My name is Judith Audu Foght, I am from Edo State, Nigeria. I hold a B.A in French and a Masters Degree in Public and International Affairs both from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. I had always dreamt of being on TV, always admired broadcasters but i wasn’t bold enough to take the step and join a drama group or go audition for TV and Film Projects but i loved taking pictures and realized i come alive and become a new person when am in front of the camera. In 2001 when i was at the French Language Village, Badagry, Lagos, it was compulsory to act out our literature book and everyone felt i stood out and the interest in acting grew more. When i gained admission into the University of Lagos in 2002, one of the first thing i did was to audition for a Theatre group, Theater 15 (T15) and i became a member of the most prestigious Theater group in the University of Lagos. There i learnt the rudiments of acting and made me appreciate the craft more, learnt the importance of discipline, concentration and 100% dedication to the craft, every opportunity i got to grace the stage was a moment i always wished can last for a very long time as i felt at home performing every time, i find myself over and over again on Stage! It gave me life. In 2004 i landed my first role on screen, it was a little part on a TV Series titled One Love and i also got to star in my first Feature film where i played a Supporting role called Jossi in ‘Tears of the Ghetto’, i was having the time of my life doing something that puts spark in my eyes and i got carried away and was behind in school so i had to put my acting on a halt to concentrate in School. After my B.A, i went for the compulsory 1 year, National Youth Service where i was nominated and made the Director of the Drama Group in Kebbi State where i served, I was also producing and presenting a TV Programme called ‘French for Beginners’. When i returned i went for my Masters and after that i returned fully into the Industry late 2010 and i have since been acting full-time professionally ever since.
Did you study acting
I did not study ‘Acting’ as a major in school but i can classify the training i got from the Theatre group in School an in-depth acting training as we were got hard-core acting training from several directors. I have plans to take more professional acting course as the only way to get better is by constantly training and improving my skills
What acting technique do you use
I do a lot of total memory recall when giving life to a character (if it is a situation I have been in or have relations that have experienced it), I embody the characters I play but yet i wouldn’t say i am 100% a Method Actor, but i believe that if you don’t get into the head of the character you are playing there will be no depth, it will be surface acting and that way you will fail to connect with your audience because the performance will not be believable. I combine a lot of techniques together, I find what works best for the character; my goal at the end of the day is to give my audience a memorable performance.
What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting
Most actors think it makes no difference to read, understand your script and prepare before arriving for a shoot, I see this a lot and most times I get so shocked and disappointed at how unprepared most actors show up on set thereby dragging everyone and the entire scene. It is unprofessional to not prepare yourself as an actor, to not have read your script until when it is time to shoot, to have no idea what your lines are, to not have a clue who your character is, what is expected of your character and where you character is coming from, no matter how good an actor you are, your performance will be shallow and unbelievable as you would have no time to develop and give proper life to the character, this also applies to actors who think it is irrelevant to rehearse with an actor you will be performing with and the need to create chemistry between you two, when you get on set you will both be disconnected no matter how hard you try the scene will be long, boring and look like ‘acting’. Make it a point of duty to please always read and understand your character, prepare yourself and everyone will have a very successful shoot.
If you are home please tune in to DSTV 165 and watch my feature on EL The Spot pic.twitter.com/OFIbUEiEP4
— Judith Audu (@judithaudu) August 20, 2015
Do you take courses to improve your craft
I attend workshops, I read a lot of books, some i buy, some i find online when looking for answers, i watch a lot of acting videos, I also pay attention to how people react and what they say whenever am on set, I learn a lot from locations from directors and fellow actors. Sometimes I just walk around observing people and taking note of their mannerisms.
What acting books do you read
‘An Actor Prepares’ by Constantin Stanislanski, The Ultimate Guild to Method Acting by Brian Timony, I get daily messages about how to improve my craft from Brian Timoney. I have read a lot online that I can’t recall who wrote them I am more interested in the content of the book, I read a lot.
How do you keep fit as an actor
I do a lot of exercise, i do long walks and always try to focus and relax my head, to keep my head active i give myself task, make up situations and play with different emotions sometimes i video it to see if i have improved, i keep doing that so my mind remains active. Music therapy works magic for me, I use it sometimes too.
When you’re offered a role, what do you do next
I read the whole script first to understand the whole story, then i read it a second time to understand my character and the third time to pay full attention to every little details and understand the motivation behind every word my character says and the last time i note down what i feel the character would do and write out who i see the character as, if there is no detailed character bible i make up a back story for the character. Then i start rehearsing, i play around with saying the words differently, with different emotions and intonations, i never try to cram my lines, i understand them to a point that they flow naturally and then when i finally get on set i love to rehearse with the actor i will be acting with so we can build our chemistry naturally and wouldn’t be strangers when we meet on set.
How do you take a character in a script to a honest, believable and breathing person
When am reading a script i visualize how i will play it out on set, so as i read the lines i picture myself dressed as that person and speaking like that person even before i start rehearsing. I always try to embody the character am playing, that way the character becomes a breathing person, when the character speaks it is as if i am the one speaking, it becomes believable! The delivery will be more naturally and effortless thereby giving the audience a very sincere honest performance.
How do you stay fresh on set
I try to appear as the character am playing, that way i think like the character and i try not to get distracted but remain focused and increase my concentration so i don’t loose continuity in-between takes. To be sincere it is difficult sometimes especially during emotional scenes when the Director cuts and people are making noise in the background and i am trying to remain focused and concentrate on staying in character and waiting for ‘action’. It can be frustrating sometimes if i am working with people that don’t understand how important it is not to distract an actor when a scene is still on.
Describe a memorable character you played
Every single character i have played have all been very memorable as they are all unique and i love all, i always learn something from their stories and i give them my all. But as they say we are as good as our last job so i will say the most recent that did it for me is the movie ‘Shijuwomi’ where i played the titular character Shijuwomi shot this year 2015. I cherished every second i was on that set, the story was awesome, very deep! Every line had a strong motivation! Being Shijuwomi was one of my best moments as an actor.
Explain one creative choice you took on set
I would like to talk about the one that happened in a recent shoot i did titled ‘Shijuwomi’ the director was Niji Akanni, we spoke in-depth about my character and there was this very intense scene he wanted me to give the character a trait as she was mentally unstable, something to show when she is going off and i had a lot of different things i wanted to do but they were the regular, i wanted something i can feel and people watching can feel too and when he said action i let my creative mind take control i got so lost in that scene that i ended up with serious marks on my skin from constantly scratching a spot. The feeling i had after that scene is indescribable! Sometimes we should just get lost in the roles we play, not hold back or detach ourselves from the characters, it always ends in a very memorable and believable performance.
What do you want most from a director
Communication, I love directors with clear vision. Whenever i get onset i am always close to the directors, i come like a baby ready to be molded, to learn and give a memorable performance, I trust my directors to direct me to do justice to my character, and I want my directors to trust and believe in me enough and freely communicate what they have in mind to add to my character. At the end of the day we will both be proud of the finished products.
What actors do you long to work with
I would have loved to list some actors that I would so love to work closely with but i would rather write the attributes of that actor i long to work with. A Professional, someone that takes his job seriously and is always conscious and observant of his acting space, a deep actor that is always prepared to give their all to a role, someone that adapts fast to corrections from director, a teem player and an actor that has deep love and passion for acting.
Why
A good project is usually born when every actor on a project brings their all to bare not when one or two are outstanding but everyone has to be outstanding! The joy when you are in a job with an actor that is as dedicated as you can’t be overemphasized as it will makes your job easy, smooth and natural, you can both tap energy from each other and bring yourselves up when one drops the tempo. This is why i love and long to always be on set with a professional, someone that is passionate about acting.
What advice would you give to actors
If they have the passion to become actors, i would advice they get proper training to understand what it is about if they can’t afford it, a lot of materials is available online for free. They have to be patience sometimes it takes a very long time to get ‘that’ dream role but they must remain consistent, be hardworking, be humble with a listening ear to take advice from senior colleagues or even a colleague they started with that is booking more jobs, always arrive on time for auditions or to jobs, don’t act like you understand a character if you don’t ask your director, be open to suggestions and be very disciplined. Never stop believing in yourself no matter how many ‘Nos’ you get, keep training yourself, equip yourself with more and more skills, keep yourself busy and before you know it, you will be booking jobs.
Briefly write about your career
In 2004 I got introduced to the acting for TV/Film when I starred in Tears of Ghetto, I played the role of Jossi a Ghetto girl, this made me realized this is what I should be doing! After my long break, I returned more matured, stronger and better in 2010 and featured in a TV Sitcom ‘Huzzel’ followed closly by ‘House-Apart’ my coming back felt like I never went off as the fire was still burning in me, in 2011, I landed a role in multi-award winning TV Series ‘Tinsel’ where I played the role of a gynecologist, I had to read about them and understand them. I realized I was booking more TV Jobs and I was enjoying always been busy, I shot ‘Burning Spears’ where I played the role of Omowunmi a maid that is actually a lover of the man of the house, I played a police woman in ‘case file’, The role of a detective on ‘Emereld 1’ as Mofe, I got a nomination for Best Actress in a TV Series 2013 for Emerald, Shade in the movie ‘Switch’ which one my first movie outside my Country we shot it in Sierra Leone in 2013, it was a good experience working with actors from another Country, ‘Alpha Mom’ where I played the role of the Alpha Mom this movie earned me my very first Best Actress Award in 2014. I played the role of Funmi in Paranoia, I loved this character so much and the twist in the story. I have since been part of several projects including: Savior, Out of Fire, Stooping Kloe, Mama Osaro goes Kinky, Tales of Eve 5, A Day with Death, e.t.c.
Every single character I play always adds a lift to my career positively. I run a blog where I get to profile actors and write a bit about entertainment mainly if there is a new movie in town, there is no gossip on my blog. The blog is meant to be a place where casting directors and directors go when casting for a new project.
I have another blog where I share food recipes, I am a foodie that loves to cook and I love to share the recipes I play with.
In 2014, I produced my very first film, a short film titled ‘Not Right’ it was a movie about domestic violence in women, it was highly acclaimed and got 6 Best Short Film Nominations at the AMVCA 2015, BON 2014, NMA 2014, AIFF 2014, e.t.c
In November 2014, I delved into Radio, started a show titled ‘Meet the Actor with Judith Audu where I get to chat with Actors from all over the world’ on Igroove Radio, an Online Radio.
