I am looking for that man who can make me want sex every minute – Empress Sosanya

BY ADERONKE ADEYERI and OLAMIDE OJO
Fast-rising Yoruba actress, Empress Anu Sosanya would
describe herself as a simple person but one with everything but
a simple dream. Her dream is to be one of the biggest stars
there is, and she appears good on her way, as she already has
a number of good movies to her credit. In this chat, she talks
about her career, love and the industry.
What was growing up like?
My growing up was awesome, but at the same time, rough. I
lived with my mother who had to cater for her eight children. We
went through thick and thin then, but I thank God that today, the
story has changed. My siblings and I are doing well in our
various fields.
Did your mother okay your going into acting?
Convincing my family took a lot of effort. It was only my sister
who bought into my dream from the beginning. I had to organise
a family conference to plead my case. My mother insisted I had
to go to a tertiary school before I would be allowed to act. I
studied marketing at the Lagos State University. Surprisingly,
we have marketers too in film production. So it all works
together, I don’t feel bad about it all.
What went wrong between your parents?
It’s their issue because I was still a baby then.
Didn’t you bother to ask questions?
We grew up living like that. Though, we spent sometime with
him which I’d say wasn’t fun at all. We always had to come
back to my mother.
Did your father re-marry?
It is not as though he married another woman, my dad is a flirt.
Even as an old man, he is still fresh and cute. He gets women at
his beck and call.
At what point did you miss the “father” figure in your life?
I missed him as a child especially during parents -teachers
meeting in my school. I saw my mates with their mum and dad
having fun. And due to the nature of my mum’s job, she wasn’t
always available. The pressure was too much on my mum,
though she never made us feel my dad’s absence. I love her for
that. I don’t wish my daughter such an experience.
How did you get the name ‘Empress’?
It was through a friend who encouraged me. We became friends
after he saw my first production. One day, he called me and told
me “You are an Empress and don’t let people oppress you, build
an empire each time”. So my first BBM name was Empress Anu
Sosanya and since then, the name stuck.
What’s your view about the industry?
We are not there yet because I see a lot missing. I hardly watch
Nollywood these days. I don’t want to sound like I’m
condemning our industry, but we have to work more on our
films. Our story-lines, costumes, and our subtitles to mention a
few, need to be checked and corrected. I agree that piracy is
really killing the business, but we should not compromise our
standard because of that.
Will you agree that another factor responsible for this is that our
market is saturated?
I totally agree and that is because everybody wants to be an
actress and also a producer. And not all of us went through
training. We have many talents in Nollywood who want to
showcase their talents but lack the opportunity. These people
believe that producing their own movie will showcase them, but
sometimes, they do poor quality movies due to lack of funds.
How about one person producing, directing and playing the lead
role in a movie?
I don’t know much about that. I think that can be linked to
cutting cost. An actor might decide to direct the movie instead
of getting a director who will take away a large percentage of his
capital. This kills the product itself. When a film lacks
professional touch, it collapses. We should learn to know and
understand our limits.
Are you married?
No, but I have a child.
How did it happen?
It just happened. So many people didn’t know I was pregnant.
People say it is not too good having a child out of wedlock but I
am a proud mother. I love my daughter to a fault. I am not
encouraging people to have children out of wedlock though.
This seems to be a trend in Nollywood, what’s your opinion?
I don’t know about that, but I won’t have a baby simply because
my colleagues have theirs out of wedlock. I do whatever pleases
me and at my own convenience.
Have you ever been turned on while doing a movie role?
I am yet to meet that actor who will arouse me on set. I don’t
get turned on easily. In fact when that happens, I will call for a
press conference.
What turns you on?
I have not met that kind of man. It has to be natural, genuine,
and delivered with ease.
How’s your sex life ?
Sex is communication, it is passing a message to one’s partner.
If I’m in a relationship, I know it is not right to have sex outside
marriage but I have to know and understand the sexual ability of
my future partner. This is somebody I want to spend the rest of
my life with. Sex is fun.
When was the last time you had sex?
It’s been a long time but I am looking for that relationship that
will make me want to have sex every second and every minute.
For now, I want to be very sure, I don’t want to have sex for the
sake of having sex. I need a person that will not make me cry,
take me for granted or let me down.
It seems you are heartbroken?
I am not. I am happy with what life has to offer.
The worst thing ever said or written about you?
It was when I shot my third production Edidi (The bond). Mercy
Aigbe and I acted as lesbians. It later went viral that I was a
lesbian. It didn’t really get to me because I know very well that
we are not. I didn’t even lift a finger because of the story. I just
let it go.
Have you had any reason to reject scripts?
Yes I have. Some script lack professionalism and being part of
such film will only belittle me.
What is new on your plate?
I have a new film titled “Oluwere” which will soon hit the market.
It is about a young lady whose father was too busy to have time
for her, but only provides her money. Find out more when you
watch the movie.