‘I had to learn Yoruba for my role’, Chioma Akpotha on her preparation for Seven Doors

On December 24, 2024, 2:12 AM

Nollywood actress, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha, has made an interesting revelation about how she prepared for her role in the recently released Netflix series, Seven Doors.

Akpotha’s role in the much-talked-about series is that of an Igbo queen married to a Yoruba king, bringing to life a tale of kingship, kinship, family, love, betrayal, and restitution.

Being an actress of Igbo extraction, the role required Akpotha to speak fluent Yoruba.

However, while speaking in an interview on TVC, the actress disclosed that she had to learn Yoruba specifically for the role.

Akpotha added that the Yoruba used in the movie was not the regular Yoruba most urban dwellers are familiar with. She said:

I had to learn Yoruba for my role in Seven Doors. The Yoruba in the movie was not the regular one spoken in Lagos State, so I had to be very particular about the tone.

The series, which debuted on Netflix on December 13, has garnered praise from viewers for its compelling storyline, characters and performances.

Seven Doors also features Femi Adebayo, Adebayo Salami, Jide Kosoko, Hafiz Oyetoro, Dele Odule and other Nollywood heavyweights.

Like Akpotha, actress and filmmaker, Mercy Aigbe, has also revealed what she had to go through off camera during the production of her latest cinema movie, Thinline.

Sharing a personal story about one of the challenging moments she faced during the production in a post on her Instagram page, Mercy revealed that she woke up one morning on set with severely swollen eyes, which made it impossible for her to film.

She described the pain as so excruciating that she had to be hospitalised where doctors diagnosed her with a severe infection.

Despite the challenges she faced, Mercy expressed her gratitude to God, stating that she is still standing and will continue to push forward.

She also thanked everyone who has watched ‘Thinline’ in cinemas and appreciated the positive reviews.

The actress reiterated that the movie required a lot of hard work, pain, blood, and sweat, but she is proud of the final product. The post read,

Throwback to the set of THINLINE. I woke up one morning on set, and my eyes were like this! We couldn’t film; we had to break set, and the pain that came with this was excruciating. I was hospitalized, in fact, it was a whole lot of challenges! Doctors said it was a severe infection. It was a whole lot! A whole lot!!!!

It’s been an experience on this journey with THINLINE, a whole lot of challenges, a whole lot, but in all, I still GIVE GOD THE GLORY. In all these I am still standing and will keep pushing.

Someone actually said to me that Aunty Mercy all these challenges is it in anyway related to the Story you told in THINLINE and i said i don’t think so oh! This movie has taken a lot of Hard Work, Pains, Blood and Sweat!

Big Thank You to everyone who has seen THINLINE in cinemas and i am loving the reviews so far! If you are yet to see it make it a date with this amazing movie you will love it!!!

Story By Pulse Nigeria