I Almost Stripped Naked

One time popular Ghanaian actress Patricia Stephanie Abena Longdon, who is noted for playing negative roles, or better referred to as Patience Ozokwor of Ghana’s movie industry some years ago, has resurfaced, after many years of being away from the screens.

The actress is back in town from an undisclosed country and she is in a series of meetings with some producers to bounce back on the screens as early as possible.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with NEWS-ONE on Monday, the beautiful woman who would not say where she had been hiding, narrated how she was nearly beaten up because of her negative roles and how she almost stripped naked at her first ever audition.

She told this paper that it wasn’t an easy experience playing negative roles during her time, considering public perception about such roles. However that didn’t deter her.

Patricia is noted for her roles in series as ‘Thursday Theatre,’ ‘Shadows In The Dark’, ‘Remnant’, ‘Baba’ and a number of others movies which titles she couldn’t remember. She is also remembered for a number of adverts on TV, especially the ones for Western Union back in the days.

Her role in ‘Shadows In The Dark’, was her big break. As usual, it was a negative role and she played the wife of a rich man (Rev Eddie Cofie) who was having a secret love affair with her lawyer and even tried killing husband. “Because of that role I was nearly beaten up at Mallam Ata Market. The ladies, the women who were selling there, nearly beat me up.

You know at time when you are acting and you are given a negative role to play, people think you like that especially when you do something that hurts somebody in the movie and there is somebody at home who has the same problem.

The person sees you and is angry with you. But now I think people realize that it is not real.”

Her stint with the movie industry was an interesting experience as she revealed she was even tempted to strip at her first audition to see if she could really do it. “I can’t remember exactly when I started but it was around the time when Thursday Theatre was showing. I went to visit a friend at GBC and I met veteran filmmaker Mama Oye who called me and asked me to see her before I leave.

But I forgot and I was going home when she called me back. I got there and there was audition going on with big stars around.

I was surprised and felt a bit shy. She subsequently sat me down and said I have good looks and I can act.

When she was auditioning me, she told me to remove my top dress. I didn’t understand and I asked why? Another lady yelled at me, ‘yes take it off.’ So I started to take it off to a point then she started clapping her hands for me and she said in Ga ‘you can do it’.

I was shy and didn’t know I could do it but Eddie Cofie walked up to me afterwards and asked my name and that made me feel comfortable to fit in with them.”

She said even though she did not take off all her clothes, she was surprised at the time but subsequently she realized that it was a normal thing in the industry.

The now mother of two was then working at the Ghana Commercial Bank before she joined acting. However, she went off the movie scene around 2000 as a result of family issues.

Subsequently she traveled outside Ghana and returned. “I have been in and out,” she added.

After her return, she founded a women’s empowerment foundation called ‘Odo Ma Kuo’. Currently she said she has solved her family problems and is scheduled to bounce back on the screens. “I have strong passion for acting. Acting is in my blood and that is the sole reason I will be back.”

From Saltpong, she grew up in Boukrom –Nsuta in the Ashanti Region. She had her basic education at the Field Engineers Preparatory School at Teshie Nungua.

She continued at Wesley Grammar Secondary School and did her sixth form at West Africa Secondary School after which she started working at Ghana Commercial Bank. She was at the University of Ghana for Adult Education and World Bible Mission School.

Presently she is into decoration and has a gift shop and does PRO for churches. She is hopeful of completing an acting school very soon.