Let’s play a game called “4 Nollywood films, 1 word,” using A Tribe Called Judah, Far From Home, Blood Sisters and Breath of Life. If you guessed “Blockbuster”, then you are right. However, there is yet another common denominator: Genoveva Umeh. Genoveva, as the 29-year-old Nollywood actress is popularly called, moved to Lagos from London in 2018 to pursue her acting career. Although the sensational actor worked on theatre projects such as Home (2018) and High (2018), she began gaining attention after her on-screen roles in Blood Sisters and Far From Home, both released in 2022.
Umeh’s journey has experienced significant growth since she broke out in 2022. For instance, in 2023, the performer featured in MTV’s drama series Shuga, Funke Akindele-produced record-breaking A Tribe Called Judah, and BB Sasore-directed Breath of Life, which earned her a first AMVCA plaque for her supporting role as Anna.
The versatility of the actress’ craft is evident in the range of personalities we have seen her bring to life on our screens. These characters include Zina (Far From Home), Testimony (A Tribe Called Judah), Anna (Breath of Life), Chika (Shuga), Anita (A Tune Away), Timeyin (Blood Sisters), Shindara (Crime and Justice Lagos) and Bunmi (All Good Things).
Umeh is well aware that fame and attention can be tricky to handle, especially on the back of her recent achievements. In an exclusive chat with the actress, she reveals that despite all the attention, “Nothing has really changed”. She adds that she still enjoys her peace of mind, and the only change is that she has the opportunity to work on more projects. However, when it comes to meeting fans, Umeh finds genuine joy in the interactions. Apart from making her day, she finds it fun meeting people who have seen her films. “It’s always such a privilege to experience that, so I embrace it wholeheartedly,” she reveals. On days when she’s not feeling up for it, she simply tells them she is not looking her best for a selfie but goes on to have a conversation with them. “People are usually very gracious and understanding”.
Given her trajectory so far, it is not out of place that there are “expectations” that she has to meet in a competitive industry such as Nollywood. Umeh, however, does not feel pressured. “I call the shots with my life, expect myself to tell stories, and use my position to impact lives as much as possible”, reiterates the actress with a line from Gabriel Afolayan in Blood Sisters: “I can only do according to my own strength”.
Umeh has played characters such as a recovering drug addict, a carefree high school teenager, a lover girl, and a youth who loses her life to police brutality. With such a range in mainstream Nollywood films on various platforms across cinemas, Showmax, Netflix, YouTube and Prime Video, Umeh shares her secret to selecting those roles. She explains that she loves stories that express shared human experiences ranging from societal issues to more wacky narratives. For her, the appeal is in roles that are challenging and require extensive research. “If I’m not sure I’m going to nail it a hundred percent, I’m taking that job.” She emphasizes her dogmatic nature and is resolute about picking roles that allow her to play characters authentically. Umeh comments that she opts out of roles when she has second thoughts about a character. “When I think ‘I don’t feel like I should go on this journey right now’ or ‘I don’t feel like this is the character I should play’, I would reject the role”. After Umeh does her research, she ‘gets into character’ by simply trusting herself “You just have to relax, trust the work you’ve done, and have fun playing the character. Be free with it, because you never know when you are creating something iconic.”
Despite her audaciousness and willingness to call the shots, Umeh, like any other human, can be stretched when challenged. Though she says, “the more challenging [the role], the better it is for me”, she reveals that the most challenging character she has played is in the upcoming EbonyLife-produced Netflix series, Baby Farm. She explains further that where research is concerned, playing Timeyin in Blood Sisters was demanding, as she had to learn about drug abuse and its effect on the victims and their loved ones. Apart from challenging her, these roles have also taught Umeh. “Anna from Breath of Life and Testimony from A Tribe Called Judah taught me that I have the capacity to love widely like I have a big heart, ” she states. Zina from Far From Home, on the other hand, reminded her how fearless she can be. “Zina brought out the fun girl in me and I missed having fun until I played her”.
Without thinking twice, she states that if she could switch lives with any character she has played, it would be Zina. “That girl was living la vida loca. She was fun, loyal, and the life of the party. I think she reminded me of what I would have loved my teenage years to have been like. I admire her confidence, and I think she’s a character young people can draw strength from”.
Zina, Anna and Timeyin are examples of strong-willed female characters that Umeh has played. When she is asked the other roles she would like to play in the future, she delightfully replies, “An ex-soldier, maybe. An Igbo maiden too, because I speak my language well. I’m also a huge fan of situational comedies like Big Bang Theory and New Girl, so I’d love a role in something similar because I think I’m hilarious”. She adds that she would love to be in thrillers.
Getting help is very important in any industry or field, of course. As the saying goes, “No man is an island”. Umeh’s journey proves that she could not have come this far alone. She is surrounded by people who motivate, inspire and assist her. She reminisces on a piece of advice that has kept her going in her career: “There was a moment where I was really low and my self-esteem wasn’t so great. My agent, who is also my friend and big sister, said to me, ‘We die a little every day. We just have to make a choice not to give up. It is important that you have good self-esteem and self-will’”.
That piece of advice possibly plays a role in her optimism towards life generally. This is reflected in her response to the question “What rookie mistakes did you make earlier in your career?”. The actress explains, “Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any, because I’m not one to count my mistakes. I feel like it doesn’t help me move forward”. She goes on to share that the acting journey is all about failing, so she has decided to embrace failure and always “fail forward”. It has become the actress’ habit to shrug off any form of disappointment or failure. Umeh reveals that her focus now is to find purpose with her gift and live an impactful life.
The young actress is passionate about impacting the lives of young people and the possibility of conducting acting classes for young children sometime in the future because “kids don’t forget moments like that” and adds, “I think that Nigeria is hard and there are very few opportunities to experience life-changing moments. Growing up, such a life-changing moment for me was seeing somebody come to my school to do a performance or teach us something. Those are the things that stick”.
Like any other youth, Genoveva Umeh is inspired by people who have gone ahead of her. She says she is “obsessed” with Viola Davis and would love to work with her. “I would love to collaborate with her on a story. She encourages me to live and embrace myself, and doing that gives me more opportunity to be whatever character I choose to play”. Another filmmaker the actress looks forward to working with is Genevieve Nnaji. “Speaking Igbo and sharing the screen with Genevieve Nnaji is an absolute dream that would make my life. She’s a loved artist that I grew up watching on my screen. I absolutely adore what she does for the Igbo culture, and I would just love to be on that journey with her.”
The future looks bright for this young actress. To be a goal-getter requires that one starts planning for the future, and directing is in Umeh’s plans. She says she just wants to keep telling stories and impacting lives, but she admits that “it would be fun to direct. In my head, I direct a lot of dialogues or scenes I’m prepping for. It’d be interesting to see what I can create and how I can tell a story in future”. She comments on producing, saying it won’t be a first choice for her, even though she admires people “who can deal with budgeting”. However, she is open to taking courses on the craft.
Genoveva Umeh, here to stay, is on a fine track to becoming a household name in Nollywood. As she keeps challenging herself and pouring herself into diverse and demanding characters, it is only a matter of time before she achieves her goals in the industry.
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