From starring in Phone Swap (2012) to King of Boys: The Return of the King (2021), Nse Ikpe-Etim has been a delight to watch on our screens. She came to prominence in 2009 for her role as Omoze in Reloaded.  Even over a decade later, the actress is still performing excellently in the industry. This attributes to the fact that she mirrors the characters she plays in her films really well. She has starred in two films released this year: Netflix’s Shanty Town and Ebony Life’s A Sunday Affair. 

In Shanty Town,  Ikpe-Etim plays Ene, the leader of a sex-work organisation. She assists Scar (Chidi Mokeme), the leader of a criminal empire involved in prostitution, drugs and human trafficking. She helps run the prostitution arm of the criminal empire, however, she later collaborates with Inem (Ini Edo), the former leader of the organisation,  to bring Scar down. In the limited series, she is able to draw the audience in with her character, especially when she fights for the sex workers each time Scar tries to take advantage of them. We also empathise with her whenever Scar disrespects and gets violent with her. 

Ikpe-Etim plays Uche in  A Sunday Affair. She falls in love with Sunday, an attractive man she meets at her sister’s wedding. They have an affair, but her best friend Toyin (Dakore Egbuson-Akande), warns her to stay away from Sunday because they learn that he is married. Uche and Toyin eventually end up falling in love with Sunday, without any of the friends knowing. According to The Actors Place, a good actor is “someone who can make the audience perceive the right feelings”. This is what Ikpe-Etim does in the two films. She takes us through a roller coaster of emotions. In A Sunday Affair, we empathise with her when she is taken advantage of by Sam (Chris Iheuwa), the investor of the art gallery that she manages. We also empathise with her when she has to watch Sunday settle for her best friend, Toyin. We feel frustrated as well, when Uche finds herself in a dilemma where she has to choose between her best friend and the man she loves. 

Nse Ikpe-Etim not only entertained us this month, but also showed us her versatility. She has starred in other films such as Mr. and Mrs., Fifty, A Trip to Jamaica, Fine Wine and Quam’s Money amongst others. We hope to see her in more films this year and in years to come.