Marvelous Dominion is an actress and a model who studied Contemporary Performance Art in Oxford. She’s also a budding actor, well-groomed and very prepared to take up any role come rain come shine.
In this interview with Azuka Ogujiuba and Abigail Ocheibi, she spoke to Media Room Hub Magazine, she speaks on her courage to take up brazen roles as she shares her inspiring story.
So you have been a budding actor and a model, how did it all start?
Since I was 16 or while growing up as a child, I have always had this flair for acting and modeling, but mostly for acting. So when I was 17, I had to go to England to study it professionally in school. Then from studying acting on camera in London, then I had to go to Oxford to study contemporary performance art. Then from there, I had to come back to Nigeria to pursue my acting career in Nigeria, so far it’s been good.
Let’s talk about the most recent role you played in Jude Idada’s stage play; 3some, Nigeria is a very conservative society, how was it like deciding to go nude onstage?
When I got the script, I had to go through the story of course, Jude told me about the character I was supposed to portray in the play. First of all, I didn’t study theater art in school, I am not a professional stage actor, I’m a trained camera actress. Initially, I told Jude I am not sure I can do this but let’s see how we can work on this and make it come to fruition. It was encouraging because he said he was going to train me and see how far we could go on the field. He encouraged me and we had some rehearsals, 3 weeks rehearsals I think and then I went through the script, I loved the story line and thought about it. I didn’t really think about it because I am a Nigerian, of course we have our own cultural beliefs in this country, the only thing I thought of was just what makes me happy. This is what I want to do, and in the film school I went to, we were been taught that you might be asked to come out to work as a nude actress. So it only takes a daring actor to imbibe the character. I went through the story and I realized it was an interesting and a very daring story. If it wasn’t daring of such, I wouldn’t have gone for it.
An average person would definitely say you actually smiled to the bank after your nude performance on stage. Would you say it was the money that made you take up such a role?
Not really, but the money motivates you know. First of all, it’s the passion, secondly was the storyline, the character, and then the money motivates you. If I wasn’t well paid, maybe I wouldn’t have done it, but I was well paid. The first thing here is if the storyline wasn’t as strong and daring as it was, I won’t take it even if it involves mouth-watering pay. So it was the storyline, the passion most importantly, and then the money backed it up.
Coming from an African background, Nigerian home to be precise, were your parents aware of the fact that you went onstage nude? If yes, what was their reaction like?
My both parents were aware of this. Firstly, I came from a beautiful family, my parents have been very supportive, especially my career and passion for acting. Acting is what I have always wanted to do from childhood. When my mum heard the story line and my role in the play, though I told her later that I was going nude onstage, and the only thing she said was, are they going to recognize you in reality onstage, then she said anyways as long as it makes you happy and you know what you are doing, you have our full support. My dad was like, oh it’s good.
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