Christine Wawira: Navigating Life in the US While Keeping My Kenyan Roots Alive

At the outset of her acting career, Christine Wawira Njagi chose to go by a stage name after she felt her name was too difficult to pronounce. 

She decided to look up Arabic names and eventually decided on Naila, which means one who acquires and attains. The Kenyan actress and model was also influenced by her favourite actor Pierce Brosnan known for playing James Bond. As a result, she became Naila Pierce. When she moved to Los Angeles and was getting her headshots printed, the man doing it was Indian and he was surprised to learn that her name wasn’t Kenyan.

At age 12, Wawira had already lived on three different continents. She was born in Kenya and spent the first seven years of her life growing up in Nairobi’s Eastleigh. Her family then moved to London and eventually to the US. She has always wanted to be an actress, and now at 35, she is making her dreams a reality.

At North Cobb High School in the US, Wawira was drawn to drama and was able to pursue her love of acting. Her credits include an impressive 17 Hollywood movies including Hola America, Modern Family, Justice with Judge Mablean, Night Call, and Hacksaw. She was even awarded Best Actress at the 2016 Diaspora Entertainment Awards and Recognition (Dear) for her role in Night Call. Dear Awards recognizes outstanding people and organizations across various fields from all over the world.

In addition to acting, Christine is also a Hypnobabies instructor, a birth technique she hopes to roll out in Kenya. After she was fired from her corporate job, her best friend persuaded her to join the sales industry but she was hesitant to ditch her hourly employment for a commission-based one. Regarding her acting prospects, she reveals that she is in communication with a Kenyan filmmaker in the US and that they are framing captivating concepts for movies they will construct.

As a parting shot, Ms Wawira says, “Just know that in life, there must be duality. Ask yourself this, how will I ever experience bliss if I don’t go through the dark times? We appreciate the light because we know what it’s like to be in the dark. You have to have that contrast. Also, don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is part of success. You cannot have one without the other.  So, the faster you’re willing to fail, the faster you’re able to get back up.”