Idia Aisien is the last daughter of a famous champagne magnate, late Joe Aisien, and real coral merchant, Lady Abiodun Aisien. A model, TV host, and actress, she got her first shot at acting as the lead character in the remake of the Nollywood classic: Nneka – The Pretty Serpent, which was released on December 18, 2020. Surprisingly, the remake of this Zeb Ejiro classic has gone on to garner 7 AMVCA 2022 nominations!
Even though she’s of Nigerian and Camerounian descent, Idia was born on July 4, 1991, in Lagos but moved to the United States, where she attained a B.A. in journalism from American University in Washington, D.C., and an M.S. in international public relations and global corporate communications from New York University.
Aisien has worked with Fox 5 News, the AARP Foundation, Discovery Communications, the Foreign Policy Initiative, the United Nations and Atlas Mara. She has modelled for many brands, such as BMW, Vogue, LAN Airlines, Black Opal, Nivea, Alice + Olivia, J Brand, Cashhimi, Samantha Pleet, Jovani, Evelyn Lambert, Nikki Angelique, An Alili and Sway Hair Ltd. In Nigeria, Idia used to host You Got Issues and Style 101 on Spice TV.
Having achieved so much in the television and modelling industry, Idia’s sights are now set on the acting industry where she hopes to make an impact. She recently spoke to City People’s Contributing Editor, IYABO OYAWALE (08033564055) on her life as a model and actress.
You’re a TV host, Model, Brand Influencer, and actress, how do you combine all these aspects of your life?
To be honest, I just do things that I’m really passionate about. I started off studying Journalism and Business but the brand influencing just comes in with having an audience and a following. As people want to buy the businesses that you represent or the products that you push, so, brand influencing came as a result of acting, TV presenting, and all.
Now, which of the many jobs excite you the most?
I would say for now, I just started acting and so far, it’s been the most exciting because you literally get to play another person and imagine yourself in another person’s world completely. I love acting the most. I really think that if done right and well-planned, I could make a successful career as an actress.
Would it be right to say you want to quit modelling and the other things you do to focus on your acting career?
Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call it quitting but that would definitely be more of my focus because modelling comes hand-in-hand with brand influencing and brand influencing comes as a result of having an audience. Being an actor gives you a huge following and a huge audience, so it’s definitely the best path for me right now.
You acted in Nneka-the Pretty Serpent, the remake of Zeb Ejiro’s classic.
Yes
I was surprised that you were able to pull that through because you grew up abroad and here was a situation where you had to speak Igbo. How were you able to pull that role through?
To be honest, because I never acted before, I would say I was like a baby, I just wanted to learn. Babies are impressionable and ever willing to learn. I was like a blank canvas waiting to be painted on. For the movie role, I had to go for dancing classes, acting classes, fighting classes and Igbo classes; I had about 3 months to get into the character and another 3 months to actually shoot the movie.
How would you describe your experience on that set?
Life-changing. I’d never done anything like that before and it really made me enjoy acting. It’s because of that movie that I’m considering this career. I got to meet a lot of people who’re very advanced in that field and I loved working with them. I loved learning from them. It also showed me that anything we put our minds to, we can virtually learn new skills and do new things, we’re more powerful than we think we are.
How did you get the role as a newcomer, and getting the lead role, not a waka pass o.
(Laughs) First of all, my simple answer is God but to be honest, from the bottom of my heart, I got a phone call at 2 am from my manager and when he said “oh, you have an audition in the morning,” I thought he was talking about TV hosting or something. The call was at 2 am but the audition was for 8 am and he said he posted the picture on Instagram and “everybody is raving about your eyes.” So, I said what’s the audition for? He said “Nneka, the pretty serpent.” I said sorry, that’s a movie. I said I can’t do it. You know I can’t act. He said “we just want to do a screen test. We want to see how you perform.” I did the first audition, second, then, I was called a third time. I just thought somebody was making a fool of me somewhere. I didn’t believe it was even happening until the day of the premiere. I didn’t even believe I was Nneka until the day I saw myself on the screen at the cinema. I didn’t believe what was happening until I saw billboards of myself around Lagos, in different places, in different cities, none of it felt real for me till I watched myself on TV.
Would you say your famous last name contributed to opening doors for you?
Yes and no. I think my last name gave me respect. But there are ways it didn’t help me in the sense that people think you’re where you’re because of your family of origin. People don’t know you have to work 10 times harder if you have a big name. There’s a huge weight on your shoulders. You have a lot to prove.
So would you say people should look out for you as an actress?
Absolutely. This year alone, I’ve done 2 very strong roles. People should definitely watch this space.
Nneka, the Pretty Serpent was nominated 5 times in the recent AMVCA, right?
Nneka was nominated in 7 categories.
Wow!
And I am truly grateful because everyone on the team put in so much work.
How do you feel about the AMVCA nominations?
I think it’s a great platform for Africans and it definitely gives people across the continent a fair chance for their work to be viewed and recognized.
Aside from acting, you also work as a model for great brands and I’m wondering how you got into modelling, considering the fact that you studied media and communications in school?
Growing up in secondary school, one day they were talking about Dele Giwa and how he died. And I said journalism is such an honourable profession, I’d like to be a journalist. So, when I went to University, I knew I was going to study Journalism. I was also going to study business as well in case I want to run my own business. So, I read them as combined majors. I also loved watching models on TV. They always looked strong and confident and I thought it would be good if I could do this. So, I’d imagine myself on the runway and stuffs like that. When I was in the US, I’d go for auditions and that’s how I got into the modeling industry. I just wanted to be more confident. I thought models were more confident.
So, how did you get to work with reputable brands abroad?
I’ve always been a specific kind of person. If I was applying for a job, I’d ask what company I’m applying for? Instead of doing 100 small jobs, I’d rather do one major job. So, I always went for the auditions of the brands that I dreamt about.
You currently host “You Got Issues” and “Style 101” on Spice TV.
I stopped working at Spice TV like 2 or 3 years ago. I used to host those 2 shows.
You’re now in Arise TV.
No, I left Arise TV in 2019. Now, I’m an actress and that’s my focus.
What’s a typical day in your life like?
A typical day in my life is back-to-back. This morning, I had an audition and then I had to do a couple of other things for my family business. I have another audition that I’m heading to now. I have 2 paid events this evening. Every day is a little different at times but challenging and very packed, back-to-back.
Adding to this, the most fun and interesting parts of my daily routine is when I’m creating content for different brands or getting ready for an event. It is a lot of work and it literally takes an army.
How did it feel growing up with famous parents like your late dad and mum?
My father is late, but my mother is alive and she is a rock for my siblings and I. I think the kind of parents I had growing up has definitely influenced who I am. My family is very affluent but reserved and it showed me the importance of working very behind the scenes and showing very little on the outside.
My parents pampered me a lot but were very strict with the values they instilled and those are some of the things I’ll always hold on to.
The charitable part of you, how did it develop?
I believe we have a responsibility as humans to always give back, especially if you are fortunate in ways that other people might not be.
I love to partner with groups that are focused on education, poverty alleviation, and empowering the girl child or disadvantaged members of various communities. I saw my siblings and parents do a lot of charity work growing up, so the same spirit had been imbibed in me. It’s funny cause I once ran into my mum, who was the President of Lion’s Club at the time, while I was giving back to a charity home in Lagos.
READ ALSO: HOW I WAS SPIRITUALLY ATTACKED – VETERAN ACTOR, ALAPINNI OOSA
For story submissions and inquiries, please email us at citypeopleonline96@gmail.com