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Friday, February 8, 2013

Presenting Yoruba Nollywood Actor - Yinka Quadri



HOW did you begin your acting career?
I can’t actually say how the whole thing started but the story of my life has been so interesting. I have been through a lot in life because the journey has been rough and smooth, so to say. I was born in the early 60’s. I attended St. Catholic School, Idumagbo for my primary education and proceeded to Christ High School, Ebute Elefun. When I got to class three, I dropped out of school but this has got nothing to do with poverty. It was not connected with money because my dad was a very influential man, and when I say influential, you can imagine what that means those days. I opted out of school to learn business so that I could take over my dad’s business

YOU are often addressed as Kura or Fagbamila by your fans. How did you come about these names?
Fagbamila came before Kura. In those days, if you didn't partake in traditional theatre performances, you were not a force to be reckoned with in the Yoruba theatre industry.

How long have you been acting?
I recall that I started in 1977 under the umbrella of theate Taiwo Olayinka, a.k.a Agbodorogun. Back then, only artistes who starred in theatre performances were recognized; so, that was when I chose Fagbamila as my stage name. As time went by, I became the leader of a travelling theatre known as Adetutu and I wrote a play titled Olaniyonu for the  Lagos Television,  the known LTV 8, Ikeja, Lagos.

What year was that?
That was in 1985 and I played the role of Fagbamila, meaning a herbalist who helps people in need. I remember that there was also a character called Ifadare who was always using his powers to carry out evil acts. After Olaniyonu, I produced so many other serials for LTV8. These productions were a huge success and that was how the name stuck.
In 1989, I was called again to come and present a special programme for the festive season and at that time, an artiste lived solely on productions, stage performances and radio programmes. There were a couple of films then, but nothing like home videos and productions were done on celluloid, which was very expensive. These special productions were aired in series on television for about two hours during such festivities.
This particular story was a crime story and towards that time, my father; a native of Igbomina Owomeje in Kwara State and a member of a club that brought about development in the community. Usually, during a meeting at any member's house, there must be some form of entertainment (food and drinks).
I recall that about six of them were eating and someone had already eaten two pieces of meat out of five. He was on the verge of taking a third one when my father said,' No way, Kura ni wo yi o.’

Obviously, that meant the person was a thief?
(Interjects) Oh, no! That was not what the statement meant. Thereafter, I asked my mother for a translation and she said that it was a Hyena that the Yoruba call Kura. She said the animal is such a wild one and the Yoruba often call it 'Ajekujeran'. It’s so powerful and loves eating meat. I felt that it could be a metaphor for someone that's tough, not necessarily wicked.
This was at a time when I was writing a crime script and I adopted the name Kura, and it was a widely accepted production as well. The movie was titled Kutupu and I played the character, Kura. In 1992, I wrote another story which I titled Kura and that was how the name stuck till date.

You started out in 1977 as an actor and that is over 35 years ago. Would you mind taking about some of the challenges you have faced in the past years?
There have been challenges here and there, but I thank God that I have been able to overcome them. In anything you want to do in life, challenges abound, but the most important thing is that God has helped me to pull through.
The greatest challenge is that as an artiste, you cannot be your real self. For instance, I was born on Lagos Island and relocated to the mainland in the ‘80s. Sometimes, I desire to pay a visit to the Island to see things that have changed, but I'm scared of the crowd that my presence will attract. It pains me that I have lost that kind of privacy.
At times, I just feel like going sight- seeing just like any normal person, but the thought that one may be mobbed creeps into my mind and I can't go. I could be coming back from a location and feel like going to the market to pick up some items but, you suddenly discover that even the traders would almost scare you (chuckles). Sometimes, this is uncalled for, but what can you do? Apart from that in this industry, you have to be respectful, loyal and dedicated, despite all the limitations I mentioned earlier. Sometimes, people misinterpret your good intentions. There are hypocrites, talented people, God-fearing people and devil-incarnate in this industry, so while you are trying to be a good person, some people will hate you for not dancing to their tune. The Englishman would say, 'If you cannot beat them, join them', but it’s not possible to join bad people. These are all challenges in the industry.

Was your decision to act a spontaneous thing or were you influenced by some events that had happened in the past?
It all happened on the morning of July 16, 1977. At that time, I was with one of my bosses, an architect whom I worked with when I dropped out of school in class three and my dad asked me to undergo apprenticeship.

Why did you drop out of school?
(Pauses) It's a long story! A cousin of mine was working with my dad, who was a very established trader on Lagos Island. He worked with him for 16 years. In my town, it’s just like someone who goes to school, so he or she would be expected to graduate someday. Consequently, his parents wanted him to leave. But he was very loyal to my father who wondered was bothered about who would look after his business for him.

It became a serious issue that dragged on for over four years. It got so bad that people murmured in some quarters that my father was 'using his destiny, as the Yoruba would say. And I wasn’t happy about it. At that point, I told my Dad to allow him to leave and I voluntarily dropped out of school to take over his business. It was a difficult decision and my father reluctantly accepted. My cousin thought me the basics of running the business for about three months before he left.

Didn't you nurse the idea of going back to school after you had established yourself?
In truth, I ought to have gone back, but acting has become a passion for me.
I had already started out from school, but I joined my Dad's business in 1978. My Dad felt that rather than drop out of school just like that, I should go to Alhaji Lawal who's an architect to learn some form of handwork, which was an addition to acting. It was during this that I met one of my friends, Fatai Alabi.
We joined forces because we liked the Theatre as we were inspired by the late Ade Love, Hubert Ogunde and Kola Ogunmola. Glover Hall was the only hall on Lagos Island then and our Uncles used to take us along to watch stage shows. We had a meeting at Moshalashi Street in Obalende and we took off from there.

That means you started off with stage performances?
It's funny because we went to buy drums and we called a few friends to join us on July 16, 1977. We went on for about a year and after wards, somebody introduced the late Taiwo Olayinka to us because he noticed that we were interested in acting.  But he didn't go about it the right way. This man (Olayinka) used to be under Sir James who was a Floor Manager with The Nigerian Television Authority and also doubles as an artiste. He's still very much alive.

Where is he now?
I can not say precisely, but I know he later moved to LTV8.Taiwo Olayinka was a printer and he accepted to be our leader so as to give us a sense of direction.

In other words, you were like a moving theatre?
Yes, a travelling theatre.

Did you give your group a name?
We used to be known as Afopina before Olayinka came and he changed the name to Isale Oro. This further put us in the limelight for another two years. He trained us well. Thanks to him, we knew how to commercialize theatre, how to book a hall, sell tickets for stage productions, how to dance and other things. In January, 1981,Taiwo Olayinka decided to form his own group and had to leave ours. He said he wanted to be his own boss. It was at that point that we also decided to change the name of our group to Adetutu Theatre Organisation.

What was the first stage play from your stable?
The title is so long such that I may not be able to repeat it here. In those days, if your title wasn't strongly worded and laced with Yoruba idioms, you were not recognized as a theatre practitioner. That's why till now, most people think I studied Yoruba due to my rich interpretation in movies, but I often tell people that if you are very passionate about what you do, you'll be improving as the days go by. My first television series was Agbodorogun followed by Egberin Ote, which was an adaptation of a book that secondary school students used for Yoruba Language in the O’Level examinations in 1984.

Really?
Yes. We staged it throughout Lagos State in schools. I sought permission from the author of the book as well as The Ministry of Education and we were given the go-ahead to stage it. It was later adapted as a television series too. Araba, Olaniyonu and a host of others followed suite.
As the world keeps evolving, the theatre industry was also growing. It was around 1988 that home video came about and as such, there was no time for a moving theatre any more. You could become an independent producer and call people to partake in your production.

How were you able to transit from a stage performer to acting in movies. Was the transition a difficult one?
The transition was quite an easy one because it showed that there's an improvement in the industry. It's not easy to perform on stage because you need to keep moving with costumes and other props. But in the case of movies, it goes round the world and gives you less trouble in terms of production.

What was your first home video?
That would be Ekun and it was released in 1989. It was the late Alade Aromire's movie. I must state that I was the second person to bring out a home video in Nigeria. That was even before Kenneth Nnebue released the popular Igbo movie, Living in Bondage.

Not many people know this.
Well, I am telling you now. Before Nnebue brought out Living in Bondage, I was one of his pioneer actors because he started out with Yoruba movies. You can go and ask him. Not many people know this, but I really don't think it’s necessary to blow my trumpet. Fatai Adetayo( Lalude) and I used to work for Nnebue. Out of the 27 Yoruba movies he released, I can humbly say that I featured in 23. It was after the release of these movies that he did Living in Bondage. With that release, the Igbo part of Nollywood claim that they pioneered home videos in Nigeria, which is not true. I can categorically tell you that it's not true.

Most of the characters you portray in movies depict the rich proverbs and culture of the Yoruba'. Apart from the fact that you dropped out of school, how do you handle these roles so well?
I can only give thanks to God. You know, in anything you do, you need to put God first and that's just what I do.

There seems to be some sort of discrimination among actors in the English home movie sector and their Yoruba counterparts in terms of crossover roles.  What is your take on this?
I am sorry to say this, but most of these actors in the English home movie sector are terrible. For instance, English as a medium of expression, is nobody's language, every one just speaks it. It is not our father's language anyway,  but Yoruba is. The fact that there may be so many English movies around does not mean that they are better than their Yoruba counterparts.
This was seen as a challenge in the past and that was the reason why most Yoruba artistes began to do cross-over roles. But the twist is that when you get to the market, the Igbo marketers sell English movies and Yoruba marketers sell ours. These marketers refused to sell our movies and we decided to promote our own films worldwide in our own way. We feel that this is even a plus for us as artistes. This is because we would be selling our culture to the rest of the world.
If you look back, you will notice that Nollywood started off with Igbo films before English films. Most developed countries like America, China and India turn out films in their indigenous languages and we felt the need to do the same with our Yoruba movies. That is why we try to make the standard of our productions very high.  From our research, we found out that it is even the indigenous language that viewers abroad enjoy. I think our indigenous films carry more weight than English movies.
The truth's that Yoruba productions can equally match up with the English ones. There has been a decrease in the sale of English movies now. Ghanaians have taken over in the continent and they have made it clear that any artiste that wants to come from Nigeria to shoot a movie in Ghana must pay some sort of fee. This is because they now have a well- established movie industry as well.
There was a certain Chinese movie that won an Oscar Award. How did this happen? It was simply because the entire movie was done in Chinese Language and it was subtitled. If they can achieve that feat, what stops a Yoruba film from doing the same? I am not making negative comments about Nollywood, but when we go abroad, some of our fans make us understand that if not for our indigenous movies, their children wouldn't have been able to learn the language. That alone motivates us to do better.

Does that mean you do not intend to do any form of cross-over production?
(Cuts in) I do not discriminate and I can say the same for most of my colleagues. You will have noticed that during the making of some Yoruba movies, we do invite our colleagues, either an Igbo or Hausa speaking person, for certain roles. But what I frown at is bringing in a neutral person who does not understand the language to partake in a movie; but we don't discriminate. We invite cross-over artistes when the need arises.

Do you have any English production to your credit?
Of course, I have. If you cast your mind back to the rested soap opera, Palace, I was part of the cast, but I didn't do a movie.

You have been in the make-belief world for over 30 years. How fulfilled are you? Have you ever thought at some point to delve into other things?
Looking back now, I really don't think there's any other thing that I can do that would have brought me fame and wealth like acting. I am fulfilled and I always thank God for His mercies.
My parents were very rich, but I if not for the industry, I would have ended up a trader. Even if I was one, would I be able to buy or quantify the honour I get now? Definitely no. Even if we get to the Presidential Villa today as artistes, I am sure President Goodluck Jonathan will surely recognize us because we have come a long way.

Do you have children who have decided to tread your path as an actor?
Well, I have seen one or two indicate interest, but the agreement I have with them is that even if they want to become an actor or actress, education is key and they must study to a reasonable level before doing that. If that is done, I have no problem with them.

Apart from the late Ade Love, do you have other role models?
No. For me, it’s Ade Love and no one else.

What are your future plans?
I desire to become an international actor.

What advice do you have for your colleagues as well as the up and coming ones in the industry?
The future of the industry is really bright and if we improve in terms of production, story-wise, the use of techniques and most importantly, be good actors, the industry will uplift Nigeria as a whole. I would advise all of us to keep up the good work, be dedicated and loyal in this business and above all, be prayerful.

You seem to have reduced the number of acting roles you take, as you are hardly seen in home videos, compared to some years back, why?
I have reached a level in my life where I should not just take any script that comes my way. By the grace of God I have lived a comfortable life till date, I don’t believe in rush-ing to loca-tions to feature in every film because I want to live well. I am comfortable with what I have been able to achieve and I thank God for that. Believe me, I will be acting as special guest on set and transform into a big time producer, because I believe there is no age limit and there is limited stress in being a producer. I just took some time out to relax and pave way for the upcoming ones to grow and learn their lines well.

Sometimes ago, you were alleged to have fueled the dissolution of Saheed Balogun’s marriage to Fathia, what actually went wrong?
I don’t know anything about that; in fact, I am one of those who tried to make sure the marriage did not crash but there was nothing more or less I could do to salvage the situation when it was getting out of hands.

But he accused Odunfa caucus of ruining his marriage and you happen to be the leader of that caucus?
I am hearing this for the first time. How can you say something that has no element of truth in it? I don't know anything about his crashed marriage.

What’s your relationship with your friend, Ogogo like, how have you been able to live without a clash?
He’s my friend and we understand each other very well. I have known him for many years and we have never had any reason to raise our voices against each other. I believe our coming together was the will of God. We are thinking of holding a celebration of our friendship one day and we have had the chance to sit and talk over it. I can tell you that he’s a wonderful friend.

How did you feel when it was argued that his illness was connected to drug trafficking?
Honestly, I was outraged. As far as am concerned, his illness had nothing to do with hard drugs. Let me tell you that even when the going was very tough for him, he never partook in any illicit act, let alone now that God has blessed him. I don’t like the way our people react to issues sometimes. I told him that it is the price you have to pay for being a celebrity.

If you say Ogogo was not involved in drug trafficking, how would you explain Wunmi’s case, it was widely reported that she was caught in the act and these two are members of your caucus?
Wunmi’s case was an unfortunate incident and I felt so bad about it. She was just not contented with what she had and she has regretted her action. If you see her now, you will know that she is now a totally reformed person. We really felt bad about the ugly incident, it was highly disgraceful but it had nothing to do with our caucus.

What is the greatest sacrifice you have ever made to get to this level?
You know that if you are engaged in something for the love of it, there is nothing you won’t do to perfect it. Fortunately for me, when I started, with little gains in the trade, I was able to get money to fund my passion from another source. I remember in 1986, I sold a 504 car to produce a movie, Ojiji with Prince Jide Kosoko.   In 1992, 1 sold a whole house to produce another movie, Oloruka - this was when home video came. But because my family is well to do, I didn’t really feel the economic constraints as such and I thank God, today, I am one of those reaping from the industry.

With what you have been able to achieve in the industry, would you say you are successful?
I am successful as far as this profession is concerned; I am one of the few that have benefitted from this industry. Despite the fact that I am not educated, I have three children studying overseas, I have a fleet of cars and I know it won’t stop there by God’s grace. My prayer to God now is that he should help me so that I can complete my house and move in before the year runs out.

How have you been able to live a scandal-free life?
Staying away from scandal has to do with being cautious with the people you relate with, where you are found and things like that.

Is there something that makes you feel sad each time you remember?
The day my father died. That was a day that has remained indelible in my heart. This is not because he died but because he died when I needed him so much. I don’t even want to talk about it.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Presenting Nollywood Actress Ireti Osayemi




There is this tendency or is it assumption that Nollywood marriages don't last. How have you been able to sustain yours?
 It's been the grace of God . That's all I can say
You are not doing anything special?
I guess those whose marriages don't work-out do not pray for it to happen that way . It's just the grace of God. We all wish that our marriages work-out and we work towards it. Sometimes things go wrong along the line. Unexpected things happen that you can't handle and you need God to intervene . I'm not saying I'm perfect, I'm just saying God has been in control and should be in control.
Is the fact that both of you work in the same industry a plus or minus?
 For me, it's a plus. A big plus
Why is it a plus?
My husband understands my job, I don't have any problem with him. Imagine an actress, a mother, a wife going on location for 5 to 6 days and your husband is at home with the kids ? What will you tell him? That you will be on location for 6 days ? The man is an accountant.What will he think? My husband understands the nature of my job and he has no problem with that.
 How do you cope with rumors about you in this industry?
 Like I tell people, my husband is a don dada in the industry and before they know it, he knows all that its happening and people will have to think twice before peddling any kind of rumor to his hearing, because he knows about the rumor already.
 Is it because he's a don dada that you find it difficult to misbehave?
 No, that's not it. This is you, no matter how don dada your husband is, you will still be yourself. Do you understand? That's just me, people still bring rumor to him but we talk about it and we laugh over it. There was this location I went and he was working around there too and I felt let me go and stay with my husband since I've not seen him for two weeks. I left the location for his hotel and at that moment too another actor was leaving the location. He drove out first and I drove like 5mins after him and the next thing was that my husband got a gist that 'your wife just left with another actor and she is going to sleep there' That was even before I heard and it was not up to 24hrs .I actually slept with my husband that night.
 Has there been any rumor that really got to him, that really shook your marriage?
 No, there has never been. If you have been following our marriage very well, you'll know that there has been no rumor to that effect.
 Last time I was in your house, you were studying for an exam. Why are you still in school when you already have a career and you already have two children?
 My brother, you know you don't stop learning in life okay ? You have to forge ahead, you don't become stagnant. You have to look for a way to flow and you get knowledge from wherever you think you can get it . That's why I'm still schooling. I want to acquire more knowledge. I want to fit into any category, anywhere.
 What are you studying and where?
Economics, at LASU
What level are you?
400 Level
So, after you're done will you dump acting for a career in banking?
 (Laughs) No, not at all. I will continue acting.
How do you cope with your children?
I guess God has blessed me with wonderful children. Even when I'm not around, they don't really mind. All they need is to see somebody. It's God's favor anyway. You leave some kids for a while and on the second day they are running temperature. I have just been blessed.
 You seem to be scandal-proof, except for the rumor making the rounds when you first married your husband. How come you've been able to keep a scandal-free sheet?
 Well, basically, when you don't tread the lines of scandal, you don't get scandals. When you walk on a free and safe line, you'll definitely be free and safe but when you walk on the line of scandals, you definitely have scandals. That's just it. I don't go anywhere scandals originate. I don't do questionable things, I'm just myself.
How did you handle the rumor that you snatched somebody's husband?
Well, in most cases, your conscience will judge. I had no problem with that, because basically, a lot of people didn't know what was happening .They were just jumping into conclusions. The moment rumors start bothering you, you start living another person's life. So, that didn't bother me in anyway because I knew where I was coming from and where I am going and we both knew the initial problem. So we didn't need to go to the press to explain. We just didn't let it bother us.
 Are you happily married?
Yes, though there are ups and downs . Couples are two different people coming together to be one. So, you don't expect your husband to become you totally or vice versa. If you really love each other and you have God with you, you will definitely overcome hardship because you understand each other. Couples fight over little issues. Marriages have fallen apart because of toothpaste.
 The wife says 'why are you pressing the toothpaste from the middle? You must be a bush man and her husband will say, maybe I'm a bush man but could you explain how to press the toothpaste? Another husband may say, what do you mean? Who brought you to Lagos that you have the guts to talk to me like that? Are you mad? And a fight ensues. It's just your level of understanding that matters. Always remember that you cannot be right always.
 Did you have challenges in getting close and personal with him at the beginning of your relationship?
 Truly, we were friends from the onset. We were more of friends than a couple. When I'm talking to some people, I sometimes tell them that my husband said this or that and they feel so strange wondering how my husband can say this to me? I tell him a lot of things and he does likewise . That's why when you talk about me outside and you feel it will get to him,it doesn't, because he knows it already. I don't hide anything from him and I guess he has hidden nothing from me.I know that.
Why must you guess, aren't you sure?
No, I'm very sure he has hidden nothing from me.
How do you feel winning the afrohollywood laurel?
Well, I'm very happy. It's so amazing when you are recognized in your field and somebody is actually telling you that you're doing well. Not just somebody but a lot of people are saying 'we enjoy watching you do what you do'and they feel for that, you should be given an award. I feel so happy, because it motivates me to move on in the industry that I have improved and that I can do better. I say thank you to the organizers, I say thank you to my fans, I say thank you to my husband and everybody that made it happen.
 Do you think you deserve the award?
(Chuckles) Life is full of opinions. Some might say she doesn't deserve the award while others may say she deserves it. Lati gba ti alaye ti daye ni iru e ti n sele (It's been like that since the beginning). You can't be everybody's friend, you can't be everybody's age mate. It's normal if everyone doesn't like you because if everybody loves you, you need to go check yourself.
 Why do you avoid your colleagues?
That's just me. I don't think there is anybody in the industry who will say 'Ireti is not my friend'. We are all colleagues and we get along. In most cases, friendship in the industry is sometimes difficult, because this man might even be out for the next twelve months and besides, I'm not the type that keeps so many friends. It's not as if there is anything wrong with keeping friends. It's just me.
What should we expect from you in 2011?
Well, like I always say, the best is yet to come, watch out for more from Ireti.
 Will you be producing your movie by yourself in 2011?
 Yes, by the grace of God.
Should we expect another child from you in 2011?
(Laughs) Well from my side, I don't think I am expecting any one now but you never know what God wants to do next. That's why I am saying from my side. For me, I am not planning for one yet.
Was your husband with you in the labor room?
(Laughs) He ran away
Why did he run?
He's very emotional. He doesn't like seeing another person in pains. So, whenever it's time, he runs away. It was a better experience when I had my second child, because he couldn't run but he eventually later did.
After you came back from the labor room, did he treat you like a queen?
 Labor room or not, he goes out of his way to make me feel secure.
 So how will you spend Christmas?
We are looking forward to spending our Christmas alone.
 So, I am not invited?
Alone!
So we are expecting another baby in 2011?
Don't bother. It doesn't lead to babies always.
What about New Year, where do you plan to spend New Year?
 Well, it's normally a family thing and we have some family friends that we spend our New Year with. So that is definitely going to bring us together.
 What was your experience like in Omo Ghetto?
(Laughs) That's another thing entirely. You have to be what you've never been in your life.You have to be a ghetto girl.
 People say love is not kind in Nigeria. Do you share the same sentiment?
 Well, I don't know what they mean by in Nigeria because I know men are the same anywhere. I prefer an African man to a white man because a white man can come home and say 'I don't love you anymore', he doesn't care if you still love him or not. An African man will still put you into consideration and believe that this woman loves me o, how can I tell her I don't love her? And he will start fighting himself on the inside and say 'I must love this woman, I must not be ungrateful, I must show love'. I see no reason why someone will say love is not kind in Nigeria. Love is not kind everywhere in the world if you are saying love is not kind in Nigeria.
 People say before you meet your prince charming, you would have kissed many frogs. How many frogs did you kiss before you married your prince charming?
 In life we all grow. You can't expect your first boyfriend to be your husband. Then you lack experience, you lack so many things. You don't even know what life is all about. I have seen so many people that say this is my first love and this is the person I will marry. Believe me , along the line, they will have so many problems because firstly you don't really know who people are, you don't know how to tackle different people, you don't know how to tackle different problems. One of them will have so many problems that one has not seen in life. Along the line, you start feeling like I just should have tried someone else maybe it would have been better. Take it or leave it, you will have different experiences and you choose the right one out of that.
 Why is it that your first love doesn't last?
It doesn't usually work because one, you are inexperienced. You don't really know what love is all about . That's just the simple truth. No matter how old you are, you are still learning. So in most cases the first relationship will not work because one you are still selfish. You still think of me, me, me. You don't think of the other person and the other person is there as well and is thinking 'why is she thinking of herself only? She should think of me as well'. You get angry and you know, everything smashes. In most cases, the first relationship doesn't really work.
 When did you start acting and when did you come into Nollywood?
 I started acting in 1999 and my brother was into the stage then. One day, he came home and said 'these people you're crazy about, I know where you can see them' and I was like really? Are you sure I asked , and I was like take me there so we had to sneak out of the house because normally, you are not supposed to get out of the house at that hour of the day. I sneaked out and when I saw them, I was so overwhelmed.
 Where was that?
That was Winnings in Surulere. It used to be the happening place and I was like this is unbelievable. Can you imagine, I'm seeing everybody live and direct and I got my first job? So someone was like 'who is this girl? You fit into the role I am looking for'. I have been looking for a girl who will be this, that and I got my first job!
 What job was that and who gave it to you?
I can't remember his surname now, but it was Emeka . He was the production manager.
 Why did you switch to the Yoruba genre?
In life, you feel more comfortable where you are more accepted. I was more accepted in the Yoruba movie industry, and more jobs were coming from the Yoruba movie industry. That doesn't mean I cannot act in English movies. If I get a role in an English movie, I can do it. The thing is that jobs are not really coming from the English sector.
 Does your husband negotiate your fees for you?
Sometimes he does. If it's coming from him, he does.
What if it's coming from you?
If it's coming from me, sometimes I prefer that he negotiates for me.
 There is this stuff I saw online that actresses sleep with a director, producer or marketer to get the job. Is that your experience?
 Well, like I tell people, it's what you want that you get. A lot of us are not patient. We want to come into the industry today, make a name and become a star tomorrow. That's why a lot of actresses get frustrated and leave the industry. A lot of them end up doing a lot of things that they are not happy about. You don't get into an industry that you virtually know nothing about and you want to become a star tomorrow.
 It works nowhere, so patience works a lot. If you think that sleeping with a director or a producer or a marketer will make you a star in a jiffy, you go ahead to sleep with them if you want to,but if you are patient, people will definitely see you. I believe a lot of girls in the industry that are not sleeping with anybody are getting their roles. They are getting jobs and they are getting their jobs done. So for someone to have said that, that means the particular girl must be notorious for doing that.
 But have you ever dated a marketer ?
Never.
But they have money and they control everything. Don't they?
 They don't control everything. You can't say marketers control everything. They don't shoot films. Films are shot and taken to the marketer. Okay? So you can't say the marketer controls everything.
 Why do Yoruba actresses date marketers?
Well, that I don't know. I'm not dating a marketer and I don't know those dating marketers.
Has it ever crossed your mind that something could happen to your marriage since your husband was married before?
Well, every marriage is prone to ups and downs and there is nothing you have seen or heard that will make you say that.
Yeah?
Yes. So the moment you think of anything of such, you work against it to make sure it doesn't happen in your life. That is just it.
 Thank you, but how will you feel if this is a woman's world without men?
 A world of women (laughs).
Yeah….?
This world will be a world full of selfishness
Why do you say so?
Women are always selfish, we think of ourselves a lot.

Dedicated to the memory of Teslim Olamilekan Suleiman (1992 - 2005) [Click Image to read about him]