Meet The Cast: Uzoamaka Aniunoh

From the public auditions to your TV screen, read all about it here…

With every season of MTV Shuga, we try and uncover some hidden gems wherever we go. MTV Shuga Naija is no different!
Way back on the 12th August, MTV Shuga hit the bustling streets of Lagos to hold open auditions and discover Naija’s best underground talent. Step forward Uzoamaka Aniunoh.

Starring in the new season as ‘Cynthia‘, we sat down with Uzoamaka to find out her ‘secret’ to getting through the public auditions, and took some time to learn a bit more about the rising star…

Describe yourself in three words…
Fun. Spontaneous. Observant.

Where’s home?
Home is anywhere that’s devoid of judgment. As long as there’s electricity, food and funny people, I’ll sleep easy.

Where’s your favourite spot in Naija?
It has to be the Afropolitan Vibes venue. It’s a place where Lagosians go drinking, dancing and freely expressing themselves to afrobeats every month.

What do you do to relax?
I go to the movies to unwind. Something about being in an empty cinema makes the movie experience even more therapeutic.

What’s your favourite song on your playlist right now?
‘Mama’ by Mayorkun is my favourite song right now. There is a calm, piercing honesty to it that’s fresh and exhilarating.

What’s your favourite TV show?
‘Ridiculousness’ is the show that I always look forward to. I find the video clips interesting and extremely amusing. The show exposes the hilarity that is the human mind in a way that makes you growl in laughter and wonder at the same time.

What made you want to become an actor?
I was enrolled in a drama class in primary school where I got the chance to play different characters every week, and I fell in love with the art. In secondary school, I improvised (since there were no drama classes) by performing Nollywood films I had seen for my classmates. The satisfaction I received from entertaining my mates inspired me to take it up professionally.

If you weren’t an actor, then you would be…
I am a writer too and have found that I’ve got interest in a lot of other arts, but I would be desperately restless if I couldn’t be an actor.

Best piece of advice you ever received?
Be yourself. Do the work. Do YOUR work. Dig deep. Stay true. Create endlessly. Revel in your brilliance. Protect your (he)Art. Flourish.

How do you overcome day-to-day challenges in your life?
I have found that being thankful for the little blessings goes a long way. Of course I react to challenges in natural ways like getting upset, agitated and all, but I try not to stay that way. I search out the positives in my life and I focus on them.

How did you become a part of MTV Shuga?
I showed up (showed up being the operative word) at the open auditions in my nice blue lucky dress and with a lot of faith; gave it my best shot; went home and drank a cold glass of pineapple juice. A few days later, I received that phone call that changed it all.

What made you want to get involved in MTV Shuga?
I identify wholly with all that MTV Shuga represents, from tackling stigma surrounding sexual health, to openness about love and sexual behaviour. I have been a fan of the show for years. In fact, when MTV Shuga came to Naija in 2013, my friends urged me to attend the auditions, but I backed down last minute. My confidence was shaky at the time, but I continued loving and watching the show until MTV Shuga Naija returned this year. And here I am.

What social issues covered in the show are close to your heart?
Stigma and discrimination. These social issues are easily neglected because they’re not tangible experiences but they have proven to be even more damaging than the diseases or qualities for which stigma exists. I have friends whom I love and care very deeply about who have to deal with these issues first hand and for whom these are not just words but real things.

What are 3 things you wish to accomplish in your life?
– Financial stability/independence.
– Travel as much as possible and explore other cultures.
– Finish my book, create a socially relevant human film, and live wholeheartedly so that I’m able to sit in my garden when I’m 90 and look back at my life with no regrets.

What are you most looking forward to about the new season of MTV Shuga in Nigeria?
MTV Shuga Naija will be reaching a far wider audience than ever before, so I am looking forward to the world meeting the characters and hopefully relating with them. I would also like to see how our hard work translates on screen, as well as reading testimonies of viewers whose lives will hopefully be affected by the show in a positive way.

Do you have any questions for Uzoamaka? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts. Don’t forget to follow MTV Shuga on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the full scoop on the coming season, and keep an eye out for more interviews with our cast as part of the #MeetTheCrew series…