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Efa Iwara talks 'Princess on a Hill,' dream roles, and the realities of acting

1 week ago 31

14 February 2025 at 13:14

Efa Iwara talks 'Princess on a Hill,' dream roles, and the realities of acting [Instagram/@efaiwara]

Nollywood actor, Efa Iwara has shared his experience working on the set of Princess on a Hill, his dream roles and the realities of being a Nollywood actor.

Efa Iwara has steadily built a reputation as one of Nollywood’s most versatile actors, transitioning seamlessly between romantic leads, complex villains, and intense dramatic roles.

With a career spanning both film and television, he has earned praise for his performances in projects like Seven, Rumour Has It, Soft Love and most recently, the corporate thriller series Princess on a Hill.

In an exclusive interview, Iwara shares his thoughts on the show’s reception, the roles he dreams of playing, and the biggest misconceptions about being an actor.

Princess on a Hill has received significant buzz since its release, and the audience’s engagement has been both exciting and surprising. What does that mean to you?

When you're doing a show like that, you don't really know what to expect from the audience. But I could be somewhere totally random, and people come up to me saying, ‘I was watching Princess on a Hill, I think it's crazy, I can't wait to see what happens next week.’ And reactions like that are very heartwarming.

You seem to be known for playing romantic leads a lot. Are you always a lover boy?

People talk about me always being a lover boy, but if you go back to my earlier work, I didn’t do a lot of romantic roles. In Rumor Has It Season 2, my breakout role; there was nothing romantic about it. Even Seven, which got me my first nomination, wasn’t a romance. However, my recent projects have leaned into romance, But, there’s more he wants to explore.

What roles are you looking forward to playing someday?

I want to play Ojukwu. Playing a real-life character in a biopic is the truest form of acting because people know exactly what to compare you to. When you play a fictional character, it's your own spin on it. But when you play someone like Ojukwu, people know his voice, his mannerisms, and how he carried himself. That’s the ultimate challenge for an actor.

When it comes to dream collaborations, who would you love to work with?

It would be a dream of mine to work with Christopher Nolan. He’s my favourite foreign director. I draw a lot of inspiration from his work, and I think his movies are fantastic."

What’s the biggest conception about acting?

People think when you have intimate scenes, you're having the time of your life. But trust me, you're really not. It’s a room full of people, it's very professional, and it’s definitely not as fun as it looks. Another misconception? That acting is all fun and games.

Acting is fun, but only if you love acting. It’s like being a farmer; you have to water your plants, weed, spray pesticides, and fight off animals. It’s hard work.

What are your most challenging and exciting scenes in Princess on a Hill

One of the toughest scenes to film was the gala night dinner scene, which involved multiple cast members and required long hours on set. We shot that scene really late into the night. When you have a lot of people in one scene, it takes forever to get the right shots.

That was really exhausting. On the flip side, my favourite moments were the intimate, dialogue-heavy scenes with my on-screen mother. The scenes in her house were always just the two of us.

What made them special was the conversations we had between takes; talking about old and new Nollywood, life in general, and family. I love learning from the greats, so those moments were very special to me.

How do you balance your creative work with your personal life

I don’t balance it very well. One always suffers, and I think that’s the price I have to pay. But I have learnt a few things: Don’t wait for perfection. If you wait for the perfect timing, you'll never get anything done.

Be stubborn. You have to really stick to your guns sometimes. Embrace collaboration. Collaboration is key to moving forward. Be a decent person. If you’re a terrible human being, no one will want to work with you. So even if you’re an a***** in real life, try not to be one in the workspace.