Culture Custodian had a sit-down with three of the stars of the new and first Nigerian Young Adult Netflix show; Elma Mbadiwe who plays Carmen, Genoveva Umeh who plays Zina, and Tomi Ojo, who plays Rahila, Ishaya’s younger sister. We had a conversation about the characters they play on the show.
Hi Elsa, Your character is the It girl of Wilmer Academy.
Elsa: (chuckles) You can say that again.
Carmen deals with quite a lot pressure to keep up appearances as the model student at Wilmer Academy, especially at home. What was it like bringing that character to life?
Elsa: It was important for me to first understand Carmen before I could play her. She obviously has this life foisted on her that she doesn’t want, which is something that I think most young women will find very relatable. The more I settled into her persona, the easier it was for me to play her.
So, who do you think Carmen really is when she’s being Wilmer’s model student?
Elsa: Really, she’s just a regular sweet girl who wants to be loved and have fun with her friends. She’s totally uninterested in being a model student or daughter.
Speaking of being uninterested in model behavior. Genoveva, you play free-spirited Zina, what was that experience like?
Genoveva: Fun, so much fun. Zina puts the ‘z’ in Gen-Z, okay? Zina is a sweet, fashionable, and lively girl who is fiercely loyal to her friends. Whenever I needed to be on set, I would just put myself in the best mood possible and I would ready to bring her to life.
You sound like you were having a ball. There is a scene where Zina does a dance routine when she auditions at the cheerleading tryouts. Do you have any formal dance training?
Genoveva: Oh no, I don’t! I just thought about what I believed Zina would do in that same position and I knew she would want to have fun with it. Also, a choreographer came in on set to help me with the routine.
Tomi, your character Rahila is the male lead Ishaya’s sister. How were you able portray that sibling dynamic with him?
Tomi: It was pretty easy actually. Michael, who plays Ishaya, is a good friend so the sibling bond looks real onscreen because it is real. Also, I had a lot of guidance and support from the cast and crew on how to bring Rahila to life.
Back to you, Elsa. Who do you really think is Carmen’s type, Ishaya or Atlas?
Elsa: I think Atlas is who Carmen is supposed to be with, because he is her first love, and he fits into her lifestyle. But outside all of that, it’s definitely Ishaya. He truly sees her, which is something Atlas is too self absorbed to do.
Why did you want to be a part of this project?
Genoveva: I’ve always wanted to portray the reality of a young Nigerian adult so I was very excited to get this role. I think it ticks all the boxes and it’s a great way to tell the Nigerian story from a young adult’s perspective on a global stage.
Elsa: First of all, it’s the first Nigerian young adult show on Netflix, okay? That on it’s own was a great incentive. Then I read the script and connected to Carmen, It was exactly the kind of professional challenge that I needed.
Tomi: Yeah, Elsa and Genoveva have pretty much summed it up. Besides that, i believe it is the representation that the young generation would love to see of themselves. The characters are smart and confident, there’s fashion and drama, everything is giving.