Award-winning actress and media personality Nana Ama McBrown has opened up about the movie role she says changed the course of her acting career, disclosing that it came unexpectedly while she was working behind the scenes on a film set.
Speaking in an interview on 3FM shared on Tuesday, July 21, McBrown said her portrayal of Akonobia in the popular Kumawood film Kai Debi remains the defining moment of her career.
“The one role that changed my life was Akonobia in Kai Debi. That’s the movie that changed my life. It changed everything.”
McBrown recalled that Kai Debi was only her third or fourth movie after appearing in productions such as That Day, alongside Santo and Judas, Mr. Hippock, and another film produced by Harry Lorde.
According to her, the role was originally intended for veteran actress Selassie Ibrahim, who was unable to join the production due to her business commitments.
“That role was not even for me. It was for our very dear sister, Selassie Ibrahim. She was a trader and a businesswoman alongside acting, and she couldn’t come on set,” she explained.
At the time, McBrown was working as a costume assistant on the production set in a bush location near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
Having already read the script, she believed she could take on the role and boldly approached one of the crew members to recommend her.
“I was a costume person on the set. Since I had read the script, I knew the story, so I told Mr. James, ‘I can do it.’ He suggested me to the director,” she recounted.
She said the director, identified as Miracle, was initially unsure but gave her a few scenes to prove herself.
Although she felt she had delivered an impressive first performance, McBrown said the director deliberately challenged her by criticising her acting to push her to improve.
“He shouted at me, ‘Is this all you can do?’ I went into the kitchen and cried. I told myself this was my opportunity because there were many people in Kumasi who could easily replace me,” she said.
Determined not to lose the chance, she returned to set with renewed determination, explaining that the director continued to challenge her after every scene to bring out her best performance.
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