• 2 weeks ago
Yourcinemafilms.com | Genoveva Umeh (Breath of Life, Blood Sisters) breaks down how she prepares for her roles and how she approached her episode of 'Your Scene'.

Watch her performance here: https://t.ly/RLTXQ

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Transcript
00:00Yes, I do think that there is a stigma with like Nigerian actors and their level of talent
00:14and then the work that they produce.
00:18But that's interesting because you find some really incredible actors in Nigeria out there.
00:25I think it's such a skill to speak your language and perform and you have actors that do that
00:32incredibly well and are even better when they do a language film.
00:37I've had the pleasure of working with incredible actors, you know, throughout my very young
00:43career, and I'm so grateful because it's like they're so open, it's the same process.
00:51I trained here in London, so it's almost the same process.
00:55People that are open to hearing ideas, people that are open to working with you.
00:59A couple that I've worked with, Chimezie Emo, worked with him on Breath of Life, which is
01:04on Prime Video.
01:05It was basically us, you know, the entire time.
01:08And it was just so great to just improv with an actor and have really great energy, you
01:17know, trying to bring a moment to life.
01:21So yeah, I think there's great potential in Africa.
01:23I always say Africa to the world.
01:24But it was better for me to get the pill, right?
01:29It was better for me to bleed out for three days, right?
01:35With this scene, I thought the writer did an amazing job at conveying the character's
01:42emotions, so I didn't feel like it was deep enough.
01:47The writing was deep enough.
01:49For me, it was just about making sure that I was honest with her feelings, and that I
01:57was in my body and just listened to myself, listened to her emotions, and go with how
02:05she's feeling.
02:08It was better for me to stay in that hospital and have them scrape bits of our child into
02:15a bin while you play happy families.
02:22The other side of the world, right?
02:25With this scene, I approached this character by building a life around her, what her relationship
02:34with this man must have been like, what her hopes and dreams surrounding this relationship
02:39must have been like.
02:41I just imagined someone saying to somebody else, we were endgame, and now we're not.
02:53Because you don't even want me.
02:56So even if she wants him, he doesn't even want her.
03:01So that's a level of anger, a level of upsetness, and like, I don't even know how she's controlled.
03:13And I feel like right now, I'm like, I don't even know how she's controlled, even feeling
03:18that.
03:19So yeah, when you think about that hurt, that level of betrayal, then it was easy to web
03:26those emotions.
03:28I think the most challenging part was having to vocalise this woman's pain.
03:38She has made some sacrifices for this person.
03:42She has aborted babies, I don't think not one, not two, you know, babies.
03:49And I think that's like a huge sacrifice for any woman to experience, to put their body
03:56through, and then let alone do it for love, and to find out that love is false.
04:01I think that's like the most challenging part, like, feeling that anger.
04:07For me, I think the most important part is to learn the lines.
04:10Like once I learn the lines, I just make sure that I have the lines.
04:15And then I make sure that I know what the internal monologue is with each line.
04:25And if there is, of course, if there is a response, know what that kind of response
04:28would be and what she's responding back to that.
04:33And then be in the moment when you are about to do the scene, because it's most important
04:40to be in your body.
04:41I like to be easy, I don't like to, like, I think with ease comes a real natural, genuine
04:50performance.

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