and I have a lot of sides to me. This usually means that I can fit in anywhere.

Some of the principles that govern my life are:

“Live and let live”

“Be the change that you want to see in the world”

“Bad things happen when good men do nothing”

“Enjoy your life, tomorrow is not promised”

In my country, I would love existent emergency healthcare services in a healthcare system that actually works. I would love for our leaders to learn from this pandemic and focus on fixing our healthcare here at home rather than relying on medical tourism.

I would like for health insurance to be taken more seriously as the average Nigerian cannot afford proper healthcare because it costs an arm and a leg.

In my country, I would also like stricter/harsher penalties for rape and sexual harassment because the incidence is mind boggling. People continue to do it because they know that they will most likely get away with it.

Our Education sector also needs fixing, it’s becoming a given for people that can afford it to send their kids abroad to get a university education as Nigerian universities are now seen as sub-par.

We have security issues, social media is rife with complaints about robberies and harassment from the police that should protect us. That has got to change.

So much has got to change for us to have the Nigeria of our dreams.