Uche Elendu, a Nollywood actress and businesswoman, recently reflected about how her inability to communicate properly in Igbo cost her a main role in her comeback film, "Ada Mbano."

The actress made this revelation in a recent live chat with Vanguard on Instagram.

She recalled that the script was specifically written for her, but unfortunately, she couldn’t deliver her lines in Igbo language which cost her the lead role in the movie.

She said “Ada Mbano” reminded her of a lost opportunity.

“I will say the movie reminds me of a lost opportunity. That movie was written specifically for me. I was supposed to play the lead role of Ada Mbano in that movie. But unfortunately, I couldn’t speak Igbo language fluently because I grew up in Lagos and my parents didn’t really interact with us in our local language.

"I couldn't do much because that character had to flow in the native dialect." In terms of acting, I did the English version of Ada Mbano, but I couldn't keep up with the Igbo version. As a result, I had to present a friend to play the part, and she 'killed' it," the actress said.

Elendu went on to say that she first appeared on screen in 2012, four years after giving birth to her first daughter.

"Before that, I had already shot a few films. "However, 'Ada Mbano' served as a huge comeback film for me," she remarked.

Elendu's acting career was re-ignited by the film "Ada Mbano," directed by Kingsley Okereke and released in 2024, after she had abandoned it for several years to focus on her young marriage. The actress, who debuted in 2001 with the film "Fear of the Unknown," took an extended sabbatical from acting to focus on her marriage, which ultimately disrupted and stunted her acting career.

Elendu, on the other hand, believed she was irreplaceable even when she wasn't on television.

"I pulled away from the screen for a while, yet I'm still there." The truth is that I am irreplaceable. Uche Elendu is a one-of-a-kind character. I'm still standing there. There are some things in life that you simply cannot live without. "You should have children and take care of them as a lady," the actress exclaimed.

TALK SHOP