In the realm of cinematic brilliance, No Way Through, another blockbuster by Inkblot’s Productions emerges as a captivating thriller. The film enraptures audiences with its stellar performances by A-list actors such as; Funke Akindele, Chioma Chukwuka, Seun Ajayi, Chidi Mokeme, Sheggz Olusemo, Jnr. Pope, Eso Dike, Roberta Orioma, Ikechukwu, and Nengi Adoki.
Venturing beyond the surface of this film’s suspenseful narrative, we delved into the creative minds of the cast during an exclusive screening at the prestigious Filmhouse Cinema Landmark Center. Our interviews unearth the intricate challenges, immersive experiences, and compelling journey each actor undertook to breathe life into their characters, revealing the unseen layers of this cinematic masterpiece.
Explore with us, the captivating journey through the minds of acclaimed actors. From the seasoned Seun Ajayi to the captivating Roberta Orioma, alongside the charismatic Ikechukwu and the mega superstar presence of Chidi Mokeme. Join Glazia in this exclusive interview as we unravel each artist’s unique perspectives and insights into the compelling narrative of ‘No Way Through.’ Enjoy!
No Way Through – Cast Interview
Seun Ajayi
Glazia: Hello, please introduce yourself to our audience.
Seun Ajayi: Hi, guys. My name is Seun Ajayi. I play the character Jude in the movie, No Way Through.
Glazia: Can you share insights into the complex dynamics between your character and others in “No Way Through”? How did you approach portraying these relationships to bring depth and authenticity to the crime thriller?
Seun Ajayi: So the dynamic between my character and most of the rest is that Jude is a police officer who’s hell-bent on his goals and he would achieve those goals at the expense of anyone. He’s not an empathetic guy and he’s not very kind, so he goes for what he wants and he gets what he wants.
Glazia: What was the most challenging part of production for you?
Seun Ajayi: I think the most challenging part of production for me was navigating the various shoot locations. We had a bunch of locations to shoot from. so shooting in all those different places at the same time was challenging. Sometimes big company moves—things like that.
Glazia: Who should someone see this movie and why?
Seun Ajayi: I think lovers of crime dramas and people who love to see the cast in action should come out and watch this film.
Glazia: How did you make your character so believable? How did you step into that role?
Seun Ajayi: To be honest, for me, it always starts from loving the character already as it is on the page. When you love the character and you don’t judge the character, you get into it. Okay, what are his motivations? Why is he the way he is? I think it’s a process of study. It’s a process of study where you know a lot about the character, then it helps. Do you get what I’m saying?
Glazia: Yes we do. Thank you for your time.
Roberta Orioma
Glazia: Hello, please introduce yourself to our audience.
Roberta: Hi, my name is Roberta Orioma. I play Ejide in No Way Through. I’m excited about this film and can’t wait to see it. I can’t wait for everybody to see it. I had so much fun on set, working with the cast, and the crew. The director was amazing. Inkblot is amazing, so it’s been fun. It was like a big family, and it was so enjoyable. A lot of people made me feel so welcome on set, and, yeah, I’m excited.
Glazia: Crime thrillers often require intense preparation. What challenges did you face in getting into the mindset of your character?
Roberta: The most challenging part of the production. Do you mean after I’ve gotten the role? Yeah. Let’s see. Well, I think. I would like to think that the role itself was, like playing a character. I can’t talk about this film like that, I can’t give details, yes?
Okay. Playing a character like Ejide, who loves her mom, and then gets to a place where she realizes that her mom is not who she thinks she is. But then all her life she has been on this path of good, being good, following her mom in being good, and doing things the right way. Ejide soon realizes that her hero hasn’t always done things the right way. So, now, she’s trying to reconcile that with who the mom is and then portraying all of these emotions. I’ll say these complexities were challenging.
I think it was interesting for me, trying to just walk through the complexity of that and still never letting go of the underlying love and whatever emotion was coming out of this character. I mean, I loved doing it. I loved figuring it out. I loved breaking down the character. Breaking down the story.
Glazia: How did you prepare for the emotional and psychological demands of the roles in the film?
Roberta: Well, I stayed with the character. I thought about the character, I thought about what growing up for this character was like. I thought about the differences between me as Roberta and this character and what the similarities are and then I had to step away from me to fully become her..
Glazia: So tell us; who should see this film?
Everybody should see it because it’s so good. I love the character and I love the film. Everybody should see it because you’ll enjoy it.
Ikechukwu
Glazia: Hello, please introduce yourself to our audience.
Ikechukwu: Hi. My name is Ikechwuku Onunako, and I play Christian in No Way Through. The location is in the hood and when I say the hood, I mean truly, like, the hood. The hood in the trenches, so literally in the trenches.
Glazia: What was the most challenging part of the production?
The weather! There was a lot of mud, a lot of rain, so a lot of wet areas, and a lot of hood hoodness. Not only was it hot, there was a lot of action, a lot of action scenes. So being pulled up in a little corner, being squeezed up, sweating, all that waiting, repeating the scenes over and over again. Then there were the action scenes that required running across the trench, being chased, flipping over, and then having to do that repeatedly. Yeah, them type things.
Glazia: We watched it, so we know all about the action.
Ikechukwu: Oh, you’ve seen it? I haven’t seen it, though. Was it good?
Glazia: You played Christain so well.
Glazia: Can you share insights into the complex dynamics between your character and others? How did you approach managing all the relationships between everybody?
Ikechukwu: My character was caught between being a law enforcement officer and a brother on a mission of revenge and that mission of revenge often pushed him into forms of criminality. So, I mean, dealing with a lot of TV that I’ve watched over the years and watching a lot of law enforcement shows and just seeing similar characters play in similar types of roles, I embodied all that. I tried to embody as much of that as possible. So with my partner, I play good cop bad cop a lot.
Also with the character that Funke was playing, playing a lot of good cop, and bad cop, there was a lot of intensity. Then at the same time, I’m also trying to be as cunning and as blank until the reveal. I try sha.This one I just broke it down like this. I didn’t think about it until now, but, yeah, that’s it.
Glazia: So why should someone see this film?
Ikechukwu: Because I think it’s a different mix of characters. When you look at the cast, you have Chidi Mokeme, you have Chioma Akpotha, you have Seun Ajayi, and you have me. I haven’t been in any production with any of these people before and I love all of them. I revere all of them, I believe they are all like, alté type of actors and when I say that, what I’m trying to say is that they’re not your typical cliche actors. They have a certain je ne sais quoi to them that makes them different.
And watching this, you can tell that everybody’s bringing that bit of themselves to their characters. They’re making the characters their own, they’re embodying it, and they’re pushing the limits.
Glazia: Thank you so much for speaking with us.
Chidi Mokeme
Glazia: Hello Bossman! You need no introduction, so we’re just going to ask flat out; why should someone see this film?
Chidi Mokeme: You should see it because it is the baddest ever. Have you seen a combination of Chidi Mokeme and Chioma Chukwukuka as a couple? That’s the baddest combo, you haven’t seen anything like it before. You must check it out. Watch the movie exclusive on Prime Video Naija.