Kate Henshaw

Brand ambassador of Onga and star actress, Kate Henshaw used to be a regular face on most movie jackets from Nollywood. But she seems to have played down on her appearances while embracing more of corporate brand deals. These and more she shared with LANRE ODUKOYA in a recent chat

How have you been faring with brand activations these past few years?
It feels good doing what I’m doing which also requires a lot of hard work, dedication and staying true to myself and what I do and to myself as a person. If any brand deems it fit to identify with me, I’m sure it won’t be disappointed. For instance, this is my fourth year working with Onga brand from Promasidor Nigeria as a brand ambassador. Apart from being a brand ambassador, it’s like a family and they’re a supportive company. They support my charity work and they’re passionate about my person and how it affects the brand and I want to believe that I’ve been able to grow the brand appreciably for them.

For some time now you’ve not acted in any movies; is it like semi-retirement beckoning already?
Semi-retirement? I have not even started. It cannot be that for me now. I’ve just been very picky about the films that I do and for me, the money is good and it will be better if it comes in millions and the play is fantastic. But also there are people who have come to see me as someone who will not just dive into any film. So, I have to be quite choosy about what I do. Having said that, there’s a movie I featured in for a colleague of mine, ‘The Meeting’ produced by Rita Dominic and will be premiered on October 19. I also have another movie project coming up next year between January and February and others.

What’s your childhood like?
I had a wonderful childhood. I’m the first child of a family of four with two brothers and a sister. There were two guys right behind me and carrying men behind me hasn’t been easy at all. But they are all doing fine now and happily married too.

Are you taking another shot at marriage after your divorce?
Why should I give you such information; are you my family member? And that’s how they say Police is your friend, but we don’t really know if they are truly your friend.

How have you coped with the negative stories published about you in the past?
It comes with the territory. A colleague of mine was saying that you spend the first twenty years of your life trying to get in front of the camera. You get that and you begin to try to get in front of the papers and you spend the rest twenty to thirty years to hide away behind it. I chose this path for myself.

So, it’s time for you to hide?
I’m not hiding. Nobody wants to be in front of a paper for anything bad. Nobody wants to just be there constantly when you don’t have something to contribute.

As a judge in the Nigeria’s Got Talent show, how do you determine the dexterity of a man’s craft in areas where you’re not a master?
There’s no way you’ll hear discordant tunes and you would not know. That’s the same way we do not need extra skills to decipher a job well done from a badly performed craft. We’re there because of our integrity and wealth of experience.