In a society where culture and values are waning so abysmally with its attendant negative tolls on marriage institutions and the society at large, Mrs. Luckie Gyan, known in the creative arts industry as Luckie Lawson, stands out.

To the famed talented actress, her family comes first. And according to Gyan, the choice to put more effort into building her family rather than her acting career, has long been made.

She opens up to Weekend Sun on how her decision to get married and have children has helped her to see life in a dif­ferent perspective. She also narrated how she was transformed from a common Iced Water seller to an actress and her burn­ing passion to assist the helpless in the society.

Excerpts:

Who is Luckie Gyan?

That is a very difficult question, but one thing I know for sure is I’m God-fearing, I’m a family type of person, I think I’m friendly, although people who are far from me don’t think so. The major thing that makes me happy is my family. I also love being busy all the time. I normally like people to describe me because I always have a difficulty describing myself.

So you do movies, how did you get there?

Well, I started off wanting to be a fashion designer and then I watched a movie of Genevieve Nnaji and Ramsey Noah. I fell in love with the story line and the act. I thought I could do bet­ter, so I said; this is what I want to do. I moved to the United States of America and when I came on vacation, I went to a couple of auditions, but I didn’t make it.

So, I went back to the States. I came back with a story I had written and wanted to produce. That was when I met Uncle Emmanuel Armah, who introduced me to Frank Rajah and Kalsome Sinare. So after that, I went to Nigeria with the idea that I wanted to shoot my movie with all the stars; Omotola, Genevieve Nnaji, Jim Iyke, Ramsey Noah, all with me in one movie but apparently I was just joking. I got there and I realised that film making was not a joke.

So I came back and one audition after another I was finally cast in a movie called Mummy’s Daughter. My second movie was Frozen Emotion with the Late Kwame Owusu-Ansah and Se­lasie Ibrahim. Then the movie that made me an actress, I believe, is my third movie which was titled; “Royal Battle” and that’s how my career started.

Which year are we talking about?

That was 2006/2007

What’s one of the things that in­spired you to do movies?

I’ve always wanted to be in some­body’s shoes and to be able to tell the story so well that it feels like your experi­ence. Because the movies that I watched made me believe that the acts were real.

Do you have other talents?

One thing I know I’m really good at is fashion. I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer. I used to do a lot of sketching. I even designed my prom dress and for other mates.

How big do you expect your acting career to go?

I think now I’m more focused on being a family woman, more of a mother. Now I reject script, I only act when I’m free. I am not taking it as work like I used to. Lately, I’m not working so hard on the movie career. I love acting but now even if I act only a movie a year, it satisfies my thirst.

What is the philosophy that has brought you this far?

Life is what you made it.

What are some of your fears in life?

The major fear is that I would not be able to raise my children right. In my career, I don’t have no fear in it but as a person that I am today, my fear is that I might fail to set the right foundation for my kids. So I’m keen on avoiding that occurrence and want them to be “some­body” in life.

Do you think your fans have treated you well?

They have been awesome, they make me feel like I’m untouchable to insults.

I don’t really get the insults. One time I read something online that really hurt me, it was about my marriage; that I had divorced my husband and someone com­mented saying: “that’s what the man gets from marrying a celebrity. They are all prostitutes.

I was shocked, but you are not supposed to let those things get to you. But because I had never heard anybody saying such about me, I took it to heart. However I came to the realisation that people would always talk about you be­cause you are in their house without their permission; they see you even if they don’t want to see you.

What are some of the happiest mo­ments of your life?

When I had my kids and in the enter­tainment industry, when I was nominated as the best actress. But for the woman I have become, I would say that every time I see my kids, I’m filled with joy.

How many awards have you won?

Never

But do you think that you need an award before you would be convinced that you have made a mark in the industry?

No. I’m very fine. The reason is that I see things differently. Once you are doing what you love, you don’t need anyone to give you an applause. Although I would say that those who win awards deserve it. What I mean is, I’m content with what I’ve done and what I have.

There is this perception that women in showbiz cannot keep a home to­gether, so, how do you do it?

I don’t think it’s only in showbiz. Every career woman struggles one way or the other because you have to divide yourself between work and family. But because we celebrities are always in people’s faces, they hear so much about us much more than people in other professions. Women in other careers also struggle to keep their homes together be­cause some choose the work over family. It’s about choices.

When you were getting married, did you ever think that your career might affect your marriage?

No, I didn’t think so. Why should my personal life affect my work? It was a choice I made later on to put my family first. I choose to put more efforts into my family than my career. I love acting, but I have other businesses as well, some of which I even make more money than I do in acting. I have a restaurant and my NGO as well. I love my privacy, so I’m cautious about the fame.

Has there been any time that your husband stopped you from doing a role?

No, he actually teases me about them. He understands it’s the job. He just feels I know what is best for me. The person who made me change my perspective on scripts was my son. He watched a movie in which I was killed and he actually thought I was dead. He was crying until he came to the bedroom and realised I’m okay. So, I always ask myself what would be his reaction to whatever role I play. I’m rather careful about my children feelings

How do you manage being a mother, a wife, an actress and run your restaurant at the same time?

I just take it one day at a time. I always plan and I thank God for the grace.

What is the NGO about?

I grew up not too comfortable, there were times in my family we went to bed without food, I used to sell ice water and I was almost raped three times. So when I came back from the U.S. after over ten years there and I saw children on the streets, I decided to start a foundation called “Take my Hand”. There were some difficulties with that because I realised that most of the children were breadwinners of their fami­lies. So now I have some donors in the U.S who donate books which I come and donate to schools and kids in Ghana.

I have begun shooting a series called “beyond beauty” that tells the story of poor and helpless people on the streets. So my focus is more of creating aware­ness of certain things we take for granted. My NGO is more of the voice for the voiceless.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

In the next five years, if I’m right here, I wouldn’t mind because looking at where I started from, I’ve really come far. In five years, I should have been able to lay a solid foundation, especially financially, for my children. I would also want to be known for changing the life of someone through my NGO. I would like to change someone’s story.