By Ayo Onikoyi

From a starry-eyed starlet to a rising star and one in demand, Stephanie Zibili has traveled the long distance on the acting fields.

Still in her early 20s, she has made her name count, particularly being a staple  for movie lovers on Africa Magic, starring in two series; Tinsel and Riona.

In a chat with Potpourri, the beauty of a talent confesses her love for art and her obsession for acting in particular, explaining why it is such a big deal to her.

Hear her: “I’m a lover of the arts. Everything about art fascinates me. To me, life is art. Growing up I loved watching classical films, cartoons and all. When watching,  I wished I could be doing what they were doing. I always wished I was the one doing the acting or singing. So for me, acting has always been a passion, something I had always wanted to do. I wouldn’t trade anything for being an actor.

“Getting to play certain roles and getting to bring some characters to life or getting to touch people in different ways is everything and more to me. Being an actor is the best career there is. Of course, I have other businesses I do but my passion lies in acting. Acting is what I love and I get paid doing what I love. It’s amazing.”

Stephanie said she’s not afraid of the sacrifices that come with the terrain as they are stepping stones. She said they are necessary evils to put you on the pedestal to the land of your dreams. And already, for the rising star, the dreams are becoming a reality.

 “It involves your whole mind, creativity and everything. There are a lot of silent and loud sacrifices everyone can see, depending on the kind of character or shooting you are doing as an actor,” she noted.

Having weathered the storm and beaten by the rain of the vicissitudes of the industry, Stephanie Zibili said she’s not afraid to take on any role, adding that she has no preferences or dreads when it comes to role interpretation.

“As an actor, I don’t think I have a character I dread because every character I have to play has its qualities. Every story is special and different. So, there is no specific character I hate or I especially love. I really love to try challenging roles. I would really love to explore more as an actor, so far the story is good. I love the story and it’s a good production, I’m in for it. I just love to play characters that touch people and they can relate to it and people see it and get inspired, she stated matter-of-factly.