ANITA JOSEPH BOMBSHELL!

Anita Joseph Budding actress, Anita Joseph seems to live and breathe scandals. She often finds herself enmeshed in one scandal or the other. But the scandals seem to be working in her favour, in most cases.

In the past two weeks, Anita has been at the receiving end of a long whip, as actress Ebube Nwagbo lambasted her, while Afro-pop singer, KC of the KC Presh fame rejected and disowned her. To get her own side, however, The Entertainer went after Anita and she came smoking hot, giving it back to her traducers. She also opens up on her music career and stolen car. Enjoy it:

Why did you choose to go into music? I have been doing music even before I started acting and when I started acting, I was still doing music by the side, so when the movie thing became balanced, I decided to go and face music professionally.

So how has it been music wise? It's been beautiful and wonderful, If you listen to my song, you will realise that I am not just an actress-turned singer, I am an actress and a singer because I am into my music and my music is into me, so far it's been well and it's been accepted.

Has it started paying off? Of course, it is hardwork. Hardwork always pays off and it's paying by the grace of God, it's not like the pay is that much but we get by. I have been getting paid for my music but talking about shows, I don't really do shows now because I am trying to focus on my album with the view of finishing it, which is why I stopped acting for like four months so I can work on my album continuously, and now I am getting done with it.

So what should we expect from the album? Great songs, I have all kinds of songs on the album, I have dancehall, reggae, hip hop, ipokripo, which I did with Flavour. I also have traditional songs, songs you sing at weddings and other social functions.

What kind of musician would you call yourself? I know I do dancehall and I am very versatile. By being versatile, you must be able to take from here and there, fuse it together to make sense, that's me. I do Ibo songs too and also love working with people, and I love being original, that's me. On the album, I featured General Pype and another artiste I won't want to mention here. I don't want to feature too many artistes because some people tend to paint you as an artiste who is trying to lean on others for survival. I have some songs that are ready. I featured Flavour on the track, Baby Gimme Something, I featured General Pype on Turn Me On and the third one is I Found Love. So for now, I am promoting three singers and there is another song I want to promote now, it's called, Gaga. These are the songs I will be promoting till when my album comes out.

When will your album be released? It will be released before the end of the year. But will that not affect your acting career? It has never affected my acting career; you know one good thing about acting and music? You can be in control, like I am in control of my music life to an extent, which means I can have a hold on it. But in movies, nobody waits for you, if you are not there, you are not there, some other person will take your role even if he/she may not be able to do it like you, but the role would still be given out to someone else eventually. So, music can wait for me but movies can't, I get to switch between the two, it's not been easy but it's been fun.

Life as an actress, how has it been? It's been good I must say. I love what I do, I smile about it; t's something I love, and what else would I do? I really love acting.

When you were a child, did you ever dream of becoming an actress?

No, but people did say to me then that I was a funny character, and that I should do something about it, adding that it would fetch me money. I wasn't a fan of acting when I was a child but music had been there for me.

When did you start acting? I started acting in 2006. From 2006 till now, you have gained appreciable fame and I'm sure you must have made appreciable wealth from acting, how did you do it?

Its hard work and God because if He is not by my side, I am nothing. It is not easy being an actress and gets people out there to like you. In the past, I did some rubbish movies, and many people didn't like them but as time went on, I started getting good roles. I became better at what I was doing and people started appreciating my roles and contributions.

What was your first movie? My first movie was Good Samaritan; Kanayo directed it and Bob Manuel produced it. I can still remember the role vividly because it was my first. I know some of the lines of my second, third and fourth movies. The first movie in which I played the lead role was In My heart and it was in 2007. I acted with Kanayo O. Kanayo, Florence Onuma, Chioma Chukwuka, and others. It was a very challenging movie.

In real life, can you seduce a man? No comment Which was the first movie you were paid heavILY? I can't remember now, each movie pays differently, they can never be the same.

What was your growing up like? I started in Onitsha, my parents were staying there then, and from there I went to Aba to live with my granny. From there, I went to Port Harcourt and then to Lagos, many things happened in between these journeys.

What was schooling like? It was interesting; I started out from Onitsha, had my high school education in Port Harcourt and finished my university education in University of Calabar where I studied Linguistics.

Being in the limelight brings a star the good, the bad and the ugly. How have you been able to deal with the good and the bad?

For someone like me, when the bad comes, I mix it with the good and vice versa, it has not been easy but we try to survive. It hasn't been easy for me being in this type of profession because of the issue of privacy, nothing that concerns you can be kept a secret; everything has to be in the open. It is not funny because you just can't do anything and think you would get away with it.

What particular bad thing did you do and you wished you got away with it?

I don't do bad things so to say, but there are times you would go out and would just like to be on your own, but it won't happen because once people recognise that you are a star, they begin to shout your name.

Has beInG an actress affected your relationship before?

Somehow yes, like when I was having a bad press about dating this and that, and they were not true. I can't have a serious boyfriend and be doing all those things; that's one thing with our job; they just say anything and think they can get away with it. That's why I detest some press guys because there are times they misconstrue my opinion. It affected my relationship to an extent because there was a particular time I was with my boyfriend in South Africa and there was a story about me in the press that I was somewhere getting engaged to one Alhaji, which was false because I was with my boyfriend at the time. He knew the story was false, but you know, he is a man and there are times those stories really get to him, but we managed to talk it through in the end.

Are you still with the same guy? Have you been able to keep him?

Before nko? (laughs). It is God that has kept him and I have also been able to keep him too. God has been able to keep him for me for four to five years now. What do I do to keep him? Well, I cook for him, I treat him the way he should be treated, like a baby, and you know all men are like babies. He knows I am an action mama too. I have been able to keep him by the grace of God and I treat him good too.

Are you both married? No When they said you were dating KC…. (Cuts in)…no comment, that matter is a dead story so let it die please

But only recently you said you never dated KC Like I said, it is dead and it's been buried, do not exhume it.

But I read Ebube's interview some weeks ago… (Cuts in) Oh please! Let's not promote people, please. Let's talk about me.

Let me tell you what Ebube said… (Cuts in) I know what Ebube said. In fact, let me say this, 'Ebube, I don't have anything against you, I see you as a sister, so stop fighting me; there is no need for all these. I have found out that if I keep talking, it will keep escalating so, I am a very sensible woman, at this point, I want to close this matter, whatever you say is just fine'. I see her as a darling besides, she is from Anambra State, I don't have anything against that girl, so let her stop fighting me. 'Ebube, why are you looking for trouble where there is none? I do not remember you, we were never friends so, let this matter go. On her birthday, I put 'Happy Birthday to you' on my Blackberry phone alongside her beautiful picture, few minutes after, people started calling and pinging me, asking if we have reconciled, some even were angry with me that I reconciled with her without telling them first. Somebody later said I was begging Ebube for us to reconcile, they even quoted the words I used on my Blackberry messenger. I even prayed for her that 'may God make you bigger', is Ebube a child? Can't she grow up? Jesus! Why is she still talking about a guy that is now married and happy? Babe, please let's move forward. Is it worth it? As I dey now I no dey remember person because some people are not worth it! Why talk about other people in your interview? It doesn't make sense, my dear, please get busy, look for something to do and stop talking about other people in your interviews because when I do interviews, I don't even talk about others. I have said it several times, I don't have anything against you, I don't even know why she hates me, Ebube, I no do you anything oo. My people say if you no fit talk to king, cover your head go talk to am. We have never been friends, it's just that the press blew the matter out of proportion, nothing really happened.

What was the experience like when robbers snatched your car? Didn't they recognise you?

They didn't, I couldn't even look at them, my head was bent, it was a very terrible experience and very traumatic too. I am happy to be alive because that is the most important thing. It's just a car. Would you believe that they even gave me N3, 000 for my transport fare back home? I was even dropped off somewhere in Ogun State, they dropped me off with my two nephews and my cousin. The two nephews were both less than four years old, but I thank God for His faithfulness. Which thief dey give person N3, 000 as transport fare, you don see am before? I am a miracle child.

How did you get home, did you take a cab? A cab? Are you kidding? At 2am? Where you wan see cab around that time? I no see cab o. When they dropped us off in the bush, we managed to walk out, we walked into a house and after several pleading and begging, we were allowed in. We started making calls but there was no airtime and we had to go outside, it was then that I saw a reporter because we were supposed to do an interview. That was when I started crying and cried the more when they tried consoling me. That was when people realised I was an actress and all that. Later, I got a grip of myself, thereafter the reporter's friends came in four cars, we went to the police station to report the robbery and my people came as well but I am very optimistic I will find my car because it is my sweat, my hardwork.

How has it been since then, moving from one place to the other?

It's been hard but friends have been coming around, they drop me off at places, trying to make me feel good and happy, and it is really working.

What has your boyfriend been doing about it since it happened?

He has been very supportive and he is doing his bit too. He always says to me that he wished it happened to him and not me.

What should we expect from you now till December, apart from music?

Other than the music, I have three movies coming out soon; I think I really did well in them.

Did you show some flesh in the movies? I don't show flesh anyhow. How far can you go in a movie? I can't go nude. I can show my cleavage but won't go topless, but if it's the cleavage, oh yeah, I can.

Does your boyfriend complain sometimes? My boyfriend knows what's going on, he knows the kind of job I do. He gets jealous sometimes but it depends on the location. In fact, these days, I don't understand why these designers open our clothes and call it cleavage.

What's your view on sex before marriage? Come on, you have to know the person you are getting married to. I believe in people dating before they get married. Every relationship doesn't lead to marriage. If you are a woman, that is one thing you should always put at the back of your mind. When a guy comes to me and tries to use marriage as bait, I no go fall. It is irritating because they lie a lot, many men lie a lot. There is no point telling a woman you want to marry her when you just want to sleep with her, it doesn't make sense at all.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done? Hmmmm, I don't really do crazy things because I am not the crazy type. But there was a day I was driving my former car, I got to a junction and parked the car. A man came out of the blues only for him to hit my car from behind where I neatly parked. I got down and talked to him politely, asking why he did what he did only for him to start speaking in an American accent, that he knows I'm an actress and all that and he refused to say sorry. I told him he won't leave that spot unless my car is fixed, thereafter I jumped on his car and told him 'Oga, as I dey so, I no dey waka go anywhere until you fix my car, no worry my boys dey come here now, you go see'. People started begging me to come down, which I eventually did. Funny thing was that the man and I later became friends, unknown to me he came to look for one of my friends.

Have you ever asked a guy out? There is nothing there but I haven't done it before.

Have you ever done a one night-stand? Oh my God! Who sent you to me? I do a relationship, that's all I have to say about that.