'I did TV and stage performances to pay my fees'

Ghanaian actress and legal practitioner, Yvonne Okyere, has opened up on her personal and career life in an interview with Indieactivity, a film, festivals and reviews website.

According to Yvonne, who now practices law, one must take acting seriously to be the best actor.

“It’s not an easy job as it requires discipline, dedication and long hours, sometimes for little pay,” she says.

Yvonne also revealed how she had to do stage performances, TV series and commercials to pay her university fees.

Read the full interview below.

I am an award-winning actress as well as a Barrister at Law here in Ghana and the UK. I am originally a Kibi girl (Eastern Ghana), with seven siblings which all made for a very eventful upbringing. My home was hectic but full of love and caring. I remember getting into performing at Junior High School where I played characters in William Shakespeare’s works.

I then became part of the drama team and loved the characters I played and also the attention I received. This triggered my interest in the Arts and I went on to Senior High to study General Arts with Government and French (Oui Je parle un peu francais – it means yes I speak some/little French)”.

I have two degrees, one from the University of Ghana (performing arts) and the University of Hull in the UK (Law). During my studies, I used to help pay my fees with money from commercials, stage performances and TV series I worked on.

Did you study acting?

Yes, I did. At Senior High school, I was elected Girl’s Entertainment Prefect, and I was responsible for introducing educational yet entertaining activities to the entire student body. I did not shy away from the stage as a perfect but performed every weekend on stage with friends.

This further highlighted my interest in acting, and I decided to study Drama and Performing Arts at the University of Ghana for four years. This was a very intensive degree that required dedication and hard work. I read a lot of literally work (both local and international), introduced to a professional theatre performance and contemporary dance techniques.

What acting technique do you use?

I am a flexible and intuitive person so I try to play my characters as close to reality as possible. Most often I think I use the Stanislavski’s method which creates “the magic if” – what if what is happening to your character was happening to you? How would you feel and what would you do?

By using this method, I'm able to draw upon my feelings and experiences to connect with the character I am portraying. I put myself in the mindset of the character to find things in common to give a more genuine portrayal. It’s good to note however that some roles are specific and would, therefore, require method acting (for instance I can’t use my experience to play a Pilot or a surgeon’s role – I have to learn and act like one, and this is where method acting comes in).

Describe wrong impressions actors hold about acting

Some actors (especially new ones and a few seasoned actors who are opposed to change) exhibit a blasé attitude to their craft and invest nothing of themselves into the role. Typically you get the feeling that they believe;

1. That acting is so easy it requires little thinking and analysis. Wrong!

2. That acting involves exchanging dialogue with other characters and waiting to deliver the next line. Wrong!

3. That actors have to behave like prima donnas / extroverts – quite the opposite for many of the greats!

4. That working for free advances their career, I have seen that all it does is devalues the job and allows some unscrupulous producers and directors to exploit skilled workers. A carpenter would not be asked to build a kitchen for free!!!

To be the best actor, one must take acting seriously. It’s not an easy job as it requires discipline, dedication and long hours, sometimes for little pay. Acting is not just about delivering lines to another character; it involves knowing and understanding your lines. The truth is you would have read the lines for the other characters in the scene so many times that you might fail to give a good reaction once it’s delivered.

Once the camera is rolling those lines must affect you to give a realistic reaction as though you are hearing those words for the first time. Your co-actor must match your energy, or else important reactions may be lost. An actor must learn to behave truthfully under fictional or imaginary circumstances by drawing on life experience.

How do you take a character from the pages of a script into a living, breathing person Simple?

I just am me by putting myself in the character’s shoes and think about how I would have reacted if the circumstances in the character’s life existed in mine. One of my first acting roles was in the series Bloody Mary (with the late Suzy Williams). As the show related to a boss exploiting other girls into prostitution, I decided to pay a visit to Accra’s red light district to speak to the girls about their experiences. This was an eye opener and helped me immensely in playing my role well.

How do you stay fresh on a production set

When the camera begins to roll, I am automatically in character. I stay in character between takes, cuts or retakes by reciting my lines and trying different ways of delivering my lines. During these times, I typically do not enjoy being distracted with unnecessary conversations or breaks as this can sometimes put me off. Occasionally we don’t have a choice as it may be a technical fault which is fine but other than that I enjoy working on professional but fun sets.

Explain one creative choice you took on set

In my recent role as Rachael in Love Regardless, there was a scene where I was realised my father didn’t love my mother anymore and had plans for another woman. The direction was to be angry with my father as we have a very close bond. However, when the camera started rolling, I acted angry, confrontational but shortly afterwards I got all emotional and acted ‘broken hearted’ with my father. I realised this got the rest of the cast and crew’s attention and they sympathised with my character.

Describe the most memorable character you have played

I played the character of Anne in “About to Wed” TV series in 2007. Anne was hardworking, loving, headstrong, blunt and fiesty. Some of the character’s attributes are similar to mine in real life so I had to be conscious not to play Yvonne instead of Anne. It was memorable for another reason as it was great fun acting with Prince David Osei, John Dumelo and Beverly Afaglo, we had so many laughs on set.

What do you want most from a director

I want a director who has a clear vision of how the movie / series is to turn out. They must give concise and unambiguous directions so as not to cause confusion in my mind as to how to play the character. I enjoy working with respectful directors, after all, we are all professionals so there is no need to feel superior and order actors about like children. A director must give frank opinion on actor’s’ performance, if it is not going to be good enough then there must be a retake, rather than using a substandard footage. They also need to keep the pace of shooting to maintain energy and not waste time!

What actor do you long to work with and Why In Africa,

I would love to work with Genevieve Nnaji. Her performance is always believable. In Hollywood, I would love to work with Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep or Gabrielle Union – fierce and strong women.

How would you advice actors

To be an actor is a full time job, it requires dedication, focus, discipline and hard work. It can sometimes be full of frustrations so ensure it is really your passion before embarking on that journey or else you might give up along the way. Also, be yourself, don’t change for a role or for fame, both are temporary and your reputation is all you have afterwards.

Briefly write about your career

Having the opportunity to play various characters from: a nasty exploitative boss to a gullible sucker for love girlfriend to a loving wife to a feisty girlfriend who wishes to be married to a loving but broken hearted daughter, is totally amazing. My experiences have made me a better actor and I’m grateful to all who made it happen for me.

Bloody Mary – “Mary”

Different Shades of Blue – “Mercy”

Remnants – “Wife”

About to Wed – “Anne”

Love Regardless – “Rachael”