Rukkie who is definitely not a rookie in the movie
industry, a couple of years back chose Nollywood over the N25
billion-rich banks, after graduating at the Lagos State
University and has since never looked back. The stunningly
beautiful actress, born and bred in Lagos, spoke with WOLE AJAYI
recently about her journey so far in the world of make believe.
Excerpts:
Seems Rukkie is your showbiz name could you tell us your
real names?
Rukkie is my real name. It's the shortened form of Rukayat, and
my surname is Sanda.
When did your love for acting start?
I had really wanted to act for a very long time. In
my
school
days, I used to be involved in plays and cultural
dances. So I had
passion for it
right from my high school days.
Which school did you attend?
Lagos State Model College, Igbokuta, Ikorodu.
Thereafter?
Yeah, I moved to Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo where I
studied Banking and Finance.
How long have you been in the industry?
Actually I've been in the industry for three years now. I had my
debut appearance in 2004 but serious acting for me started in 2006, I started with
Angel And The Beast in 2004
Were you involved in stage productions at LASU?
No
How did your parents react to your going into acting?
At first, my dad wasn't okay with the decision. It was like “you
have to finish at school first before you get involved in
anything like that”. So finished schooling and I'm now
concentrating on acting. He's okay with it now, after I've had
first degree.
What about your mum?
She's okay with it. She loves watching movies, so she doesn't
have any problem with me acting.
How many movies have you featured in so far?
About 16. I'm now working on the 17th and 18th.
Could you mention some of them?
Strength of love, Legal war, Campus love, My Precious Son,
Weeping Tiger and many more. I can't recollect their titles;
usually the scripts don't come with titles.
How has the journey been so far?
Has been good
That means you've made enough dough
If I had made enough money, I won't still be working.
Since you studied Banking and Finance, would you still love
to go back to that line one day?
Maybe in the future but definitely not now.
Do you have any role model or mentor in the industry?
Liz Benson and Patience Ozokwo.
Tell us your favourite actors and actresses.
Patience Ozokwo, Genevieve, Ramsey Nouah, Alex Usifo and Olu
Jacobs.
(Olu Jacbos, she confesses looks so much like her dad)
How have the fame and glamour of movie affected your life?
Nothing is getting over my head; I'm still my normal self.
How do you handle sexual harassment? Or do you think it
doesn't exist?
It does. But it doesn't happen to me. I've not been sexually
harassed.
Tales abound on how producers take young girls to bed before
turning them into stars. Are you ignorant of that?
I've heard about it, but I've not experienced it.
Alright, how do you react to love advances from the opposite
sex?
I don't encourage it. I'm in a relationship.
I guess, you don't just turn them off.
I just say, thank you, I'm in a relationship and I try to be
nice about it so that I don't hurt anyone's feelings.
And You think with that they'd let you be?
Ehn now, they have to!
(Laughs)
Can you date your colleague?
There's nothing wrong in that but I'm in a relationship, out of
the industry.
Could you tell us about him?
Well, all I'll say is that he's a Yoruba guy and we've been
together for about three years. My
love
life is booming!
How old are you?
24 years old (2007)
What's your favourite meal?
Rice and snail.
What about drinks and cigarettes?
I don't drink, I don't smoke. I like Fanta (laughs)
Is there any memorable incident you want to share with us as
an actress?
There was this time we were shooting, and we got to the location
and it was really crazy, the owner of the house forgot to tell
the security man that we were coming so we were kept outside for
like four hours. And finally, when the landlord came, you know
what? He says, “you can't use my house anymore, I've changed my
mind.” That was really painful.
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Everywhere I'm going to achieve so much. Five years is a along
time, so five years, I'd have been everywhere around the world.
If you're playing Juliet, who among your male colleagues
would you want as Romeo?
Right now, the only actor I've not worked with is Ramsey Nouah.
So if I'm playing Juliet I'd want him as Romeo. Aside that, he's
a good actor.
Filmography: Strength of love,
Legal war,
Campus love, My Precious Son, Weeping Tiger
I am Very Sexually Active - Rukky
Sanda
Rukky Sanda is quickly becoming a household
name in Nollywood. In spite of this she has kept controversy
at arm’s length while working tirelessly on the career
thrust on her. She told Samuel Olatunji about her entry and
rise in the industry among other interesting issues.
How did your love for acting begin?
It started at a very early age in secondary school when I
participated in stage plays. So, from there the desire to go
into big time acting started and today the rest, as they
say, is history.
Which movie was the first you featured in ?Angel and the
Beast
, shot in 2004; produced and directed by Sonny McDon .
Who introduced you to acting ?
Well, I met this girl at Grandtouch Pictures, Chico Ejiro’s
office and I told her I’d love to act. They were about to
shoot a movie and I was auditioned and got a role in it.
Who has been the most romantic actor you have been paired
with?
I will give it to Mike Enzuronye and Desmond Elliot.
As an artiste, how do you feel when you are kissed and
caressed while acting?
It’s what I have to do, you have to play the role as the
director demands because that is what you are paid to do. It
is a job, I do it and move on to the next job. That’s how I
look at it.How daring can you be on a movie set ?
Well, I can be daring, but not sluttish. I just do the scene
bearing in mind that I have to act out my role while at the
same time draw a line between the role and my personality in
real life, and in so doing, stand out as a professional.
Also, it depends on the script, if it’s what I can work
with, I will go ahead with it.
If you didn’t get into acting, what would you have been
doing?
I would really have loved to become a musician, but I don’t
have a good voice to do that.
What doors have acting opened for you?
There are so many doors and opportunities that come with
each new day. Acting has given me the chance to be in so
many places I would never have imagined that I will find
myself.
You have not been linked to any controversy so far. How do
you hope to stay away from the bad press that most Nollywood
actresses are known for?
You must have a good sense of humour; know the kind of
friends you mix with, shun places you hangout that might
draw negative comments to you, be at the right place at the
right time and always be friendly.
You are seen as one of the fastest rising actresses. How
have you been able to achieve this?
That is what I heard; maybe it’s due to hard work on my
part. When you work hard things will fall into pleasants
places for you as there is nothing in this life that comes
easy, you only work for it to come to you and you must not
let it get into your head because if it does, then it will
bring about the bad press you earlier talked about and then
the downward crash begins.
Are you sure you are not getting these movie roles ‘behind
closed doors’?
Nothing is happening behind closed doors; it’s just that I
have been very lucky in Nollywood .
Again, it’s just that people I have done jobs with in the
past recommend me for future jobs, so it’s not that there is
any hanky panky going on somewhere. They know I am good,
which has resulted in my being where I am today.
As an actress you get to see people making passes at you
either as your fans or guys who want to date you. How have
you been coping with these advances?
You just have to appreciate people for the fact that they
like what you are doing. You just have to let them be
because without them there will be no stars. The advances
will come, it now depends on you as an artiste to to know
the right thing to do.
Would you date a fan?
I will not encourage that, I will just be nice to him and
tell him off. I am in a relationship. I shouldn’t just go
around dating anybody that walks up to me.
Tell us something about your boyfriend?
The much I can say is that he is just a normal person, a
Nigerian and he is into business and has been there for me
all this while .
How old are you Rukky?
You want the whole world to know my age? Well, I am in my
early 20s .
How early?Twenty four.
Would you show any sign of affection in public bearing in
mind that you are now in the public eye?
There is nothing wrong in doing that in public if the person
is my boyfriend.
What kind of financial inducement will it take for you to
expose a significant part of your body in a movie?
Nothing whatsoever will make me do that. Do you know the
kind of society we live in? The society will lambast you to
high heavens. So, when I said I could be daring earlier on,
exposure wasn’t what I was talking about, but being sultry.
I wouldn’t want people to look at me like a wayward person
despite the fact that I am good at what I do.
What stands you out among Nigerian artistes?
Apart from the fact that I am confident, I also take my time
in what I do; read my scripts well to understand the cast
and everything that has to do with any movie role I am
playing.
How sexually active are you
?
(Laughter) Very sexually active like a normal person in
Nigeria.
How far would you go to make your man happy and satisfied?
I am not going to respond to that question.
Why?
I don’t think I need to answer that question, as it concerns
my private life.
What side of the sex before marriage divide are you on?
It depends on what the two parties want in a relationship.
If they want it that way no problem, as far as they both
understand each other and what they are doing.
What’s your poison?
Chocolate, I like it a lot.
What has being your most happiest moment ?
Waking up everyday, and realising that I am alive to pursue
my dreams as a person, with good health and a life bubbling
with opportunities.
How fashionable are you?
Very fashionable.
Who is your favourite Nigerian artiste?
I don’t know.
There must have been one before you ventured into acting ?
Okay, I love the way Ramsey Nouah acts and then Pete Edochie.
If you were to be wrapped in Ramsey Nouah’s arms, with him
kissing you how would you feel ?
Nothing. It’s strictly a professional thing.
But you should know he is a sex symbol
My boyfriend is a sex symbol; I don’t need any more sex
symbols around me.
If you were to date someone, would you date an older man ?
No, I like them young and active, generally active
(laughter).
Who is your kind of man?
He has to be someone you can level with, not someone you
have to over-respect because of the age difference.
Would you break your head for love?
Never . I will just cry my eyes out and move on with my life
