Taymesan’s guest on the latest episode of his podcast show, “Tea With Tay” is Nollywood star Ini Edo.

In this episode, Ini Edo shares her experiences growing up in Akwa Ibom, being raised by strict parents, making friends that were older than her, going to Aba from Uyo for an audition, her first movie appearances, meeting movie celebrities, and then, when she got her big break, the movie Worlds Apart, women’s empowerment, and lots more.

Speaking about growing up in Akwa Ibom, she said;

“I grew up in one of the most peaceful places in the country. Always has been, still is. I grew up under really loving parents who had their values of course. Who still have their values by the way. I was a bit heady so of course, I would always butt heads but disciplinarians at the time when my father was still very strong. Unfortunately now he’s lost 90% of his energy. Glory to God, he’s aging gracefully. It was sort of interesting. I mean, I did have a lot of friends growing up which my mother hated. Which she would always harass me for. I think she felt like that was my greatest undoing, having too many friends and they were all literally older than me. I never used to make friends with people that were my age and I have to upgrade my age so I could fit into and they won’t look down on me and think I was younger than them. However, growing up for me was like my formative years because it actually did help to mould me and to train me and to teach me the things that helped me today in life.”

On her first big break she said;

“After those three exploits that I did, because I was out to test the waters. I went to back to school in UNICAL, then I had got an admission to do the degree in UNICAL. Apparently, law didn’t come through but I got an admission to study English and Literary Studies. So at a point where I am settling into school, the first phone call came, this really big production came, Great Movies. Great Movies used to be like one of the biggest guys then. You know, that Great Movies calls you on the phone, that’s like a big freaking deal. So I am in school one day, coming back from lectures and my phone rings and it’s Great Movies. He said he wanted me to come and do a film. He said the director would call me. The director calls and says to me, there’s this role, I actually don’t think you can pull it because it’s really really intense. I think you’re a bit immature for it but the executive producer has insisted that we should call you for the job. I said okay sir, send me the script. He sent me the script. As I read it, I was just laughing at myself. I said, who’s going to do all these. That was the Worlds Apart. Worlds Apart was my breakout role. Somebody had to even come home to speak to my parents to allow me travel because at that point, it was now obvious that I was sneaking around to do this thing.”