Nigerian cinema has often known exactly how to frame a certain kind of woman. She is soft where she needs to be, strong when the story demands it, and she arrives and departs the screen without ever truly unsettling you. Evi-Oghene Donalds is not that woman. She is arrogant, wounded, loud and flawed in ways the camera does not flinch from, and when her world collapses, when the record deal disappears and the carefully constructed identity she has built her entire life around crumbles with it, the film does not rush to rescue her. It sits in the wreckage with her. And so do you.
“Evi,” produced by Judith Audu and directed by Uyoyou Aida, is a film with something urgent to say. It is a story about a woman who falls from grace in an industry that only ever wanted her to shine, and what it actually costs to find your way back to yourself when the version of you that the world loved no longer exists. It is also, unexpectedly, a film about sisterhood — about the women who stay when the spotlight leaves.
At the centre of all of it is Osas Okonyon, and if you have seen the film, you already know what we mean when we say that she carries it. This is her first feature film in a lead role, and she does not play it safe for a single moment. She sings — with her own vocals. She goes to the uncomfortable places the character demands. She finds Evi not in some abstract creative exercise but in herself, in the stories of women she knows, in the particular exhaustion of being expected to be perfect in a world that was never designed to let you be anything else.
We sat down with Osas and had her tell us everything: the audition room full of recording artists, the producer’s phone call that changed everything, what it felt like to step into Evi, what it means to finally stand in the moment she always believed was hers, and what she is carrying with her into whatever comes next.
Read the interesting interview below:
For years, Osas Okonyon insisted on a stardom the world had yet to verify. In this architectural pearl and tulle ensemble, the Judith Audu leading lady finally inhabits the center. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy: a superstar, proven.
Hey Osas! We are so glad to have you here. Evi has been in cinemas and the reactions have been something else entirely. How does it feel to finally be on the other side of all of this?
Lmaoo. I honestly don’t even know how to answer this question without bursting into laughter. It tickles. In the best way possible. I’m super honoured.
And it really does feel like an arrival, because you have always called yourself a superstar — long before anyone else agreed. What did it actually take to get here?
Phew. I keep saying it took blood and sweat. Because it really did! From sacrificing sleep because I needed to balance things with my work life, to spending everything I have just to bet on myself. The grit and dedication this journey has required from me has been enormous but it’s something I’m super proud to have been able to give. And it’s only the start to be honest. There’s a long way ahead but it feels really good to be here in this moment, knowing it can only get better.
So when the audition notice came and it said “come looking like a superstar,” for someone who had been declaring that her whole life — that must have felt like more than just an instruction?
This was actually the instruction on the call back. One stage of the audition was already done at this time. And I had made it to the next stage. And yeah to the question, It felt like divine alignment. Lol. I was like, “oh, so just come looking like myself huh? Bet!” But on a more serious note, I’ve always been one to take anything I’m doing really seriously. If I’ve been giving a set of requirements, I don’t want to ever be the person who didn’t follow through or didn’t prepare enough. It’s very important for me to always be ready and on track.
A cinematic behind-the-scenes shot from Uyoyou Adia’s Evi. The scene captures the mounting tension between Osas Okonyon’s Evi and Ibrahim Suleiman’s Dayo. Also in the photo is Michael Ejoor.
You walked into that audition room and saw actual recording artists there for the same role. How did you hold your ground in that moment and still show up as yourself?
Honestly, I simply had to remind myself of who I am. On the inside. And what I’m capable of on the outside. I can do hard things. So while it’s great that everyone else is who they are, my super power is that I’m aware of my essence and what I carry. So at the end of the day, focusing on me and what I can bring to the table was the only reasonable direction.
Which brings us to something we have to talk about — we absolutely loved watching you sing in this film, and finding out that those were actually your vocals made it even more special. How did you prepare for that side of Evi, and what did stepping into those songs feel like?
I watched a load of interviews of these singers. Especially those I felt Evi could relate to, studied them. Also got my musician friend to take me to a recording session of his just so I could observe certain things. It was also very important for me to understand who Evi is, understand her story and journey, and once I was there, it was easy to draw from and just marry those experiences.
After the audition, once the role was confirmed and the full weight of what you had taken on started to settle — was there ever a moment where you thought this might be too big for you, and how did you find your footing?
No. I never thought it was too big for me. I had been preparing for a moment like that all my life and this was my one shot. So honestly, I was ready. The weight of it wasn’t lost on me and I must say I felt very pressured. But the funny thing is that the bulk of that pressure came from me and my own will to deliver and not drop the ball. The entire team trusted me. And I wanted to prove to them that they had made the right choice. On one of the calls I had with the Producer, Judith Audu, she said, “if we didn’t see you as Evi, we wouldn’t have cast you. So don’t let the pressure over take you. Enjoy being Evi every step of the way”.
In Judith Audu’s Evi, Osas Okonyon bypasses standard Nollywood glamour for something far more jagged. Here, a carefully manicured identity finally begins to fracture.
Because Evi is not an easy character to carry. She is arrogant, she is wounded, and she is deeply complicated in ways that make her very hard to look away from. Where exactly did you find her?
I found her in myself, in the stories of countless Nigerian women, and women around the world. The society has always expected perfection and projected this idea of how a woman should be, so it felt liberating showing that other side. That yes, women can have flaws too, women don’t owe anyone perfection. Women can fall and make mistakes and be loud, and arrogant and less agreeable, and fall from grace and still find their way back.
And even within all that complexity, the film is so deeply rooted in the relationships between women. What was it like building that on set, particularly with Omowunmi Dada?
Oh it was amazinggg! Omowunmi really is like a big sister to me. You know the funniest thing? The first time I met her, I was actually working! I was covering an event as a BN representative and I needed to get some videos of her. She was so pleasant! And every once in a while, when she spotted me at events working, she’d pass me her phone and make me edit one thing or the other. And I was always happy to. Because how do you say no to someone so pleasant?! Lmaoo. This was the first time really got to experience her outside of that. So getting to work with her in a different capacity was honestly really beautiful for me.
Her character Onome certainly bears a lot of resemblance to who she is as a person. She’s always willing to share insight, to show me the ropes, let me know how she gets around certain things. I absolutely loveeeeddd being her baby girl in this film. It was the sweetest honour.
Sisterhood on set: A behind-the-scenes shot of Omowunmi Dada (Onome) and Osas Okonyon (Evi). The film explores the deep bonds between women, a theme reflected in the real-life friendship between the two stars.
All of that — the preparation, the singing, the sisterhood, the weight of the character — when you think about someone sitting in the cinema watching Evi for the first time, what do you want them to walk away feeling?
I want them to feel fulfilled. I want them to carry a renewed sense of hope. That even when things get bleak, there’s light on the horizon.
And finally, now that you are here — now that little Osas who always said she was a superstar has been proven right — what does the next chapter look like for you?
For me, it’s all about taking this mantle and running with it. I’m ready for more challenges, ready to step into a whole new phase and show the world that I carry more and there will be more.
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Photos by Osas Okonyon
The post #BNMeetTheStar: Osas Okonyon Called Herself a Superstar First—Now Evi Makes It Official appeared first on BellaNaija - Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.
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