What’s up my people, I am doing great today and I am so sure you are good too. I am excited to have another celebrity on CELEBRITY’S WORLD here on WORDS FROM NANCY’S BLOG. This week, we have an actor, a model, a writer, an artiste, very talented and gifted too and handsome, I think he is single, so all the ladies are free to try their luck (laughing). So its my pleasure to present to you all, ELIJAH OGANN ANIGHORO.
1. First of all, can you introduce yourself to us?
ANS: My name is Elijah Ogann Anighoro, I am an actor, writer, model and an artiste. I am an African from the Southern and Eastern parts of Nigeria.
When did you first go into acting?
ANS: I’d say I have been acting for the better part of my youth days, as a stage actor. Screen acting was something I did as an adventure, but got my first mainstream appearance about a year plus now.
How is it like for you when you are on set?
ANS: As per work ethic, It is mostly losing myself to the character I’m trying to portray, and interpreting it the best way I can for the audience to derive meaning from the role; as per fulfillment, it always feels like I was born for that moment.
You are an actor and a writer, how do you combine both?
ANS: Where I come from, opportunity indeed comes but once, so if you have something really good working for you, you sacrifice whatever you have to to make it work; for me, this would be my sleep and some other pleasures. I have an imaginary gun pointed to my head that forces persistence, integrity and diligence; it is a matter of try and make it work or try and make it work, there is really no cut out way to explaining this. I just know that to amount to anything meaningful, I just have to do this two and do them well.
5. What makes you write, because writing is not easy, so how do put your story line in place?
ANS: It might not feel that way now, but for me, it is really beyond writing; it is a tool towards freedom, writing for me is like what the prison experience was to Mandela, and what charity was to Theresa; there is a big picture that I’m working towards, so for me to get there, I must write and dedicate myself to understanding story telling.
My story lines are inspired by my six senses – that includes by five biological senses and my intuition or let’s say my spirituality. Trust me, I am not trying to sound like some enigma when I say writing is spiritual; it is just what it is, at least for me.
You wrote the movie “BLIND VOICE”, what,s the motivation behind it, its a different kind of movie for me.
ANS: I am glad you’re one of the people that connected to the movie, there is more to the story and I think somewhere in the near future, I might do a remake of the film. This is because I created the story for a purpose, I created it literally for the blind, I wanted a story that would make people feel towards that set of people in our society. I wanted a movie that represents them. The producers of Blind Voice did the best they could, but there’s still more to the movie that I hope I would one day be in a position to explore.
How will you describe a normal day as an actor or just a person?
ANS: A normal day as an actor is a normal day for the character I wear per time; so whatever is supposed to be normal to that character is normal for me. The crazy thing about this is when people meet you, they don’t get to see the real you, they mostly see the character they have seen you play on TV, and they may never get the opportunity to know the real you.
A normal day as a person however is that day when you are yourself, that would be the me that loves watching movies, making research, picking up intellectual debate, hanging out with friends; the me that has his own demons, and the me that believes in God through Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, that me is not often seen my others, or maybe most people don’t know how to be interested in that. I’m not complaining anyways.
If you were not in the movie industry, what else will find yourself doing?
ANS: I’d be singing, if I weren’t in entertainment I probably would be a detective in some advanced country.
Do you see yourself producing or directing your own movie in the future?
ANS: Truth is if I had the right support, I’d be producing already. As for directing, somewhere in the far future, I would serve this dimension.
How has covid-19 affected you?
ANS: It is sad for the number of people that had to cross to the other side, as a human being, you can’t help but feel the pain of the world. On an individual level, I think it gave me time to think about purpose. The days without money was painful though, but it nothing compared to the quietness that opens the mind to various possibilities.
Who in years to come would you like to work with and what do we expect from you?
ANS: I expect to work with the finest from around the world. There is no specific person in mind, I will just continue ticking my boxes as I come across the greats of the greats along the way. And I would be grateful for them all. Expect more works, expect relentlessness.
Any words of advise to upcoming writers and actors
ANS: Read about Abraham Lincoln and Goodluck Jonathan, if you keep going, someone would read about you.
Elijah, I am very grateful to you for doing this interview with me. God bless and increase you more in your acting, writing and all of it. Also guys, I want you all to please go and watch BLIND VOICE on Iroko tv, I love the movie and I want you to see and watch something different and all of his other movies.
This is me signing out and I will catch you guys next week on CELEBRITY’S WORLD. Be safe, be healthy, wash your hands, protect one another and above all, let God be with you. Bye guys.
