Nollywood actress Blessing Onwukwe, currently trending for her wicked role as Mama Monica in the popular YouTube movie MONICA 1 & 2, has disclosed the amount she was paid for her role, especially in Monica 2.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Yanga FM, the actress was asked how much she earned for her role, especially in the second part of the movie. She explained that although she would not disclose a specific figure, the amount was above one million naira
“E pass one million naira. I won’t call any particular amount, but it is more than one million naira,” she said.
When asked if the payment was the highest she has received in her acting career, Blessing Onwukwe said it was likely the biggest she has earned for a YouTube film or a single movie project. However, she noted that series productions are different since actors are usually paid per episode.
She further revealed that Monica 2 took about seven days to shoot due to some challenges, including the construction of a fence around the shop set used as Monica’s store. According to her, Monica 1 was shot within five days.
The actress also shared how she landed her well-known role in the Uche Montana-produced movie, explaining that it was not originally planned.
“She just called me one day and said, ‘Aunty B, tell me you are available, I don’t see anybody in this role except you.’ I then asked her to send the script,” she recalled.
After receiving the script, Blessing said she took time to study the character and think deeply about how to bring it to life.
“I started asking myself how I was going to bring this character to life. I had to create a background story so I could easily manipulate, gaslight, and do other things as the character. So I told her I was ready, and we went on set to shoot Monica 1with all the energy,” she said.
She added that she made creative adjustments to the script, including switching the character’s language to Pidgin English to better fit the “Mama Monica” personality. According to her, the original script was not written in Pidgin or English, but she adapted it based on her vision for the character.
Although it was challenging on the first day, she said she gradually adjusted and became more comfortable as filming continued, with support from the director and crew.
Reacting to the success of Monica 2, which has now crossed over 10 million views on YouTube since its release on Saturday, May 2, Blessing said she is overwhelmed by the response.
“I don’t have words to describe it. I am overwhelmed. I knew people would like part one, and I also knew they would like part two. I remember going live on TikTok several times saying I couldn’t wait for people to see what we did in part two,” she said.
She added that she was on another movie set when she received the news of the release.
“When someone called me that it had been dropped, I went on YouTube and I couldn’t believe it,” she added.
Blessing Onwukwe is currently one of the most talked-about names on social media following her intense portrayal of Mama Monica in MONICA 1 & 2. Her “wicked role” has sparked massive reactions online, with fans turning several of her scenes and expressions into memes and jokes. Some of her lines from the movie are also being widely shared and used humorously across platforms. Pictures and clips from the film have flooded timelines, with users creatively editing them into viral content.
While many are praising her convincing performance, others have jokingly compared her level of “wickedness” in the role to veteran actress Patience Ozokwor, who is widely known for playing similar strict and villainous characters in Nollywood.
