Every week, The Culture Custodian grants you an all-access backstage pass into the lives of Nollywood rock stars. You get to learn about their fascinating backgrounds, the behind-the-scenes stories, and more. This episode features actress Loria Nnam.
Loria Nnam is a multidisciplinary performer whose work spans acting, filmmaking, voice performance, music and storytelling. Her journey into the screen world is anchored in formal training, holding a Master of Fine Arts in Acting for Film from the New York Film Academy, where she refined a performance style defined by emotional precision, depth, and instinctive authenticity. Her breakthrough came with a supporting lead performance in Brethren on M-Net, a role that reached audiences across 68 countries and earned her a SCREAM Award for Best New School Actor. Loria’s creative vision extends beyond performance into authorship and production. She wrote, executive produced, and starred in her debut short film A Dash of Love, a personal and emotionally driven story exploring family, love, and self-discovery. Born in Nigeria, she is now based in Los Angeles, California. Across every medium she works in, Loria Nnam stands out as a creative force defined by range and intention.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
You recently completed your MFA at New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus and even had your graduation commencement at Warner Bros. Studio. What surprised you most about studying and living in Los Angeles, especially within such iconic creative spaces?
Studying at NYFA and graduating at Warner Bros. honestly felt surreal. It was one of those moments where you can actually see your dreams in front of you instead of just imagining them. What surprised me most about Los Angeles was how active and contagious the creativity is. Everyone is building something, everyone is creating, everyone is trying to push their work forward. It kind of forces you to rise to that energy. But it also humbled me. Being surrounded by that level of talent made me realise that talent alone isn’t enough. You really need clarity about who you are, discipline, and a strong sense of direction. It pushed me to stop waiting and just fully own my voice as an artist.
You wrote, executive-produced, and starred in your debut short film A Dash of Love. What first sparked the idea for the film, and what did you learn about yourself through the process of bringing it to life?
A Dash of Love came from something really personal. My elder sister got critically ill in 2023, and in 2024 she was in the US for surgery. I flew into Texas the night before her surgery to surprise her. That whole period was very intense emotionally, but also deeply meaningful for our relationship. It stayed with me. That experience made me want to tell a story about love, pressure, and how far people go for the people they care about. It was really about that emotional tension, the feeling of trying to show up perfectly for someone you love when everything feels like it’s on the line. Bringing it to life taught me a lot about myself. I realised I’m way more resilient than I thought, and I actually enjoy building things from the ground up, not just performing in them. I wasn’t just acting, I was shaping the entire project.
What was the most challenging part of stepping into the executive producer role, especially while also acting in the project?
The hardest part was balancing everything. One minute I’m in character, the next I’m solving production problems. Switching between those two headspaces was tough. But over time, it taught me discipline and mental flexibility. I had to learn how to separate emotional performance from practical decision-making in real time, which wasn’t easy, but it made me a more grounded and aware artist.
Your work in Brethren reached audiences across roughly 68 countries, and you went on to win a SCREAM award for Best New School Actor. Looking back, what did that role teach you about your range as a performer?
Brethren was a big one for me. Knowing it reached people in so many countries was really humbling. It reminded me how far storytelling can travel. That role stretched me emotionally in ways I didn’t expect. It made me realise I can access deeper layers as a performer, not just surface-level expression. Winning the SCREAM award for Best New School Actor was encouraging, but what stayed with me more was the reminder that I do have range. It gave me the confidence to stop limiting myself to one type of role and to actually take more risks.
You’ve worked across drama and action-comedy, including your role as Lavanda in the web series Impossible and Unstoppable, based on the hit cartoon Kim Possible. What was it like to work on that project, and were you a fan of the original cartoon?
That project was really fun for me. Playing Lavanda let me tap into a more playful, action-driven side of myself, which I enjoyed a lot. And yes, I definitely knew Kim Possible growing up. So stepping into something inspired by that world came with a sense of responsibility, especially because people already have a connection to it. At the same time, it was exciting because you’re not just copying something that exists, you’re reimagining it. I liked that balance between nostalgia and creating something fresh.
How do you approach switching between genres while still maintaining your own screen identity?
For me, it always starts with truth. No matter the genre, drama, comedy, action, whatever it is, I try to find the emotional core of the character and stay grounded in that. That’s what keeps it real. Then I just allow myself to exist naturally within the role. I don’t try to force a different personality every time. I think my consistency comes from that balance: the characters change, but there’s still something honest and familiar in how I approach them.
You’ve said you’re drawn to creating music that uplifts, heals, and motivates people, especially those going through difficult times. Where does this emotional intention come from personally?
That comes from real life. I know what it feels like to go through hard moments and need something, anything, that reminds you that things will be okay. That kind of emotional support can come from music in a powerful way. For me, music is more than sound. It’s a connection. It’s a way of reaching people without visuals or dialogue, just pure emotion. I want my music to feel like encouragement. Like light, even if someone is in a dark place. That intention is very personal, and it sits at the centre of what I want to create.
Beyond performance, you’ve founded Visionary With Love, an NGO focused on supporting less-privileged children through food, education, and outreach. How do you see your work in entertainment connecting with your work in philanthropy over time?
Visionary With Love is very close to my heart. Being able to directly support children through education, food, and care gives my work a different kind of meaning. I don’t really separate my creative work from my philanthropic work. For me, they’re connected. The more visibility I get through storytelling and entertainment, the more responsibility I feel to use that platform for something tangible. Long term, I see both sides feeding into each other. I want to tell stories that inspire people emotionally, but also build things in real life that actually help them. At the end of the day, it’s about purpose.
