It’s great celebrities are using their voices to advance human

By Rita Okoye

Sunshine Rosman is a fast-rising Nollywood actress and media personality known for her talent, screen presence, and versatility in interpreting movie roles.

She has featured in several Nigerian films, steadily building a name for herself in the entertainment industry. With her passion for acting and dedication to her craft, Sunshine continues to gain recognition as one of the promising faces of the new generation of Nollywood stars, especially for her role in the multiple award-winning movie, To Kill A Monkey (TKAM).

In this encounter with Sunday Sun, Sunshine Rosman shares her excitement about TKAM’s wins, her journey into the movie industry, and more.

How do you feel about To Kill A Monkey winning AMVCA?

We feel honoured and grateful, but it was also well deserved! Come on, look at that movie, it is worth everything.

How did you feel about the reception that your role got?

Truly, I was shocked, but I wasn’t shocked at all by the reception “To Kill A Monkey” got; it was a fantastic series. A God-ordained project, and everyone on set could feel it while we were shooting. It was an amazing process; it took a lot of sweat and blood. A little bit of actual sweat and blood. An amazing experience, and I’m super grateful to every single TKAM fan who has keyed into that story and resonated with it as much as Kemi Adetiba and every other person on the project wanted them to. And yeah, thank you to our TKAM family, we love you guys.

How did you earn your role in TKAM?

Tola Odunsi and Ama Psalmist had recommended me to Kemi Adetiba. These are two great people I have worked with, so they put the words in for me. So, when Kemi was casting, she was considering both people’s recommendations and those she wanted. She asked for my mail and sent me the slides. I did the monologue inside a car while on another set. It was not so good. I think it was a horrible self-tape, but I got her attention. I think she found what she wanted in my eyes. It was not a great tape, but she saw potential.

So, would you say TKAM brought you out of your comfort zone?

Oh yeah. Amanda Sparkles definitely took me out of my comfort zone. There were many aspects of her that, in a broader sense, were stereotyped. I struggled to understand that part of her, but when I delved deeper into the character, I understood her so much better. I think I really understand Amanda Sparkles and women who can relate to her stories, and it just gives you more clarity as a human being and less judgment.

Recently, you condemned the killing in South Africa. Do you think celebrities don’t talk about xenophobia enough?

Well, I don’t want to focus on the celebrities because there are so many of them. When something is happening, it’s not just about the celebrities, it’s about every single person involved. And I think that many celebrities are using their voice as much as they can. We should also know that we don’t live in a very secure country; anything can happen to anybody, so those using their voices also have to be cautious about their safety and all that. But I would say that in terms of filmmaking, it would be wonderful to see more filmmakers reflect the reality of Nigeria in their films. I know we want to make love stories and all these other genres, but it’s also important that “art reflects the time” – you know what I mean. I think every celebrity in Nigeria, in Africa, wherever we are in the world, needs to key into that more.

What are your thoughts on the kinds of stories filmmakers are telling in Nollywood right now?

Storytelling has so much potential; we have such a long way to go. But we are taking baby steps and getting there. We’re getting better every year, we are growing, we’re learning, we’re evolving, and that’s how it is ever going to be for us. Nigeria, Africa, is the present and the future.

You were in a video with Flavour. How does it feel to be in a music video like this, representing Igbo culture?

The amazing Director Pink directed it. She’s a brilliant, brilliant mind, and I’ve always admired Flavour. His music, the culture, the ‘Igbotistic sounds’ when you listen to him, it takes you back home. I was happy to be part of it. We worked with an amazing crew. We shot until 5.00am, so there were many extras on set that you might not have noticed. There were many crew members behind the beauty of that video. I want to applaud all those people today and say well done.

Is this your first music video?

No, no, no. I’ve done a few others.

What character would you want to play that is not coming to you yet?

Oh, I don’t know that there’s anything specific. I would know that if people come to me with meaningful characters and important stories to translate, it would definitely pique my interest.

Can you recall your first movie?

Yeah! My first movie project was Lunchtime Heroes. I was 15 at the time. It was shot by Seyi Babatope. My sister and I were in the movie. It was a school project, but I can’t really remember the title now.