I left Nollywood because I wasn’t feeling my impact – Grace-Charis Effah

Actress Grace-Charis Effah has revealed that she left Nollywood for a new career path in the United States of America’s Navy because she wasn’t feeling her impact in the Nigerian acting industry.

According to Effah, she had become passive in the industry and wanted to contribute more to the society with her passion.

“Before joining the Navy, I had become passive in acting. I felt stuck and wasn’t adding much value to the movie industry anymore. It all started feeling too routine; just another job for the pay. I wasn’t feeling the impact my movies were supposed to make, and I am driven by the impact I make. I didn’t want to be just another actress putting out films no one watched,” she said.

Effah noted that she started having an identity crisis in the industry as she didn’t know who she was anymore but was merely acting for the money.

Effah said, “I started losing myself in the characters I was playing. I didn’t know who I was anymore. Without acting, I had no identity. I had to go back to the basics and rediscover who I really am. It took me a while. Some people just noticed I was off the scene, but the truth is, I was away for over a year.”

Speaking on the journey into her new life, Effah said it was a way to honour her father saying “I come from a Navy family. I went to Nigerian Navy School in Port Harcourt (Rivers State), and my dad retired as a Navy commander. So, this life resonated with me. Joining the Navy felt like a way to honour my father.

“It was a bit of a challenge because I had just turned 40. But here I am, living the dream of being a sailor. Life over here (in the US) is a different ball game entirely, and the opportunity really challenged me.”