Former Beauty Queen Nancy Isime Covers Koko Magazine December Edition And Talks About Who She Is....

Nancy, who won the Miss Valentine International beauty pageant, and began a career as an actress in the TV series Echoes in 2011 opens up about her childhood growing up in Benin city, why she joined the entertainment industries, life goals, biggest life fears and her rave-making new TV show.

Who is Nancy Isime? 

Nancy isime is an actor, a TV presenter, event host. She’s just a simple girl next door, she’s quite calm I guess, collected sometimes and she is a happy kid when she needs to be.




When did you first discover your acting talent? 

I think, I don’t even know, as a kid, I didn’t even discover it someone else discovered my acting talent , but as kids I used to act, but I never thought I’d take it seriously. I did not discover my acting talent, a director discovered it and asked me to go for it and I think that’s when I said okay I could do this.




How were you able to transition from being a model to an actor and then a TV presenter?

 Erm, it wasn’t much of a transition, I know that I was a model then I got a casting call for a TV series, and that was it and then a casting call for a TV presenter so yeah, there was no ghen ghen transition, it just happened




Tell us about your first movie role? 

My first movie role was okay, I think I can remember my first TV series, my first role, and that was for “Echo” and it was cool, I enjoyed myself, I learnt more about acting especially from the actors who were on set who were more you know, experienced than I was, so yeah, it was a fun experience





What motivated you to become a TV presenter? 

Again, someone else, i was in a movie project and erm, someone came and told me to come try for an audition they were having and then I realised that I could talk and I just kept working on myself and I went on



What are your most important fashion items? 

Hmmm, that would have to be my nose ring, I love my nose ring as an accessory, I love flats these days, I used to be such a “heelly” person but, my knees have humbled me, I think I always have my flats with me, that’s an important one







How do you define fashion? 

Fashion is an expression of style, it’s an expression of you, your mood and your environment as well as the weather. So, I think with fashion you can interpret anything, you can interpret how you feel, what the weather says, where you are going to. So, its basically an interpretation of how you feel and if anything else you want to put in to it as a factor



What popular perception do people have of you that isn’t true? 

Ha, I don’t know, can’t think of any. Okay, maybe people think I’m a snub because of the way I look, and yeah, they could be right, I don’t know, they just have to find out themselves. But I think that’s one thing people think I’m a snub, until you meet me, till then



How did you first start your journey toward being a fitness junkie?

It hasn’t really been a journey per se, Im just someone who has thought about keeping fit at different stages in my life. I just begun the next phase this year, it’s probably the longest I’ve gone being serious about being a fitness junkie, but I think as you get older you realise the importance of being fit and you know, just for the sake of not necessarily having a good body but being fit cause my job as an actor and a TV presenter takes quite a lot out of you, so it does help to be fit and to be alert.



What fashion item would you never be caught in? 

I can’t say, I can never say never, because in fashion, I could say I would never wear this and then one day I have to wear it, so I can’t say, so everything for me is good thing



What beauty product(s) can you not do without? 

It has to be my sunscreen, yeah, my sunscreen



What’s your views on feminism and plastic surgery? 

Feminism, of course, people are misinterpreting what feminism really stands for, in the sense that it is just women empowerment, as a woman you are powerful, you can do anything it doesn’t necessarily mean you drag a man’s role, I mean, I feel as women we are even more powerful if we understand our womanhood, and what we are capable of and how powerful it is to be a queen. You know, the more you realise, the more you understand that feminist is just someone who wants not just equal rights, but someone who understand who she is and she wants to live her life, she wants to be known as a woman, as a strong woman for everything she stands for. On plastic surgery, go for it if you have to, do whatever you want to, I don’t really know how to tell people how to live their lives, if it makes you comfortable, if it makes you happier, by all means, darling, as long as you don’t ask me for money or anything else, you better do you.





What local and international brands do you love the most and why?

I can’t really say one, I have a lot that I work with, especially locally. Internationally, I can’t say either, I wear almost anything I like, if it fits me, I look good, then I’m fine and I can afford it too.



If you had a superpower what would it be? 

Erm, yeah, basically, read minds. It will just save me a lot of trouble.



Which designer would you love to catwalk/model for?

Right now, my modelling days are behind me, so I can’t really say, I don’t really care right now. Well, any designer can drag me out of retirement as long as the show is great and the piece is good, so it’s not like I’m like oh my gosh, but when I say I can’t really say, it means anybody can drag me out, in Nigeria and abroad, as long as the piece is great, I’ll be there if I can.




So tell us about your skin care routine, how you achieve your great looks? 

I cleanse, I tone and I moisturise, its very important and try as much as you can to exfoliate, scrub, and very much moisturise and please protect your skin with sunscreen




Describe your worst experience on set? 

Not really, I haven’t really had any. Every set comes with its own little worst experience, I have come to realise. But, it all adds up and thats the reason why we are here today, so I can’t really say this is the worst, bad experiences are part of life



Have you ever been sexually harassed in the industry before? 

None that I can remember, none that I know of. Somehow it hasn’t happened.



What were the challenges you faced before coming in to the limelight? 

It wasn’t like I wanted to come into the limelight so I can’t say I was working everyday to enter the limelight, I was just obsessed with working and taking full advantage of all the opportunities that I got, you know as I went up the ladder. Yeah, so it wasn’t like oh my gosh I wanted to be in the limelight, to me, my genuine life would have been a 9-5 and whatever I was doing is make money and finish my studies and start work wherever else. Being in the limelight is a pleasant surprise and I’m grateful for it, but I’m more about the work, delivering and giving my best when I can, under the right circumstances




What movie role do you see as degrading and would never take up? 

None!



As a mental health advocate what are your thoughts on the growing rate of suicide and depression induced suicide in Nigeria?

It’s sad, I mean its been on for a while, when I was younger, I heard about someone in the neighbourhood who hung herself and I remember we couldn’t go to school that day, there were police everywhere trying to find out what happened, but because of social media these days more cases have been brought to life. It’s sad because economy also is not helping, social media is also not helping because you see things on them. Its alarming, but depression dates far back but because we talk about it now doesn’t mean it wasn’t there, what we need to do is look at the brighter side of life and take your time to experience whatever you are experiencing. Bad mood, if you need to be in bed to sleep it out, but don’t be in that mood for too long, you must psychologically pull yourself out of it, do things that make you happy. Feel whatever you want to do but don’t be there for too long



Who’s your role model in the Nigerian entertainment industry?

I have many many many, so I can’t really say



What are the life lessons you have learnt from your job?

Erm, patience, people would try to be crazy, I learnt patience, endurance, and I have learnt about adapting to different situations in different environment, different people from different backgrounds, having to deal with different people almost every other week. I also learnt how to be more accommodating and be more loving towards other people




What should your fans expect from you this year? 

Quite some stuff, movies that I shot last year and early this year they might be out later on this year, just expect a normal Nancy, erm, of course, as an actor and a TV presenter, there might be more special stuff coming up, you have to wait for it, it will come definitely and everyone would be aware



What advice do you have for upcoming TV presenters and actors?

Erm, I’d say don’t want the limelight as much as you want to work. Always know that it’s such a tedious job and the only reason why you give up so early is when you don’t get the limelight that is what you are really in it for. Be sure that you know you really love the job not the fame. Cause if you are in it for the fame, it might come to you later, but what makes it enjoyable, what makes it worthwhile is just absolutely loving what you do. Erm money will come, everything else will come, but you must love what you do and you must treat everyone with respect, your job with respect. Yes, there’s a lot of disrespect but you should know how to stand your ground, how to say No. How to say No is so important, when you learn it early it will really help you, not just erm for in case of sexual harassment or in case of someone talking you down or you know, when to say no and when to say yes, just make sure your word is your bound.
from koko .ng