Over 20 years ago, Benin City caught fire. It exploded with a certain dose of dramatic euphoria. What inspired this outburst? There was this beautiful woman who played the antagonist in Billy King’s ‘Evbakoe’, a classic Edo language family drama that shook the world to its core and vibrated its foundations. This film is a classic especially with Eunice Omoregie’s dramatic portrayal of the wicked step-mother. That reminds me: Whenever you find a good villain in a film, then you have found an incredible actor. It’s more like: You need to be so good an actor that you want to play an evil character. You don’t believe me? Have you noticed all the antagonists in your favourite films are often the most interesting to watch? Antagonists tend to be more dramatically inclined. They NEED to. The protagonist wants something and they have to stop them. And Aunty Eunice essentially played this to perfection.
There is something super-special about Madam Eunice that cannot be put into words. She is professional. Industrious. Classy. Highly bankable. Independent. Passionate. Irreplaceable. Fantastic. Humble. Reasonable. Highly reliable. Generous. Motivated. Fluent in Edo and English. Fashionably stylish and exemplary. A compassionate and empathetic actor with an intuitive and pragmatic sense of humour. A smart marketer too. When it comes down to it, she produces and markets her films because she wholeheartedly believes in the quality of what she does. A highly-recommended filmmaking veteran, an accomplished singer and songwriter, and a multi-talented artist, I will call her God’s ultimate representation of dramatic excellence. Yes, EXCELLENCE. This artistic, managerial, multi-talented and experienced thespian knows how to deliver excellence in every breadth. That’s the only thing she knows. Multi-dimensional excellence in whatever genre or role she is assigned to play.
But don’t take my word for it, let’s go to her filmography and see what we can learn. First of all, let’s take a tour down memory lane with:
EVBAKOE: This saga of a film is such a dramatic delight that I can spend a thousand pages to expound. It showcases the brutal realism and the consistent dramatic upheavals of blended families. A young man Evbakoe becomes the subject of humiliation when his father takes a new wife. A new wife that becomes a wicked step-mother. One thing that stories like ‘Evbakoe’ highlight is that times change but people never do. And this was a huge success but it would never have been if Aunty Eunice did not put herself into the psychological flow of the antagonistic character. Everyone in my area went, “Who is this wicked step-mother?” That’s the occupational hazard of being a great actor. People soon forget that you are simply playing a character to the best of your ability; they begin to assume that you are that way in real life. That was how excellent Madam Eunice was in this film. Excellent storytelling and writing by the way, from Billy Kings and Omo-Osagie Utetenegiabi. I learnt from this amazing dramatic experience of a film never to look down on anyone as tomorrow can change for anybody. As Erigga would say, “Respect who get, but fear who never collect.”
OLOTURE: Yes, there are countless stars and talents in this essential Netflix film that highlights the brutish reality of human trafficking. This harrowing tale of man’s inhumanity to man – or woman’s inhumanity to woman – is told in the most pragmatic manner ever, such that it has become an illustrative and demonstrative reference for the subject of human trafficking. Eunice Omoregie plays the mother of Linda (Omowunmi Dada) and it was a most fitting role, as she highlighted the excruciating pain mothers go through when their children get into serious trouble. I learnt from this film to never to be too desperate for what I want. Like an old Edo proverb says, “If you run too fast, you might run past your actual destination.”
QUEEN OF QUEENS: Some years ago, a veteran filmmaker Kabat Esosa Egbon wrote and directed a super story from the historical archives of our traditional heritage. This spectacular film which found its way to ROK Studios became internationally renowned. It is star-studded and of course features our Aunty Eunice, our superstar. She played the role of the King’s Mother, “Iyoba”, to perfection. I love this woman, Eunice. I love women who don’t play with their work. If you haven’t done so, please go and watch this timeless classic of a film and absorb eternal lessons of life. One lesson I snatched from the true life story of Queen Iden dramatically portrayed by this film is that true love is loyal. You can never know who is for or against you until the whole world walks out on you.
FATBULOUS: Dr. Osaigbovo Eriamiantoe directed ‘Fatbulous’ which has been winning global awards left, right and centre that the film has got tired of winning awards. But this film would have been incomplete without our very own Aunty Eunice who plays Mrs Okoebor, mother of Omoye. The most important lesson I learnt from this film is: Love comes in different shapes and sizes.
In conclusion: Our Edo-born gem is definitely of inestimable value; beyond compare. With so much hard work she has been able to give us creative excellence back-to-back. Her scenes are never just scenes, they exude high standards of artistic class and perfection. If you are a film producer and you urgently require a formidable actor in Benin City, you will never regret giving her a befitting role as she will deliver creative excellence.
I am proud of the excellence Edo Stars like Aunty Eunice gracefully exudes. It is my mantra to always broadcast “EDO TO THE WORLD”, but what is utterly awesome with this gem is that she has been doing this even before the age of the Internet.
