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| Brycee A Bassey |
Fresh faced, multi talented Nigerian American actress, Lady Brycee Adiah
Bassey, makes the cover of Essentials inside of Leadership national Friday newspaper.
She discusses how she decided to relocate to Nigeria after just coming
home for the first times even months ago, upcoming movie and tv
projects, and her national debut in soon to premiere drama series
"Deadline" premiering on EL TV (Ebony Life) DSTV 165 this month
How did you begin a career in acting?
In the living room of my parent’s house (laughter). I was always using the living room as a stage, forcefully dragging my sisters into my productions to perform for my mom and dad. I partook in my first play in pre-school, did theatre throughout my elementary and into middle school.
While in high school, I was more into beauty pageants. Upon entering the university, I felt different about pursuing a career as an actress and decided to focus on my degree in Modern Classical literature and politics. Matter of fact, I ran a senatorial campaign in the state of Kansas during the 2012 election. In the last few years, Nollywood movie awards, as well as Nigerian film productions have been popping up in the US and its popularity kept increasing with time. I was being encouraged by friends and family to consider going into acting in Nigeria, to go home and start something there. After I finished school, I told myself and my family and friends that I was going home. I got a team together, networked and in March of this year, I flew home to Nigeria for the first time; and I’ve been here since. Also, I have fully relocated.
After the first couple of months, I was offered roles but I turned them down, because they weren’t very professional productions and the stories weren’t rich in context. Despite the fact that the roles paid, I strictly stuck to my word that I wasn’t going to work in films I felt didn’t depict what Nigerians are capable of doing. If a film is done on a low budget, it doesn’t mean it has to look and sound low budget. The first major role for which I was casted and accepted for was a film Resilient (produced by Gloria Ugolee), as a supporting actress acting alongside people like Elvina Ibru and Segun Arinze. The film is currently in pre-production.
Also, a couple of months ago I completed my first short film Beyond the Words. It was produced and directed by Gloria Ugolee, as well. She is one of the few people who didn’t doubt me when I came to Nigeria. She really stuck with me and guided and protected me while I was still trying to find my way. I thank God for her.
I had a very active childhood, huge holidays and parents who were always around. There wasn’t a day when my sisters, I and my brother didn’t play outside, act something or go on an outing. But things weren’t always so dandy. My parents divorced in the ‘90s and it caused disruptions and resulted to a change in our lifestyles. Sometimes, things were really difficult and adjusting wasn’t easy either. Eventually, everything smoothened out.
You played the lead in an upcoming show on Ebony Live TV; how did you bag this role and what can we expect from the show?
I was recommended to the director, so he decided to table-cast me. After the reading, he felt that I fit the role exactly and after negotiating with my team, we decided that the show would be a great platform for me to feature in, especially for television. Another thing that caught my attention was the script. The dialogue is intelligent and realistic, so that is what you should expect from the show. The cast is great, it was a pleasure working with them and it was great working with director Imoh Umoren. He is such a positive and up-beat person; even when he is serious, he still tries to have fun.
What do you think of the Nigerian film industry?
Each year, it continues to grow and evolve. The movie’s quality keeps improving and so do the productions, actors, budgets and audiences. Our movies here are receiving much more recognition and becoming more and more accepted by our own, like you see with Nigerian musicians and their music. While there are still challenges to be made, so that the industry can become ten times bigger than it presently is, we can’t deny the fact that the industry is here to stay and is now a part of Nigerian culture and society.
An area that i often notice that Nigerian film and tv struggle is in film and marketing. The productions are often unheard of or dont become as popular as they should be because they have almost no presence on social media, no trailers airing during commercial time, no bill-boards etc. We have a population of about 160 million people, and just 10 percent of these people is enough to make an incredible impact.
What other projects are you currently involved in?
I recently landed my first major contract with Love TV, a new variety show launch. I am currently in talks with Silverbird TV to write and host a new show alongside actor Mofe Duncan and Beat FM’s OAP Jimmie. I will be working with Director Aniedi Awah Noba (DGN), Funke Akindele and John Okafor for a film which I recentl landed a role in and we will be going into production in a couple of weeks. In addition, I am set to write a health and beauty column for an online fashion magazine.
Considering myself a humanitarian, I always find time to volunteer, so I decided to devote most of my time to the Sulm2School organisation. I intend to work with more organisations across Nigeria. I have my hands full, but I am truly grateful and extremely blessed. I get to work with awesome people and do what I love. I couldn’t be happier to be home
Besides playing the violin, what other talents do you possess? Also, have you any desire to go professional as you have done with acting?
I speak, read and write Spanish fluently and I am currently studying French and Portugeuse. I was actually teaching Spanish lessons not long ago. I miss the orchestra immensely and was encouraged to audition for the Music Society of Nigeria (MUSON) orchestra, but my schedule restricts me from devoting my time to it at the moment. However, it is something I’m going to always keep in mind. Besides playing the violin, I know how to read and compose music, and will be scoring music for film productions. Early next year, I will begin working on my first short film and I plan to score the music for that film.
What is your ultimate goal as an actress?
My ultimate goal as an actress is to be acknowledged for my work and contributions to the industry. Anyone can act in something and be called an ‘actress’, but I want to make an impact on society, entertainment and more as a public figure. I have always asked God to place me in a position where I can help bring up others. Something I’ve witnessed more than often are people who are in positions to give others a chance, and those who can offer them an opportunity, often refuse to. it is not right! i believe that being successful is when you are able to elevate others along with yourself.
Someone believed in me, and I will give chances to those I believe in as well. competition is healthy, but when there is also ‘creating your own category’. the worst advice I was given here was to “Bend in, otherwise you won’t go anywhere”, and my answer to that was, “Well...I guess I won’t go anywhere”.
Who is your favourite movie star and why?
Now, this is difficult because I have a few favourites. So, I am going to cheat on this question. First and foremost, I love and admire Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, and Johnny Depp. For Denzel Washington, I believe he can play any role given to him; he’s a complete natural (and handsome too!). Brad Pitt is a genius. He secured his place as one of my favourites after I saw him in Snatch and Meet Joe Black. The way he mastered those accents was incredible. Johnny Depp is one of the most unique characters in our day and age. Roles are made specifically for him, because no one else would be able to pull them off like him.
Have you got a secret career wish; perhaps to be an athlete, chef or a nurse?
My career wish since I became old enough to remember has always to be an actress and I am blessed to be fulfilling that wish. However, another career wish was to actually work for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Did you see that coming?
What are your top three favourite movies, movies you love to watch over and over again?
Inception, Inside Man and Return of the Dragon.
What do you like most and least about yourself?
What I like the most about myself is this: Once I am set on something, I give it 110 per cent. I’m a very passionate person. What I like least about myself is that I can be very impatient at times, but I have learned and experienced that truly being patient is a virtue.
Who is BAB?
BAB is Brycee Adiah Bassey, who was born to a Nigerian father and an African/Native American mother. She is the third of five children (an older sister and brother and two younger sisters). BAB is a lover of classical and modern arts and literature. She’s an actress, a violinist who can speak Spanish fluently, an active humanitarian and a politician of sorts.
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