All things nice

Karaoke queen Nice Githinji, 25, was recently nominated for Best actress (TV) at the Kalasha Awards. She talks TO SHIRLEY GENGA about her long journey to recognition

How do you feel about your Best Actress nomination (in a TV series)?

I ‘m happy about the nomination, it is such an honour. I’ve been in the industry since 2003 and it’s wonderful to know that our work in the industryhas not gone unrecognised.

Have you always wanted to be an actress?

I acted a little bit in high school and once in primary school. I remember getting an award for best actress in Form Two alongside a guy called Robin Amateshe, (I wonder what happened to him). After high school I did set books for two years with a group called Planet’s Theatre. We’d travel around the country and stage set book plays that were in the high school curriculum. So during school terms, I’d travel around with them doing set books and when schools would close I’d do shows with Heartstrings Kenya.

How did you get into theatre?

I first learnt about theatre when I was in Form Four at Senior Chief Koinange School. A certain group came to my school to stage set books. One of them was a former schoolmate Anthony Rutabingwa, who’d been three years ahead of me. So I asked him how he got into it and he explained. He told me to come to the theatre and the rest is history. So after my last paper in 2002 November, I went, auditioned and got my first job.

What else have you been involved in on stage?

Apart from the set books I have done a number of public shows. I mean, the British comedies, farces, thrillers and so on. The best experience an actor can get is stage performance. Performing on stage gives you a front row seat to the effect of your product, (play) from the audience’s reaction. There are no shortcuts, no take two’s. You make your own breaks. It sort of trains you to think on your feet and to be thorough in your work.

How was it groiwing up?

I’m the last born in my family and so I was seriously spoilt. I was a little naughty but I was never caught though I got into mischief. In school, I was always the prefect. Everything changed in 2002 when I was in form four, my mother died and I had to grow up. At the time my older siblings were married and had their own families, with their own problems and I did not want to be a burden. I decided that I was going to find a way to take care of myself. That was why immediately after high school, I got a job with Planet’s Theatre.

Wasn’t it hard for you?

It was so hard; I finished school when I was 17. So at 17 I was living alone and taking care of myself. At I8 I got a house in Eastleigh for Sh1,500. You know that small house found at the top of apartments for the care-taker, which was where I lived. Sometimes I look back and I cannot believe that was the type of life that I lived. I remember I had school fees arrears and I could not get my certificate until they were paid, I worked my butt off and paid for everything. So when school was on, I would tour with my group doing set books, when school closed I would come and pay the arrears until I finished and finally got my certificate.

How did you keep yourself going during those tough times?

There was no room for self-pity; sometimes you can find yourself in a situation where you just have to make it, there is just no other way out. I have always been very determined person. When things look hopeless I have always taken it as a drive to work harder. I remember when I first got into acting, I would literally stalk producers or whoever, until they would give me a part (laughs).

What is the difference between acting on theatre and on TV?

On TV you get second chances when you mess up, it’s edited and your audience sees the best parts. Stage plays give you immediate and real reactions from your audience. You don’t have to wait months to find out whether people liked your show or not. It’s immediate.

How many films have you done so far?

I’ve done a couple films so far. Benta by Cajetan Boy and Sisimka, Family Betrayal by Simon Nduti, Formula X by Steve Ominde and Sagwa Chabeda, Pieces for Peace by Robby Bresson, and All Girls Together which I co-produced. I’ve lived off acting since 2003. I do other things and that’s not because acting doesn’t pay, it’s because we all wouldn’t mind making an

extra shilling here and there.

What is the greatest lesson you have learnt from the film industry so far?

The one thing that I’ve learned from working on our film industry is patience. You need patience because our audience is not very responsive to local stuff. They are too busy watching Spanish soaps and Nigerian movies being shown by local station, that we rarely take time to watch what we have locally produced.

What was it like producing your own film (All Girls Together) and being on the other side of the camera?

Producing is a tough job. Thank God at that time I had two other producers, Janet Kangeri and Janet Madiangi, who helped keep my sanity, sourcing for funds. Getting funding is the hardest thing about making a film in Kenya. I do not understand why corporates haven’t yet considered using TV and theatre to advertise their products but that’s a story for another day. I’m still producing two projects at the moment. A magazine show and a film, that is all I can say for now because I have to keep it hush hush.

When did you move from film into TV?

I moved to TV in 2004/2005 to shoot Better days. I cannot say that anything triggered the move really, I had never done TV. When my mom was around she would keep my mom kept asking why I had never been picked for anything on TV. I heard about the audition for Better Days shortly after her death. I went for the auditions and got a role.

You have since acted in other television productions; how has the experience been?

It may shock people but the truth is I’ve only been in three television series, the rest of my roles were featured characters. Why I say it might shock some people is because for some strange reason they seem to think I’m all over TV. I did Guy Center in 2008 and 2009 and before acting in Changing Times early this year.

What is your favourite role?

My favourite role so far has to be my role on Better Days. I played Nelly; she was an awesome character to play. I had a lot of fun with her. She was a psycho but normal looking with a straight face. It was not very hard to play, in fact it came naturally without much effort (laughs).

Do you feel type cast to play the bad girl?

Being typecast happens all over even in Hollywood. It is not a problem. As much as I’d like to have more diverse characters, I don’t mind being type-cast. Sometimes it is just a matter of “what sells Nice”?

My motto is, after a while of being type cast, you have the opportunity to prove yourself and your skills. Then sooner or later, you’ll get the chance to play something different. Whoever thought Will smith, who was known for his comedic roles, would one day give such a good performance on a deep film like In Pursuit of Happyness.

Have you played a different character?

In the film Pieces for Peace, I got the chance to play a rural girl who falls pregnant and cannot marry the love of her life because she was Kikuyu and he was Kalenjin. It was a film about post election violence story. On Changing Times my character doesn’t have a mean bone in her.

What do you love about acting?

Acting for is like an escape into a beautiful dream where I can be anything I want .Sometimes it’s easier to be someone else than to be Nice (laughs). I can walk out of my skin and be something else for the few minutes. I love to entertain and I love the look on people’s faces when they ask how I could pull that or this off. Acting is about deceiving, I like to say. If you are good at

deception then you can be a great actor/actress.

How do you get into character for an acting role?

I have to first read and re-read my script over and over again. Sometimes you do not get the script in advance and this really messes you up .Thus you don’t get enough time to work on your character, you don’t get the chance to play around with different emotions and your work ends up being sub-standard. Whenever I get the script in advance, I make a character bible, give my character life before I bring it to life on TV. I provide answers to things like, where was this character born? family? Rich or poor? How does the character relate to the others? And so on.

Let’s talk about kissing scenes... Hmmm............ No, there’s nothing to overcome. We kiss in real life don’t we? If you don’t like the person you’re kissing, deal with it. You are getting paid for it and that is not really you kissing, it’s your character (laughs).

What do you do when you are not on the set?

When I’m not acting I’m hosting karaoke, four nights a week or feeding my cats. On Tuesday I host karaoke at the Hub on North Airport Road, Thursday at Hornbill at Buruburu shopping centre and on Sato at Wasanii at National Theatre Balcony.

How is your schedule when you are shooting?

It is hectic. When shooting I’m usually up at 5am, on set by 8am then I shoot the whole day then I’m off to karaoke(if it’s a karaoke night) and I’m back home by 3am latest. Sometimes I don’t even sleep, seriously.

Any tips for aspiring actresses/actors?

Come with a heart that’s ready to fight the long fight. Also have a business mind and save, save, save money! I like to say, I’m here for the money but if fame comes along, well and good.

What do you have in store?

To make all the money I can possibly make off this industry. While others are complaining about how broke the industry is I will continue to find ways to make my paper. Also, I plan to go back to school to study International Relations.