Kate Henshaw-Nuttall is no doubt one of the most respected Nollywood actresses and one of the few who doesn’t have air around her. The easy going actress who got married to a Briton, James Nuttal, few years back is also one of the few in her industry that has been able to keep her marriage and still be at the top of her game.
Her journey into Nollywood started in the year 1993 with a film titled Sunset and ever since then, she has featured in more than 200 movies which include Broken Tears, Stronger than Pain (Winner- Best Actress AMAA 2008), Rivals, Games of life, Tears in my eyes, The Stolen Bible, The Search and many others. All this however has not prevented her from giving thanks to late JT Tom West who brought her into the industry.
She has her hands on many things at the moment and they are all begging for attention. She is the ambassador of Project Alert Violence Against Women and Children. An organisation that is meant to care for abandoned children and women that have been abused in one way or the other. They are busy working towards the success of the fund raising dinner slated for the end of the month. Aside this, she is also an ambassador of telecommunication giant, Globacom and Onga food seasoning.
With all these, Kate remained humble and undeterred with the ovation that keeps coming her way as one of the most sought after actresses in the country. She didn’t even see herself as one. “Are you sure am one of the most sought after actresses? Who told you that (Laughs)? Well, I believe is God’s plan totally. When you as a human being believed you have reached the peak and it can’t get better, something else will come up and it get more better”, she said.
What she loves most about what she is doing at the moment is the fact that it gives the opportunity to affect people lives in a positive way. “I believe am in an environment where I can touch lives and do a bit for the people around me. If you have good visibility and you are well sought after by people, that means they like you. But in all, I give God all the glory”, she said.
She just shot a TV cooking programme for Onga Food Seasoning titled ‘Time Out with Kate’ as part of her responsibilities as the company’s ambassador. “So far, we have recorded 13 episodes and it was fun all through. They made a place for me that served as my home and I had lots of important personality from music, movie and entrepreneurs who came as a guset. We ate, gist and had fun. It was a cooking programme with a difference. A must watch for everybody”.
Kate Henshaw-Nuttall is also very passionate about the industry she belongs to, Nollywood. She admitted that Nollywood is sick and she is one of those losing sleep to bring about a change in Nollywood. “I believe everything in life is stages and Nollywood will definitely get better one day. We had a meeting with the Minister of Information and Communication few days back and we told her some of the problems we are facing in the industry. We discussed piracy, funds and the challenges we faced before we can shoot in places like Airport, Prisons and Police Stations. The most serious of all the problems in Nollywood currently is piracy. What made the whole thing even more frustrating is that the government is not doing anything about it and they claimed they are re-branding Nigeria. Nollywood is just the veritable tool to use in this re-branding exercise. Americans will show us through their films that they are the best in the world. Not that they don’t have slums over there but they prefer to show us the most beautiful places and present everything to be the best in the world. We can do the same with our films promoting a better image of our country. Nigeria is a good place and is not all about kidnapping and corruption that they show on CNN. What the government don’t understand right now is that our movies are being watched all over the world”.
She is not one of the people that run away from challenges but instead, she sees it as a stepping stone. Probably why it is working for her is because she is disciplined and loves everything about her job. “Am in the right profession and I love everything about it. I don’t have any regret ever since I started. The only thing about this job is that you don’t have your piracy but we have gotten used to it”.
Will she ever release an album like her other colleagues? “I don’t have anything like that in my plans. That can never happen (laughs). Not that I don’t sing well but it’s totally out of my agenda”.
All this while she has been making money from endorsements, she has been paying her tithe. “I don’t joke with my title and am very faithful about it. I pay it as at when due because the money is not mine”.
She also told us how he has been able to keep her family considering the nature of her job. “I have a very understanding husband. When am away on location, I make sure am always in touch with my family on phone and when ever am around, I spend quality time with them. And most importantly, they understand the nature of my job”.
Her style is very simple and not OTT (Over The Top) li. She wears what makes her comfortable and feels appreciated. All the same, they are some dress you won’t find her in.”You ca3n never catch me in hot pant and bra. I wear short and mini skirt but I can’t put on a hot pant”
No comments:
Post a Comment