Veteran actress Blessing Onwukwe has revealed that her role in the 2026 Nollywood sensation Monica 2 earned her a payday exceeding ₦1 million.
In a candid interview with Yanga FM on Tuesday, May 5, the actress—who has been trending for her intense portrayal of the manipulative “Mama Monica”—confirmed that the sequel to the viral hit was a significant financial and professional milestone for her.
The Million-Naira Milestone
While Nollywood actors rarely disclose specific contract figures, Onwukwe was open about the scale of her earnings for the production:
- Surpassing the Mark: “Monica passed one million… it passed one million for Monica II,” she stated. While she declined to give the exact final figure, she emphasized it was comfortably above the seven-figure threshold.
- Landing the Role: The actress shared that the opportunity came via a sudden phone call. After reading the script, she spent time building a complex “background story” for the character before even arriving on set.
- Commercial Success: The pay reflects the film’s massive digital footprint. Monica 2, produced by Uche Montana, reportedly racked up over 6.4 million views on YouTube/FilmFlux within its first 24 hours of release and has since surpassed 17 million views.
The “Mama Monica” Backlash
Despite the financial reward, Onwukwe admitted that playing such a polarizing character has come with unexpected personal costs:
- Confusing Fiction with Reality: In a separate interview with Sunday Scoop, she revealed that some fans have attacked her personally on social media, unable to separate her real-life persona from the “wicked” mother she plays on screen.
- The Message: Onwukwe has used the buzz to advocate for firstborn children, urging parents to stop “burdening” their eldest kids with the responsibility of raising their siblings—a central theme in the movie’s plot.
